36 Powerful Benefits of Red Light Therapy
Red light therapy is taking the healthcare community by storm. The positive reviews and life-changing experiences people are having with their red light panels continue to spread.
Most people dismiss the benefits as being “too good to be true,” and I admit I was one of those skeptics when I first heard about how light could be so healing.
But it's been over 6 years since I received my first red light device and have seen firsthand the benefits this therapeutic light has had on my health and body.
This article isn’t about me. Instead, I dug deep into the literature and found out what the science says about the health benefits of red light therapy.
Additionally, at the end of the article, I share my personal experiences using red light therapy after more than 5 years.
Let's get started.
Red Light and Health
Let’s first consider how red light therapy can improve your health. To be specific, red light therapy can:
- decrease inflammation,
- improve thyroid function,
- increase performance in the gym,
- increase recovery,
- and promote optimal testosterone levels , among other things.
I will address these topics one by one.
But first, a quick overview of how light impacts the body. It’s now well known that the body responds to light — different wavelengths of light create different effects on the body. Light in the 600 nm to 900 nm range has been shown to create the greatest biological response (most of this range is covered by red light).
The energy from this light is absorbed by the body, and through a series of metabolic events, this light energy is converted into cellular energy. For example, one benefit is the release of ATP—more ATP in the cell—better cellular function.
Below, I’ve listed some of the most common ways red light can help the body heal, recover, and improve performance.
1. Red light reduces inflammation
Red light therapy can dramatically reduce inflammation levels in the body . This means that red light can be used to treat conditions like osteoarthritis, joint injuries, and excessive swelling without any of the side effects commonly associated with over-the-counter inflammation-reducing medications like NSAIDs .
Exercise therapy and red light therapy actually work synergistically in reducing inflammation, meaning they enhance each other’s effects . So if you’re just exercising without taking advantage of red light therapy, you may not reduce localized or systemic inflammation as well as you could. Your injuries may therefore heal much faster if you decide to integrate red light therapy into your life.
The effectiveness of red light therapy in reducing inflammation has been scientifically demonstrated in many different locations on the human body, including the back, neck, shoulders, knees, and even the jaw. This means that you can use a red light therapy device — even a small one — to very specifically treat an area that’s bothering you.
Inflammation is actually a problem that extends far beyond joint health or injury recovery. Many modern diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer, are all associated with excessive levels of inflammation. This does not mean that inflammation is the sole underlying cause of these diseases, but rather that inflammation is a major issue related to these diseases.
Inflammation isn’t always a bad thing. Some activities, such as exercise, temporarily increase inflammation due to the damage it causes to the body. However, when individuals exercise habitually, these activities actually decrease their overall levels of inflammation in the body .
Red light therapy has the same effect... decreasing elevated levels of inflammation to healthier levels.
Larger (and more expensive) red therapy devices may be useful in containing systemic inflammation that is not localized to a specific area of the body. Another previously treated option for reducing systemic inflammation is to use cold therapy.
2. Red light improves thyroid function
Red light therapy can increase thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones are very important because they are responsible for the proper production of energy in the human body. While many different variables are responsible for energy production, the thyroid is one of the most essential parts of the body, responsible for actually creating high energy levels so that you don’t feel sluggish.
The same effect is true for thyroid hormones in healthy individuals who also improve their thyroid function. One benefit linked to regulated thyroid function is increased fat loss and higher body temperatures.
Combining red light therapy with exercise increases fat loss to a greater extent than exercise alone. This is yet another reason why exercising in sunlight is more beneficial than exercising indoors under the typical blue light lighting of a gym.
Getting enough light during the day, even if it’s red light therapy on days when you can’t go out in the sun, is also very beneficial for weight loss . However, if you had to choose between sitting indoors exposed to a red light therapy device or lying outside in the sun, always choose sunlight because it has many more overall health benefits.
3. Red light therapy can help with fat loss
It’s not just that red light therapy helps you lose fat: what’s even more surprising is that red light therapy can help you lose fat from problem areas . The waist, hips, and waistline are especially affected by red light therapy.
For best results, you need to combine red light therapy with a healthy diet and other fat-loss-supporting behaviors, such as sunlight, making sure not to expose yourself to artificial light after sunset, adding some cold exposure, and exercise (if you are healthy overall).
For even better results, lower your overall (psychological) stress levels.
It’s important to remember that red light therapy is not a magic pill. Instead, red light therapy simply supports any already effective fat loss routine.
Simple...
4. Red light therapy leads to increased gym performance
Red light therapy will also boost your performance in the gym. One of the main mechanisms by which red light boosts performance is by stimulating the functioning of mitochondria in the human body.
Remember that mitochondria are the main energy-producing entities in (human) cells. Red light therapy influences these mitochondria to increase the production of their main energy source called ATP .
Red light therapy not only improves the functioning of existing mitochondria, but it also helps create new mitochondria. This means that red light therapy can help increase energy over time because of the new mitochondria.
Red light therapy also has additional performance benefits—boosting the gains from any workout you might complete in the gym. Red light therapy, when combined with exercise, improves muscle size and power to a greater extent than exercise alone. This positive effect applies to both strength and endurance gains from workout sessions.
5. Red light therapy speeds recovery
Red light therapy stimulates the activity of stem cells, which are the basic undifferentiated cells of the body. Stem cells can transform into any cell with a specific function, such as skin cells or muscle cells . Such stem cell activity can consequently decrease overall fatigue levels, meaning you will feel less tired after a workout because the stem cells are transformed into new cells.
Red light therapy also increases recovery after exercise. This means that after applying red light, you can last longer in your next workout, use more volume during subsequent workouts, and protect yourself from excessive damage resulting from previous workouts .
The effects of red light therapy are so great that questions have been raised about whether red light therapy should be considered doping . In essence, red light therapy can be considered a very healthy unfair advantage for performance in the gym because red light therapy has no serious side effects.
Additionally, red light therapy increases muscle blood flow, preventing excessive scar tissue from forming in the first place . Scar tissue is a common problem associated with injuries. It is linked to immobility issues and increases the risk of developing injuries over time .
Tendons located near the area where red light therapy is applied increase their healing speed . The same is true for ligaments — torn ligaments improve their healing when red light therapy is applied .
Another benefit of red light therapy is that it can help prevent injuries by increasing blood flow and reducing the buildup of scar tissue.
Overall, red light therapy can help you recover faster, make you less likely to injure yourself, and heal any current injuries much faster.
6. Red light therapy may promote optimal testosterone levels
Optimal hormone function actually begins in the brain. Different areas of the brain, such as the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, are involved in this process. Until recently, however, it was not known that thyroid function also affects the production of steroid hormones .
Thus, improving thyroid function will also improve the production of steroid hormones, such as testosterone. To achieve this effect, you need to specifically use the red light device on your thyroid.
Optimal testosterone levels are not only important for men, but also for women. Testosterone in women is linked to sex drive, energy, and overall well-being . In women, testosterone is produced in the ovaries — while in men, testosterone is produced in the testes.
In addition to improving steroid function through thyroid hormones, red light therapy can also increase steroid hormones such as testosterone by directly stimulating energy production in organs associated with it. An example would be testosterone production in the testicles .
Remember that red light can penetrate deep into the body, thereby increasing energy production in specific organs. When the correct dose of red light therapy is applied to the testicles, it can actually increase testosterone levels by up to three times .
Unfortunately, there are still no scientific studies investigating the effects of red light therapy on the ovaries.
7. Red light therapy increases energy levels
Red light therapy makes the creation of “ATP” – the form of energy we talked about earlier – more efficient .
The deeper red light penetrates your tissues, the more ATP can be created. Many studies have also shown that red light therapy can offer positive benefits for reducing fatigue.
If you have energy issues, it is highly recommended to try some red light therapy in your life.
Don’t want to buy a device yet? Look for a spa or beauty salon nearby – these places often offer red light therapy treatments these days.
Therapy in these places is expensive, however. From a cost perspective, you're better off buying your own red light therapy panel at home.
8. Red light improves blood circulation
Red and infrared light penetrates up to a few centimeters into your body, this penetration means that red and infrared light can also reach your blood vessels.
Red light therapy has several effects on your blood circulation. First, red light therapy helps your body create new blood vessels. Second, it improves your “microcirculation,” which is the blood flow to your smallest blood vessels.
Circulation matters a lot...
Why?
If your body's circulation is not good, oxygen is not transported well throughout your body. Blood circulation is also important for getting rid of toxic waste and providing nutrients.
Red light therapy is also "winning" in the anti-aging department - since circulation declines with aging, red light therapy allows you to age more gracefully.
9. Red light increases fertility
In men, red light therapy can improve semen volume, movement and survival. Modern men need this boost, especially since fertility levels have been declining for decades.
Red light therapy may also help men with erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction has also become more common in recent decades, at increasingly younger ages.
While there are many possible underlying issues why men end up with erectile dysfunction, not having adequate blood flow is one of them.
How does red light therapy improve erectile dysfunction?
Well, red light therapy increases the amount of CO2 in your blood. Contrary to popular belief, CO2 is not just a waste product. CO2 helps you carry more oxygen in your blood and also opens up your blood vessels .
Due to the opening of blood vessels, more blood can flow into your penis.
Fortunately, men aren't the only ones who benefit from red light therapy...
In women, almost 25% of severely infertile women conceived after red light therapy treatment. That's a huge increase in fertility because you might expect the increase in women who aren't "severely infertile" to be much greater.
Happy mating!
There are indications that red light therapy even improves egg quality and slows the (eventual) decline in female fertility. As a woman, you may be able to have children at an older age (which is not always a good choice).
Great news for many people who can't have children (yet)...
10. Red light therapy can boost your immune system
There are several mechanisms by which this immune boosting is accomplished. Let’s analyze these reasons one by one.
First, red light therapy can stimulate the thymus gland in your chest. This gland is essential for your immune system, but unfortunately it degenerates as you age. Red light therapy can slow down this degeneration process.
Red light therapy, therefore, helps you stay healthier into older age.
Second, red light therapy increases the activity of several immune cells. There are different types of immune cells.
Macrophages, for example, clear away dead cells and respond to infections. Red light therapy may increase the function of these macrophages.
Dendritic cells, which have more of a messaging function, are also increased by red light therapy - although this positive effect has not yet been established in humans. .
Mast cells, a specific type of white blood cell, are significantly increased by red light therapy when such an increase is necessary for an adequate immune response. One function of mast cells is to create fibrous material in wound healing.
Finally, red light therapy positively affects “leukocytes” and “lymphocytes.” Leukocytes are white blood cells that fight off invaders in your blood. Lymphocytes, secondly, are active in detoxification. In these specific areas, however, more human research is also needed.
Red light therapy can therefore prevent disease and keep your immune system stronger into older age.
11. Red light improves eye health.
Yes...
The eye health-improving effects of red light therapy are especially noticeable if you already have eye problems.
Your eyes have an enormously high relative energy demand, compared to tissues of the same size . Decreases in the body's energy production are therefore very likely to affect eye health first.
Therefore, it is not surprising that red light therapy helps treat eye problems, since red light therapy is so influential in improving energy production in the body.
Let's consider some eye pathologies that are helped by red light therapy (but don't try to remember these names):
-
"age-related macular degeneration", in which the light-sensitive area in the eye degenerates.
-
cataract, which is a clouding of the lens of the eye.
- dry eye problems or “meibomian gland dysfunction. ”
Although more (human) research is needed to understand the effects of red light therapy on the eyes, the current results are very promising.
And myopia is just an eye condition. Eye problems are therefore not a "side issue" in healthcare, and it is amazing that red light therapy can help to offer improved vision.
12. Red light helps stem cells proliferate
Stem cells can differentiate into all types of cells, such as brain cells, muscle cells, and bone cells. In other words, undifferentiated stem cells can transform into a cell with a more specialized task.
When red and infrared light hits stem cells, it helps those cells proliferate . Your body is then better able to use stem cells to create new brain cells or repair injuries.
But there is another reason why red light therapy is interesting:
Stem cell therapy has become very popular in recent years. In stem cell therapy, your own stem cells, animal stem cells, or stem cells grown in a laboratory are inserted into your body.
These stem cells can help restore the function of damaged organs, for example. Other goals of stem cell therapy include slowing aging, helping you perform better, reducing pain, and just looking younger overall.
By adding red light therapy on top of your stem cell therapy, you can gain additional benefits.
More studies in humans are currently needed...
Red light and beauty
In addition to improving overall health, red light therapy can also be used for appearance and beauty. Red light therapy has proven benefits for improving skin health, healing wounds and scar tissue, improving oral health, and reversing hair loss.
13. Red light produces radiant, vibrant skin
Nowadays, many people have skin problems and try to cover up such problems with cosmetics or use other invasive treatments that often have serious side effects. Red light therapy has been shown to improve the appearance of the skin without resulting in any known side effects . Red light therapy increases blood flow to the skin, thus increasing skin regeneration.
Additionally, red light activates stem cells around the skin, which helps them proliferate into new skin cells. In turn, many skin processes improve, such as: reducing acne, inhibiting scar tissue in the skin, reducing sunburn, inhibiting stretch marks, and even healing burn wounds .
Red light therapy can also improve skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis.
However, even if you don’t have any skin problems, red light therapy will still improve the appearance of your skin. This skin improvement is achieved through an increase in collagen formation in the skin.
The skin will become firmer and smoother. Wrinkles will be reduced in number and will decrease in size. The collagen density of the skin will improve . The skin's feel and complexion are also improved.
This means that even if you are a very healthy 20-year-old woman, red light therapy can enhance your beauty without the associated drawbacks that many commercial cosmetics have. So even if you don’t have any scars, the moisture and collagen formation from red light therapy will still surprise you in positive ways.
14. Red light therapy improves wound healing
Red light therapy can also help heal damaged skin, such as wounds. Wounds are often problematic because they take a long time to heal and can leave scar tissue. Red light therapy improves the healing process of wounds even after surgery .
After the wounds have healed, red light therapy can significantly reduce the formation of scar tissue . Red light therapy treatments decrease scar tissue in both circumference and thickness.
15. Red light therapy prevents and treats sunburn damage
There is also evidence that you can use red light therapy to prevent sunburn and lessen its intensity.
To prevent sunburn, apply red light therapy to your skin for a few minutes before going out into the sunlight. Red light therapy protects you from sunburn because infrared light is actually stored in the human body. Venturing out into the morning sun, which also contains a high portion of infrared light, can also help prevent sunburn later in the day. The same effect is achieved through red light therapy.
To help recover from sunburn, apply red light therapy to the affected areas for just a few minutes. Red light therapy achieves this effect by improving skin recovery.
16. Red light therapy improves oral health
Next, red light therapy can be used for oral care. Red light therapy applied to the teeth decreases tooth hypersensitivity , reduces harmful mouth bacteria, heals mouth sores and gums, and increases bone remodeling after tooth damage .
This means that red light therapy can aid good dental practice... functioning as a holistic method to improve complete dental care.
To use red light therapy for oral care, the light not only needs to penetrate your cheeks, but it also needs to reach your teeth. You can simply add a few minutes of red light therapy after brushing your teeth each day.
17. Red light therapy can reverse hair loss
Red light therapy can reverse hair loss in men and women .
This means that red light therapy may be a preferable option before using prescription medications to reverse hair loss, because these medications often have side effects.
Red Light and Wellbeing
I’ve covered the benefits of red light therapy for general health improvements, gym recovery, and beauty. Now, I’ll explore some of the benefits of red light therapy for general well-being.
18. Red light reduces pain
Red light therapy can reduce perceived pain levels, even in common conditions such as osteoarthritis, back pain, and other joint disorders . Red light therapy is also an effective treatment for headaches when applied to the head . Even chronic pain decreases in intensity after red light therapy .
More research needs to be done on this topic, but red light therapy appears to be a promising modality for treating different types of pain in different locations of the body.
19. Red light improves your mood
When red light is applied to the skull, it penetrates the brain. Applying the light for just a few minutes to the brain reduces anxiety and depression .
While such treatments currently do not have any associated side effects, I would advise you to do some research on the application parameters before trying red light therapy on the brain .
The best option would be to purchase a device that is pre-configured in terms of application variables (light dosage, usage time and usage position) so that you are guaranteed the best possible treatment.
Many users of red light therapy claim that their mood improves significantly after a red light therapy session.
20. Red light protects against cellular stress
Let's say your body is under a lot of stress, for example due to a lot of physical work or jet lag after a workout. In that case, red light therapy can reduce these negative effects.
These effects have (currently) only been proven in animal studies. But since most animal studies point in the same direction, it is expected that the effects in humans will be roughly similar.
21. Red light increases brain function
There are several ways to use red light therapy to improve brain function.
The first option is to use red light therapy LED panels, which I talked about earlier. But there is another option. The second - and better - option is to use red light therapy devices made specifically for your brain.
Basically, Vielight is a "headphone" that you place on your brain, which then emits light that passes through your skull.
What are the supposed benefits of this headset?
- First, you will have better memory consolidation, which means you will remember everything you learn better.
- Second, help your brain cells become healthier.
- Thirdly, attention, reaction time, brain power and mood are all improved.
- Finally, even if you are healthy, red light therapy protects your brain cells and helps new brain cells grow, and genes that protect the nervous system to be activated...
These beneficial effects are especially profound when you already have brain problems, such as a traumatic brain injury or Alzheimer's. If your brain is healthy, however, using red and infrared light on your brain will still have benefits.
22. Red light clears your nose and helps you breathe properly
In other words, red light therapy clears your nasal passages . This effect is especially helpful for people who have certain allergies, such as hay fever.
On the one hand, there aren’t many studies that have investigated the effects of red light therapy on blocked sinuses. On the other hand, there are thousands of customer reviews of red light devices that indicate that red light therapy relieves blocked noses.
If you have problems with allergies, I highly recommend trying a cheaper red light therapy device that can be placed in your nose first. There is almost no downside risk to trying it, and a huge improvement in your life as a possible beneficial upside.
Don't walk around with stuffy sinuses all the time - you can do something about it. If red light therapy doesn't work, I can help improve your breathing pattern.
23. Red light helps you sleep more soundly at night
If you expose yourself to red light therapy at the right times of day, your body can increase its secretion of a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin helps you sleep more deeply, for longer, and fall asleep faster.
However, be careful not to apply red light therapy too close to bedtime. In this case, red light therapy can decrease your overall melatonin levels and therefore decrease your sleep quality.
Red Light Therapy for Disease Management and Prevention
You may be wondering whether red light therapy can also be beneficial if you have certain conditions...
I have to make a caveat before you start reading about the effects of red light therapy on these conditions: often, while there is a lot of positive research available, the trials of red light therapy are still in their early stages.
In the coming decades, I expect red light therapy to become a standard treatment for many of these conditions.
Why?
There is increasing evidence showing how beneficial Red Light is for modern diseases. Let’s take a closer look:
24. May fight dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Although these effects are not yet well proven in humans, there is evidence that red light therapy can treat certain symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
What goes wrong in Alzheimer's? In this disease, your upper brain area related to reasoning ability and another brain area related to memory shrink severely.
There is a buildup of plaque that is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease - called "beta-amyloid" - that can be reduced through red light therapy, for example. These beta-amyloid plaques prevent proper communication in your nervous system.
The growth of new brain cells and certain brain areas is also triggered by red light therapy, helping to heal the areas that were affected by Alzheimer's in the first place.
If you want to treat your brain, you'll want to rely more on the infrared light in your device than on a red light. Remember from the second section that infrared light penetrates much deeper than red light - which is necessary for the light to pass properly through your skull.
25. May help with depression
Again, this effect has been demonstrated primarily in mice. However, early human studies involving only a few participants are already very promising.
When I told you earlier that red light therapy can improve your mood, I also mentioned that it’s best not to rely on red light therapy alone. This advice applies to any illness, but especially depression.
For depression, it’s best to combine red light therapy with adequate sunlight exposure, as sunlight offers additional light frequencies beyond red that improve mood. Of course, exercise, a proper diet, and many other interventions also help with depression.
26. Helps in recovery from brain injury.
Another brain-related event, alongside depression and Alzheimer's?
Yes.
Traumatic brain injuries are more common than you think: Each year, more than 1 million people in the U.S. suffer a brain injury. Nearly 100,000 end up with a permanent disability.
Scary, right?
People with a traumatic brain injury can have all sorts of problems. Even with a mild brain injury, for example, you can have cognitive problems for weeks. Let’s not even talk about severe brain injuries…
How can red light therapy help?
Memory, attention and mood improve after treatment. In addition, red light therapy is increasing the brain's oxygen supply, blood flow and protecting cells from premature death, while swelling decreases.
Again, you have to apply red light therapy specifically to the brain to properly treat a traumatic brain injury, but be sure to work with a trained light therapy specialist before treating yourself.
27. May help treat heart disease
As you may already know, red light therapy also has enormous benefits for the functioning of your mitochondria. The human heart and brain tissues are the tissues richest in mitochondria in humans.
Therefore, it is not surprising that red light therapy has beneficial effects for many brain and heart diseases.
Let's consider the last condition...
Red light therapy may help you heal faster after bypass surgery. Pain after heart surgery may also decrease. The overall quality of your blood vessels may also improve with red light therapy.
Unfortunately, general research on red light therapy for heart disease is still in its infancy.
28. Helps you recover better and faster from a stroke.
Using red light therapy after a stroke appears to have many benefits . First, cognitive deficits after a stroke are reduced.
Second, when red light therapy is applied within 24 hours of a stroke, overall recovery is significantly better compared to no red light therapy. These benefits persist for months after initial treatment.
Third, further application of red light therapy may help improve the recovery of your language ability.
Again, for this specific instance, the best option is to use a red light therapy device that treats your brain.
29. Reduce fatigue if you have fibromyalgia
Stiffness, fatigue and spasms can be reduced through red light therapy.
Although there is conflicting evidence, the studies that claim red light therapy does not improve fibromyalgia use excessively high dosages. Make sure you get the right dose to get the benefits you deserve.
Why does red light therapy dosage matter so much?
Well, keep in mind that red light therapy does put some stress on your body. If you have fibromyalgia, you are already less tolerant of stress than most other people. So it’s not surprising that using red light therapy at a very high dosage—which creates a higher amount of stress—can create negative results in people with fibromyalgia.
You can get (part of) your life back with red light therapy, but don't rely on red light therapy alone...
30. It can combat bone and joint problems (such as "osteoarthritis", "osteoporosis" and "rheumatoid arthritis").
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition that primarily affects the functioning of the joints.
For rheumatoid arthritis, red light therapy can reduce morning stiffness, pain, and increase range of motion in joints. Excessive levels of inflammation can also be reduced.
In osteoarthritis, your bones come into (almost) direct contact with each other due to the loss of cartilage. Therefore, there is no longer any "cushioning" effect due to the cartilage in your joints. People with osteoarthritis end up with stiffness and pain...
But red light therapy can help:
swelling, your ability to fully move your joints, and pain are reduced. Your joints also increase in temperature, which means your circulation and metabolism in that area increase.
Fortunately, almost all joints have been studied in osteoarthritis, such as the knee ; shoulder ; elbow; wrist; hand and fingers, and show positive results .
(Back and neck problems will be covered later in this blog post.)
For the billions of people with joint problems, red light therapy could offer assistance for years to come.
31. Reduces your chances of getting cold sores.
Cold sores are caused by a virus, not cold temperatures as many people think. Viruses are transferred more easily in cold weather.
One of the common treatments for this virus is creams or pills, but red light therapy works just as well (and without side effects).
Cold sores can reappear over time, especially when you’re stressed or your immune system is compromised. In both cases, fortunately, red light therapy can also help.
32. Helps fight Parkinson's disease.
In Parkinson's disease, nerve cells in parts of the human brain degenerate. As a result, people with Parkinson's have stiffness, trouble moving, and constant body tremors. Although many studies confirm the benefits of red light therapy in animals, studies have not been conducted.
Human studies have not yet been performed . Animal studies are promising: movement capacity increases, brain cells are protected, and mitochondrial activity increases. Remember one thing:
If you have Parkinson's, there are no downsides to trying red light therapy. Although the results have only been proven in animal studies, results in humans are expected .
33. Helps you deal with (chronic) pain.
This effect is one of my favorites. Why? I used a small red light therapy device to help my family deal with shoulder and back pain.
Of course, not all types of pain are created equal. There are huge differences between chronic nerve pain and a sprained ankle, for example. However, red light therapy has a proven track record for treating many types of pain.
Currently, the most common treatment for pain is taking painkillers. Red light therapy is a viable, side-effect-free alternative to these painkillers.
Red light therapy literally reduces pain and inflammation. Keep in mind that many people take painkillers from the "NSAID class of drugs" for these specific purposes.
Let's consider different types of pain.
There is excellent evidence to support the use of red light therapy for chronic pain and low back pain (without a specific cause) and nerve pain. Neck and shoulder pain are also treatable with red light therapy.
But there's more...
Other cases where red light therapy may help include pain (and recovery) after stomach hernia surgery, breast cancer, after a broken leg, or muscle pain.
Red light therapy is quickly becoming a cost-effective, side-effect-free method for dealing with pain. Red light therapy turns out to be an all-purpose Swiss Army knife once again - for pain this time...
34. Opposes diabetes.
If you combine exercise with red light therapy, you will decrease what is called "insulin" resistance more than using exercise alone .
If you are healthy, insulin helps your body move sugars into your body's cells. If you have insulin resistance, however, your body's cells no longer respond to insulin. As a result of insulin resistance, blood sugars are no longer absorbed properly into your body's cells, and you end up with high blood sugar.
Combine red light therapy with exercise for improvements in the insulin resistance department...
But there's more:
Red light therapy can also help you deal with the side effect of diabetes: pains and sores often associated with diabetes can be prevented.
As diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world - and even set to increase in prevalence - red light therapy could be a huge help to hundreds of millions of people.
35. Helps if you have carpal tunnel syndrome
In carpal tunnel syndrome, a nerve near your wrist has been compressed. Because of the impingement of this nerve, you will feel tingling, pain, and numbness in your hand.
Red light therapy can decrease overall pain, improve your hand strength and recovery, and improve the health of your nerves .
Most of the evidence actually exists that red light therapy improves carpal tunnel syndrome in the short term . It is not yet known whether red light therapy can improve wrist health in carpal tunnel syndrome in the long term .
However, applying red light therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome is almost an obvious choice because it is very inexpensive to apply.
36. Helps prevent your brain function from declining as you age.
The best way to combat cognitive decline (as you age) is to use red light therapy that specifically targets your brain. LED panels are therefore suboptimal for this purpose.
Most people's brain function declines with age, but red light therapy can slow this process.
This effect kind of overlaps with the prevention and fight against Alzheimer's and other diseases of the nervous system.
Plus many other benefits
If you dive deep into the published literature on red light therapy, you’ll soon see that the benefits listed above are just the tip of the iceberg. I decided not to go into all of the health benefits of red light therapy to keep this article shorter than a book.
That's it: an almost intimidating list of red light therapy benefits for fighting disease on many levels.
And just to be clear:
I even chose not to include many diseases on this list, such as bacterial and fungal infections, cancer, and other types of pain.
However, I hope you yourself conclude that red light therapy is at least very promising.
I believe that because red light therapy offers so many benefits for so many conditions, within the next decade many families will have a red light therapy device in their home.
Just as computers and smartphones have taken over the world, red light therapy devices will be no different.
Be a thought leader in healthcare and be the first to try red light therapy in your community. It only takes a few years to completely change the world beyond recognition.
What are the best wavelengths?
It depends. It depends on what you want from your device. There are a plethora of published articles showing the effectiveness of certain wavelengths of red light in helping the body.
But in the comprehensive meta-analysis on light therapy titled 'The Nuts and Bolts of Low-Level Laser (Light) Therapy' , researchers stated:
The wavelengths of light used for (light therapy) fall into an “optical window” in the red and NIR wavelengths ( 600–1070 nm ). Effective tissue penetration is maximized in this range because the major tissue chromophores (hemoglobin and melanin) have high absorption bands at wavelengths shorter than 600 nm.
Wavelengths in the 600–700 nm range are used to treat superficial tissues, and longer wavelengths in the 780–950 nm range , which penetrate more deeply, are used to treat deeper tissues.
Wavelengths in the range 700–770 nm have been found to have limited biochemical activity and are therefore not used.
Red Light Therapy Dosage
Unlike UV light, the risks associated with overdosing on red light therapy are much lower. Using too much red light usually means that the effects of red light therapy are greatly diminished. Diminished effects simply mean that you won’t get any benefit from the session — UV light, on the other hand, can actually harm you when you apply too much of it.
This optimal dose means that red light therapy follows an inverted U-curve, where too little or too much red light treatment offers no benefit, and only the optimal dosage offers the greatest benefits.
As you can see from the image above, it’s still important to get the right dosage to get the most benefits from red light therapy. It’s very difficult for me to give exact guidelines on how long you should use any device because the specific device, your distance from the device, and the reason for using red light therapy all need to be taken into consideration.
For example, if you are using red light therapy to treat scar tissue, this goal warrants a lower dose than when you are using red light therapy for joint pain. The reason for this difference is that the joints are located deeper in the body compared to the skin. Not all of the red light applied to the skin will reach the joints, as some of the red light photons are absorbed by other tissues in the process.
Please consider whether the company you purchase a red light device from offers any dosage guidelines. If such guidelines are not included with the product, then it is probably best to do some further research.
Possible side effects of red light therapy?
The worst-case scenario for red light therapy side effects is headaches and exhaustion because the body needs a lot of energy for the healing and mitochondria-building processes that red light therapy initiates. Fortunately, red light therapy can never result in sunburn because no red light therapy device emits UV wavelengths.
Also consider asking the company how high the non-native electromagnetic frequencies emitted by the device are. There have been reports from some users that their LED red light therapy devices emit high amounts of non-native electromagnetic frequencies (nnEMF).
Finally, red light therapy should not be used late at night. On the one hand, red light therapy will never suppress melatonin levels like blue or green light. But on the other hand, red light can suppress melatonin levels to a lesser extent when the light intensity is strong enough .
The light intensity of many LED devices reaches very high levels because these devices are made to be used very close to the human body. You don't want your melatonin levels to be suppressed because optimal melatonin levels are necessary for deep sleep.
The Take Away About Red Light Therapy
Let’s wrap this up. Red light therapy can be beneficial in many different areas, including general health, beauty, and well-being. However, red light therapy cannot replace the sun. Full-spectrum sunlight has even more overall benefits than red light therapy. But used as an adjunct, red light therapy has some impressive health and well-being benefits.
The science is solid, the benefits are numerous, and the use of red light therapy is now accessible to everyone, thanks to new LED technology. With a wall-mounted device like those sold by TheraFactor It is much more practical from a financial and size point of view for you and me.
And if that price range is still too high, the smaller units on the market should allow anyone looking to improve their health and well-being to add red light therapy to their health toolbox.
Overall, red light therapy is an incredible tool for improving overall health, boosting workout performance, enhancing beauty, and increasing overall well-being. If you follow the prescribed dosages, red light therapy will have no side effects and will only provide benefits.
