Red Light Therapy
Medical Grade Red Light Therapy is backed by over 3,000 clinical studies proving its benefits in myriad areas of healing. It is used to reduce inflammation and swelling, improve skin, joint and hair health, give you higher quality sleep, assist in nerve pain and neuropathy, faster healing after surgery, alleviate arthritis, as well as allow for rapid muscle recovery.
How it Works
Mitochondria is the powerhouse of our cells. Mitochondria make our cells rejuvenate and produce more healthy cells. A cell which is injured won’t be able to use mitochondria to repair itself and duplicate into new young and healthy cells – cells turn into tissues and organs, which turn into the systems of our bodies. If our cells aren’t replicating due to injury i.e., toxic burden, inflammation, infection, etc., our systems fail to function and therefore breakdown. At a cellular level, if our mitochondria aren’t functioning properly, our bodies aren’t functioning properly and are unable to heal.
Red and Infrared Light Therapy sends energy to our cells, including the injured ones. With that additional energy they receive from Red Light Therapy, these injured cells are able to activate the mitochondria that was hindered due to injury. As a result, the injury is repaired from within by your own body.
In addition, red and infrared lights exceptionally improve the circulation of oxygen-laden blood in the human body, thereby alleviating pain and promoting the faster healing of deep tissues. Infrared light is known to penetrate deeply below skin layers, up to 1 inch, where other treatments cannot break the surface of the skin. This is the reason Red Light Therapy provides such great pain relief from arthritis without doing any damage to the skin, unlike ultraviolet light. Arthritis/pain is so far the most effective method for which it has been studied.
For this reason, Red Light Therapy is recognized as a medical device by the FDA.
Red Light Explained
Red Light Therapy, also known as LED light therapy or RLT, is a treatment that uses a very specific and low wavelength of energy, called infrared light, for therapeutic purposes. Based on NASA studies, Medical Grade Red Light Therapy delivers the exact light wavelengths which penetrate deep into your tissues, muscles, tendons and even bones, increasing blood circulation, sending healing energy to injured cells. With more energy, injured cells can function more efficiently, rejuvenate themselves, and repair damage, further promoting the healing process.
Red Light Therapy penetrates both upper and deeper levels of the skin where it is absorbed by skin cells and turned into energy. With this influx of energy, skin cells have an improved ability to repair themselves, reducing pain, minimizing signs of aging, among other benefits listed in this post.
wavelengths
The most crucial factor to consider is the wavelength of the Red-Light Therapy you are using. Most red-light panels emit a wavelength around 620 nanometers to 750 nanometers. This wavelength is found to benefit skin issues such as reducing acne, wrinkles, redness and scars.
You will also find devices with longer Red-Light wavelengths, around 780 nanometers to 1200 nanometers. This is called near-infrared light, and it penetrates deeper into your skin. Light at the top end of this spectrum can penetrate right through the skin. This makes near-infrared light better for treating injuries.
Studies show that standard treatments like topical creams and Red-Light Therapy panels only penetrate 0.1 inches deep in your tissues whereas Medical Grade Red Light therapy penetrates deep into the bone giving you both the superficial benefit of the skin and depth of tissue and bone healing.
In comparison, blue light emitted from your phone and computer have short wavelengths, typically between 450 nanometers to 495 nanometers.
Red-Light Therapy treatment is cumulative. It takes time and multiple treatments to see results.
RED LIGHT THERAPY & REDUCED INFLAMMATION
Chronic inflammation is a significant factor behind every disease, including autoimmunity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Inflammation is your body’s natural defense system. In general, it helps get rid of toxins and protects the body. However, if you are eating harmful food, have an undiagnosed infection or living in a toxic environment, your body is always in a state of defense. Inflammation then turns from a positive, beneficial and healing response (think when you sprain an ankle) to a systemic issue manifesting as chronic illness causing adverse health effects and sometimes debilitating symptoms.
While not addressing the root of why the inflammation is happening in the body, Red Light Therapy does significantly decrease inflammatory cytokines assisting the body to temper the overall inflammatory load.
RED LIGHT THERAPY & IMPROVED SKIN, JOINT AND HAIR HEALTH
The main reason Red Light Therapy has become so popular of recent is because of its skin benefits.
Red Light Therapy offers these powerful skin enhancing properties because it boosts collagen and elastin production by way of improved cellular function, improved platelet-derived growth factor and optimization of fibroblasts which benefits skin tone and texture, as well as fine lines and wrinkles.
Red light can help calm redness and inflammation associated with mild to moderate acne. Blue light therapy, used also in hospital settings for sterilization of rooms, helps kill the bacteria associated with acne.
Red Light Therapy is also highly successful for male and female hair loss, as well as precancerous lesions.
RED LIGHT THERAPY & HIGHER QUALITY SLEEP
There is a part of our brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus responsible for regulating melatonin production and body temperature. Both aforementioned factors are essential for sleep quality. Red Light Therapy optimizes your suprachiasmatic nucleus!
Sleep directly impacts your quality of life because studies show sleep deprivation is the same as being drunk. Sleep regulates mood, physical performance and mental sharpness and is also when the body heals and detoxifies itself.
Several studies show that sitting in front of a red light three to five times per week reduces stress and anxiety. Red Light Therapy does this because it is anti-inflammatory, allowing your body to handle stress better therefore your ability to relax is higher and sleep more accessible.
Red Light Therapy is so powerful that it even relieves symptoms in patients with extreme depression.
Avoid sitting in front of a red light immediately before bed because it will raise your body temperature, making it harder to get restful sleep. Instead, three or four hours before bed is best. This allows you to experience the sleep benefits of red light without raising core body temperature.
RED LIGHT THERAPY & OSTEOARTHRITIS; RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
There are more than 100 types of arthritis, the most common of which are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Red Light Therapy has been studied most, and proven successful, with regard to pain and arthritis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis:
This is an autoimmune disease and develops when the body's immune system attacks healthy tissue (See blog post on Spectrum of Autoimmune Disease). Studies have shown that up to 31 million Americans suffer from this severe and painful form of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis usually attacks joints, primarily the wrists, fingers, feet, and even toes. It causes mild to severe pain in the joints, reduces mobility, induces inflammation, and stiffness.
Osteoarthritis:
Known as ‘Wear and Tear arthritis’ this is the most common type of arthritis today with 54 million Americans presently experiencing severe pain and nearly complete loss of mobility due to this alone.
This degenerative disorder is caused by the severe wear and tear of the joints. Although knee osteoarthritis is much more common among the senior population, its origins can be traced to earlier life periods.
According to the Mayo Clinic, although 14 million individuals have knee osteoarthritis in the United States, approximately 2 million of these individuals are less than 45 years old. Mayo Clinic also reports that up to 80 percent of injured football players will eventually develop osteoarthritis within 10-30 years of their injuries. Fifty percent of those with damaged knee ligaments or cartilage will develop the debilitating disease within 10-20 years. Osteoarthritis generally affects the knees, but it is not uncommon for it to develop in the spine, fingers, hips, and toes.
Red Light Therapy plays a significant role in the management and control of arthritis. Unfortunately, prescription medications are often the go-to option for the treatment of arthritis and joint pain. There are several other options you should take into consideration, which include dietary adjustments, as well as other lifestyle changes. However, because of Medical Grade Red Light Therapy benefits for inflammation, clinical trials have proved its reduction of pain, stiffness and swelling specifically for both types of arthritis.
Both forms of arthritis are considered highly degenerative, meaning that the symptoms tend to get worse over time. However, by reducing inflammation through diet and lifestyle changes, with added benefits of Medical Grade Red Light Therapy, symptoms of arthritis can be managed and progression even halted.
Disclaimer: Information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before beginning any diet, supplementation or exercise program. Statements and opinions contained on this website and other related sources (blog and social media platforms) are provided as informative and educational tools only. Whole Body Health & Healing cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy or effectiveness of the information to your unique circumstance.