Benefits of Red Light Therapy

by Dr. Nick Zyrowski May 16, 2023

We know, everywhere you turn these days, someone is online or on TV trying to sell you the latest health craze, whether that’s a pill or a workout routine. We’ve gotten accustomed to not believing something will truly work unless it’s hard to do. What if something that didn’t take much effort on your part, and even included a little relaxation, could be helpful for your overall wellness? Let’s take a look at the promising new treatment of red light therapy and some of the benefits you can expect from it.

What is Red Light Therapy?

Before we tell you what red light therapy can do for you, let’s explain what this is and how it works to improve your health. Red light therapy is LED light therapy. This is low-level light therapy photobiomodulation that involves exposing your skin to red and near-infrared lasers or red LED lights. (1) It’s believed that specific wavelengths of light can trigger cell changes that affect and improve how they function.

You can find red light therapy devices in various shapes and sizes. Some are handheld devices, panel devices, and therapy beds. No matter your individual preference, there’s a red light therapy device that fits your needs.

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Using red light therapy is an easy process and it can be relaxing, too. The light will penetrate deep into your skin so your cells will absorb it. You expose your body to low-level laser light to get positive health benefits. (2)

Benefits of Red Light Therapy

When it comes to all the benefits of red light therapy, there is still more research to be done. We have only broken the surface of what it can do for your health. Even so, the list is pretty impressive and you’ll want to know more about this non-invasive treatment that you may not have heard about at your doctor’s office.

Rejuvenating Skin Health

When your cells work more efficiently, this will show in your skin, too. Your skin is the largest organ you have. Many people are prone to skin issues like acne. If this is the case, red light therapy can be used as a treatment. Red light therapy can also be beneficial for those with psoriasis and aging skin, which is something people spend lots of money on each year. Most of the creams you find online and in stores won’t work and aren’t backed by any kind of science. In studies, patients who received red light therapy showed skin improvements. (3) There are even more benefits for the skin, like regulating collagen production, which reduces scarring and helps wounds heal faster. (4)

Pain Reduction

Some patients have shown success with pain and inflammation reduction when using red light therapy. You may wonder how that’s possible without using medicines. The process involves a protein on the surface of the neuron that absorbs the red light. When that happens, the cell loses some of the ability to perceive pain. (5)

Injury Recovery

Have you noticed that some sports and physical therapy clinics have begun using laser therapy to help with injuries? Red light therapy is thought to stimulate your mitochondria, the cells that trigger an increase in ATP. That's the energy of the cell that’s responsible for muscle repair. Red light therapy before exercise could improve performance and heal muscle injury and pain afterward. (6)

Enhancing Brain Health

Red light therapy can be used as a treatment for improving neurocognition. It has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve blood flow and oxygen in the brain. This protocol can be incredibly beneficial for people who have had traumatic brain injuries or strokes. (7) Incorporating red light therapy will decrease oxidative stress that can affect the brain in negative ways.

Studies have shown that this treatment can also give you a faster reaction time and better memory. It may even improve your mood and help you react more positively to emotional stressors. (8)

Cognitive decline is something many of us are concerned with as we age. Researchers have studied the effects of red light therapy and discovered it had a positive neurocognitive effect. Cognitive decline often happens because of vascular disease, but the treatment proves beneficial no matter the nature of the disease. (9)

May Decrease Cancer Treatment Side Effects

Red light therapy may be used before cancer treatment to reduce the side effects that often come with radiation or chemotherapy. That could mean a reduction of things like skin damage and oral tissue swelling. (10)

Hair Growth

The treatment can promote the growth of hair follicles. The process is thought to work much the same way the sun helps plants to grow and thrive. The red light wavelengths reduce oxidative stress in your body, which helps hair to regrow. (11) Sometimes hair loss happens due to stress, which red light therapy also helps. That alone can make it beneficial for hair growth.

Better Sleep

You’ve read that you need to dim the lights to get better sleep. That is true, but some light can also improve your sleep routine. Red light therapy can help restore your natural circadian rhythm. That’s the clock that tells your body when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to get up. When you use light therapy, your retinal cells perceive it and send chemicals to your brain. (12) That is the melatonin and serotonin that regulates sleep and waking periods. Many people practice red light therapy in the morning to reset their circadian clock.

Believing Science, Not Hype

We’ve shown you some of the ways red light therapy can benefit your health. As you can see, there’s genuine science behind how this treatment works and how it can increase your wellness. What we don’t want you to do is fall into a social media rabbit hole of products that are only generated to make money and offer you no real benefit. Red light therapy is becoming more popular, and many companies will charge you a small fortune for a device that may not work.

When you purchase a red light therapy device, you want the best value for your money. That means exceptional power and a product that is tested by independent third parties with published data you can review. Transparency is crucial.

There are a ton of marketing gimmicks out there these days. We want you to get products that enhance your health naturally and are backed by scientific research. To learn more about this incredible therapy, contact us with any questions you may have. We are excited to be at the forefront of natural health and are committed to helping you get healthy and stay well through holistic medicine and treatments.

References :

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22114-red-light-therapy

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/red-light-therapy-science-behind-light-benefits

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4848333/

https://www.everydayhealth.com/wellness/potential-health-benefits-of-red-light-therapy/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5803455/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5523874/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325884#skin-health

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3926176/

https://www.everydayhealth.com/wellness/red-light-therapy/guide/

https://redlightrising.co.uk/2021/08/31/red-light-therapy-for-brain-health/?kw=&cpn=11167482217&utm1&gc_id=11167482217&h_ad_id=466592641104&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6cKiBhD5ARIsAKXUdyaXTNDowuv4tutDhpj3cRIxzMqRbMi71_RqHD_X3rvxqfra-Jz-2yMaAk39EALw_wcB

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22114-red-light-therapy#:~:text=In%20this%20therapy%2C%20low%2Dpower,and%20other%20types%20of%20cancer.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8577899/

Dr. Nick Zyrowski
Dr. Nick Zyrowski