Red light therapy is a type of phototherapy or light therapy. The red light emits the red wavelengths of the visible spectrum to the body by placing the light close to the skin. Red light has longer waves, with wavelengths around 620 to 750 nm. This type of wavelength will never tan or burn the skin as there are no UV rays in red light therapy. About 80% of the waves of red light penetrate down to 2 centimeters of skin (about 0.8 inch) and any cells exposed to the waves are then affected positively.
History of Red Light Therapy
Red light therapy actually goes back to the year 1893. The therapy was used was by Dr. Niels Ryberg Finsen, a Danish physician to treat smallpox. He felt so good about the results that a few years later he then used red light therapy to treat lupus patients.
Finsen went on to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1903. The Nobel team decision makers believed he had opened a whole new avenue for medical science with this type of therapy. They were correct, and red light therapy has finally reached the point where thousands of natural health practitioners and a small percentage of medical doctors are using it in protocols for healing different types of health disorders and for general wellness.
After the smallpox experiment, red light took the form of lasers, called Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). Lasers are concentrated, high energy light. The modern laser was developed by Albert Einstein in 1917. The early studies on lasers did not usually call themselves red light; you would have to know the frequencies of different colors of light to understand what type of light therapy was referred to in these original studies.
Sunlight Brought Results
Around the same time, doctors who worked in sanitoriums found that sunlight, which contains a red light wavelength as well as other colored light wavelength, was quite helpful in the treatment of those with tuberculosis (TB). Doctors stated that institutions that used this type of light therapy were able to surpass results found with other types of treatments used for the disease.
Within the next few decades, a nurse had discovered that babies taken out to the courtyard regularly for sunlight experienced fading of the jaundice on their skin. The babies had been born with high levels of bilirubin which causes the jaundice. Soon thereafter in the 1950s the first artificial light source for treatment of jaundice was included in a treatment protocol.
Once doctors understood there was healing that was occurring from sunlight, it was time to move full speed ahead and start isolating the different light wavelengths and finding out what they could do.
The 1960s Brought Advancements in Red Light Therapy
Light-emitting diodes (LED) were discovered between 1961 and 1962. These light sources had the ability to produce only red light instead of a combination of wavelengths of light found in the average lightbulb. Years later, light-emitting diodes that emitted specific wavelengths other than red were also produced. By the 1990s, the LEDs became more affordable. Not only were they used for medical reasons but they also became light sources within homes.
In 1993, NASA was running experiments on red light and plants and found that red light wavelength increased the growth of plants. This was a celebrated success among scientists at NASA and those who had been working with it discovered that skin lesions they had rapidly healed with their exposure to the red light. About eight years later, NASA then sponsored a research study on how the recovery time of skin lesions was 40% faster than those who didn’t use red light therapy.
The 1990s brought innovative advancements to the field of athletics when physical therapists and sports teams began using LED therapy to aid in sports recovery. Their results showed that athletes needed half as much time to heal from injuries.
How Red Light Works on Human Physiology Was Uncovered
This stimulated scientists at Harvard and other fine institutions to find out how red light was working and the answer was to be found in the scientific journal called Photomedicine and Laser Surgery in 2008. Red light stimulates the mitochondria in cells which control metabolism, energy, and immunity as well as inflammation. The mitochondria then released nitric oxide which set about a healing process.
There were additional things that happened from the red light. The blood flow to the tissues increased. Cells that were stressed or damaged or had low levels of oxygen absorbed the red light and cell metabolism was restored. This set the foundation for additional scientists to record benefits of red light therapy.
Benefits of Red Light Therapy
There are many benefits of red light therapy. Because they are so predictable, red light therapy has been used on a number of different conditions, with great results.
Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation is one of the key components of many diseases. It becomes chronic in a lot of cases such as arthritis, obesity, asthma, periodontitis, ulcerative colitis, sinusitis, TB, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and heart disease. Unless the inflammation is reduced, the diseases continue – sometimes for decades.
Improves Sleep
A Brazilian study in 2018 showed that red light therapy improved sleep disorders of patients who had been suffering from migraines and sleep disorders.
Another study confirmed the effectiveness of red light therapy in improving the sleep of elite female basketball players as well as their melatonin levels and endurance during the sporting events.
Lessens Pain
By decreasing inflammation in the body as well as improving blood flow, red light therapy can lessen pain.
Regrowth of Hair from Hair Loss
Red light devices now exist for stimulating the growth of new hair cells on the head. Although the therapy takes a while to show new hairs, it is well worth consideration
Mood Lifts
Depression and anxiety affect how people eat, sleep, and perform their daily functions. They may begin to eat erratically and sleep less often or have insomnia. When this happens, it may indicate that the body’s circadian rhythms are not in alignment with how they should be.
When red light is focused on the brain, the wavelengths of the red light enter the brain and promote blood flow and increased metabolism of the cells. There is also an increase of the neurotransmitter serotonin and endorphins.
Cognitive Effects
Cognitive effects means effects on the brain and how it functions. Studies have shown that light therapy can increase mental cognition in those who are in their elderly years. Other studies have shown that patients with traumatic brain injuries receive benefits.
One particular study was on veterans suffering from chronic traumatic brain injury. Twelve veterans who had been suffering from this type of injury for 18 months received red light therapy three times a week over six weeks. Their neuropsychological scores significantly improved in six of the subscales tested and their SPECT analysis (a type of brain scan) showed improvement in eight of the patients. The researchers concluded that red light therapy shows promise in improving cognitive function years later after the brain injury.
Red light has been shown to protect the brain’s tissues. One study in animals found that the red light therapy was able to partially prevent the degeneration of cells in the retina of mice. This type of degeneration is found similarly in those with Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma.
In another mouse study, a red light device reduced the hydrogen peroxide levels in the brains of mice with Alzheimer’s disease and reversed age-related memory disorders.
The effect of red light therapy on memory and cognition is closely tied to its positive effects on the mitochondria. Trauma to the brain and brain degeneration/nervous system degeneration such as what occurs in neurological disorders causes memory loss but when red light therapy is used, the increased blood flow to the brain’s tissues seem to reverse this.
Weight Loss
The wavelength of red light may also enter fat cells and causes havoc within them. This is what you want if you are overweight. The light ruptures the cell wall of the fat cell, which releases the fatty acids that are inside that cell. The body’s lymphatic system picks up the fatty acids where they are then removed from the body forever. The same thing happens to cellulite.
Improves Thyroid Function
Brazilian researchers tested 10 applications of red light therapy applied directly to the thyroid gland of patients with Hashimoto’s disease. The patients had two treatments per week for five weeks.
At the end of the study, the patients lowered the dosage of their thyroid medication within the next nine months, with many of them going off their medications completely. There simply was no need for it anymore. Others dropped their medication from 96 mcg/day to 23 mcg per day. The patients also had fewer thyroid antibodies and inflammation within their thyroid gland.
Conclusion
Red light therapy is a therapy without any serious side effects. With over 30 different human illnesses that are affected positively by red light, it’s definitely something to consider whether you are simply looking for a boost of the feelings of wellness or something more.
References
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Zhao J, et al. Red Light and the Sleep Quality and Endurance Performance of Chinese Female Basketball Players. J Athletic Trainers. Nov-Dec 2012; 47(6):673-8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23182016/
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Hofling, D.B., et al. Low-level laser in the Treatment of Patients with Hypothyroidism Induced by Chronic Autoimmune Thyroiditis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Lasers Med Sci. 2013 May; 28(3): 743-53. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22718472/
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