After hearing about it and trying it out here and there, I recently started getting serious about using Red Light Therapy on my healing journey. I am loving it! I only wish I would’ve added it years ago. If you are dealing with any sort of chronic or acute health issue and looking for a non-invasive way to support your body in healing, check this out!
What is Red Light Therapy (RLT)?
Red Light Therapy is the use of light directly on the skin for the purpose of promoting health and healing.
Where did Red Light Therapy come from?
Red light therapy was first used (in the scientific literature, at least) in the 1800s by Dr. Niels Ryberg Finsen. He discovered the benefit of light for healing when he noticed that sunbathing improved his symptoms of Pick’s disease. In 1893 he used red light to treat smallpox, and two years later to treat lupus. In 1903 he was awarded the Nobel prize for his contribution to the treatment of disease using concentrated light radiation.
In 1967, Endre Mester noticed that laser light helped promote wound healing and hair growth in rats. Since that time, RLT has been studied with various groups, including helping those with Alzheimer’s Disease and supporting those who work in space travel, which causes muscle atrophy, slow wound healing, and bone density issues.
How does Red Light Therapy work?
The light penetrates to the deeper tissues of the skin, stimulating the cells – specifically the mitochondria. Inside the mitochondria, the enzyme called cytochrome c oxidase is stimulated, which causes vasodilation. This opening of the blood vessels allows greater blood flow to the area, providing the body with the support it needs to heal itself. This also allows for greater absorption and circulation of nutrients.
The idea of RLT is to support the body and its cells in their natural processes, allowing the body to heal itself.
What can Red Light Therapy help with?
Red Light Therapy may be helpful for any of the following:
- Reducing inflammation
- Increased wound healing
- Pain relief
- Collagen production and skin repair (reducing wrinkles and improving complexion)
- Preventing or reducing symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Reducing some cancer treatment side effects
- Reducing burn scars
- Improving psoriasis lesions
Honestly, what can it not help? If it’s reducing inflammation, it’s helping with pretty much every issue out there.
I am currently using it to support my lungs as I work through severe asthma.
How to get started with Red Light Therapy?
RLT is becoming increasingly more accessible with dozens of home-use products on the market. There are many companies out there with different devices and modalities of administering red light to various areas of the body. You would benefit from doing a little research to determine what would fit best in your situation.
I am using two different forms of RLT right now – neither of which I have an affiliation with; this is just for informational purposes. I have a device from Photonic Health at my house called the Magic Pad that I can place on my body in whatever area I would like to focus (usually my lungs).
For me, these are the pros of the Magic Pad:
- It’s relatively large (covers my whole torso)
- It offers multiple types of light, including red, blue, green, and infrared
- It includes a small portable battery so you don’t have to plug into a wall for every use
There are also some obvious benefits just to the fact that it’s at my house, including that I can use it any time, day or night. I can use it on anyone in my house. I just have a lot of freedom to use it when, where, and with whomever I need. I focus on using the magic pad on days when I don’t utilize my next option…
A light bed! I like to go to a clinic near me that offers RLT sessions in a big bed called a Light Pod. It kind of looks like a tanning bed. I can choose from a variety of different programs (I usually choose the one called “asthma”) and then I just lay there, completely surrounded by light, for 15 minutes. This gives my whole body a chance to receive the benefits.
I feel like adding Red Light Therapy has really helped in improving my asthma symptoms and keeping me off the inhaler for longer and longer periods of time. I’ve changed, added, and tweaked many other things in my life to improve my health, and I think RLT is another important piece of the puzzle for me as I seek true healing!
If you’ve had any experience using RLT, I’d love to hear about it!
Resources:
Red Light Therapy: Uses, Benefits, and Risks
What is Photonic Health Therapy? – Photonic Health
The History of Red Light Therapy: A Comprehensive Timeline
5 thoughts on “Red Light Therapy”
Hi! Where can I purchase a red light therapy device?
Unfortunately, we don’t sell them. We have two different brands at our office, neither of which we are affiliated with. One from Photonic Health and one from Lumiceuticals. The type of RLT device you choose would be dependent on what you need it for. I like the Photonic Health pad because it’s big and can fit over my entire torso or back, which is where I like to use it. I know they also have little handheld lights that are kind of like flashlights for more focused, smaller areas. We also love our Lumiceuticals thing and they have great training for all the ways to use it and such. I’ve seen a lot of products out there for use on the face for skin that are little squares or rectangles that rest on a desk. I have also seen full body mats and full body bag type things (similar to the big light bed I lay in at a local clinic, but for more personal home use). If I were you, I would start by looking at those two companies and then check out a few others to see who has something that fits what you need best. If you have any health conferences coming up in your area, there may be some RLT vendors there letting people try their stuff. Or if you are in any health facebook groups you could always check out their recommendations, too.
https://photonichealth.com/magic-mat/
This is the person we went through for lumiceuticals: https://kirtcraynor.lumiceuticals.com/
Where do you get the magic pad and how much is it?
Hey Gina, We got the magic pad from Photonic Health. https://photonichealth.com/magic-mat/
We had their old pad so we traded it in for a lower price. I think a new one is around $1400-1500?
We also have a Lumiceuticals light device that we like and we got that through Kirt Craynor: https://kirtcraynor.lumiceuticals.com/
I just learned that they haven’t actually released the magic pad to the public yet. They are launching it November 25th. They only told their current customers about it and allowed trade ins of their older version, so that’s how we got it. So you should have access next week!