Alternative cellular energy pigments (ACE-pigments) provide a source of cellular energy other than that provided through the oxidative metabolism of foods, or in the case of plants and certain bacteria, through the process of photosynthesis. In some patients, ACE pigments exist in a form that can be further energized or activated using ultraviolet (UV) light, especially if the reaction is initially triggered by the presence of suitable dyes, such as neutral red. A method is described to further enhance the activation of the ACE pathway in humans and animals deprived of ACE. The method comprises using natural or man-made sources of ACE products (enerceuticals), with or without the inclusion of a suitable dye, such as neutral red; or other activating components, such as magnesium chloride; with the combined mixture being put into a UV transparent container, such as a plastic bag, or placed on some other material, which can be laid onto the skin and illuminated with a UV light source. The process of activating the ACE pathway is evidenced by UV inducible fluorescence seen within areas of the patients' skin and/or mucus membranes. This fluorescence fades as the ACE pathway becomes fully activated. Activating the ACE pathway can have therapeutic benefits in various infectious and non-infectious diseases including illnesses attributed to infections with stealth adapted and conventional viruses and diseases attributed to an inadequacy of the mitochondria and associated metabolic pathways, including states of hypoxia and nutritional deficiencies.