I recently joined Planet Fitness about a month ago. I decided on the black card and if you are unfamiliar with that, it offers additional perks to your membership including hydromassage, tanning, and red light therapy. I started doing the red light therapy 3 times a week and then I started thinking to myself, “do I actually know what’s going on here?” So I started reading about it and this is what I found.
Promotes healthy cellular function. Red light therapy can reduce oxidative stress to the point that even damaged cells are able to be regenerated. When I first started writing this blog post, I had to look up the definition of oxidative stress. I have heard it but never fully understood what it was even though it sounds kind of bad. Oxidative stress is an accumulation of oxygen reactive species in the cells which thus causes cell and tissue damage. Red light therapy treatments often have systemic benefits because they can improve cellular health across the entire body. Red light therapy can help can also support and enhance skin health. “When the mitochondria in those skin cells absorb healthy red and near infrared light, they can produce more energy (ATP), stimulating the synthesis of pro-collagen, collagen, basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGF), and proliferation of fibroblasts. Red and near infrared light therapy also increase microcirculation that improves cellular balance [6]. In summary, balanced skin cells operating at full capacity do all of those jobs better. That can translate to healthier, glowing skin that looks & feels smoother and softer.”(https://joovv.com/blogs/joovv-blog/improve-skin-health-red-near-infrared-light-therapy)
Reduces Pain. There continues to be more and more peer-reviewed clinical research that shows that red light therapy can improve both pain in joints and reduce the effects of chronic diseases such as arthritis and osteoarthritis, with little to no risks or side effects. “In one double-blind clinical study, 50 patients with degenerative osteoarthritis in both knees were treated with either red light, infrared light, or a placebo for ten days. There were no significant pain improvements in the placebo group. But the red and infrared groups saw their pain reduced by over 50%.” (https://joovv.com/blogs/joovv-blog/improve-skin-health-red-near-infrared-light-therapy)
Reduces Inflammation. Most people are walking around with a degree of inflammation in their body due to environmental factors, stress, and highly inflammatory diet. While the inflammation piece of this article goes hand-in-hand with the pain reduction piece, they can be mutually exclusive. For instance, you may not be walking around with any pain but the inflammation can result in other physical manifestations including: gut issues, swelling, brain fog, fatigue, and fertility issues. Red light therapy can help speed up the natural healing process which in turn reduces inflammation.
Improved blood flow and healing. This one also goes hand-in-hand with reducing pain and inflammation. Through red light therapy, we can improve blood flow, increase the speed of healing, and improve cellular regeneration and healing. “One of the potential benefits of light therapy is a significant increase in blood circulation following treatment sessions. This indicates tissues are receiving more oxygen and other nutrients that are important for healing. At the same time, concentrated light wavelengths can help the body and circulatory system rid itself of toxic byproducts.” (https://joovv.com/blogs/joovv-blog/improve-skin-health-red-near-infrared-light-therapy)
Better sleep and circadian rhythm. “Healthy light intake is crucial for sleep and maintaining natural circadian rhythms. Our brains interpret light as a sign of when to be awake and asleep, and when to make crucial sleep hormones like melatonin. Bright blue light at night can knock your sleep cycle out of whack, but red light is a lower-intensity alternative that can help support longer, more restful sleep.” (https://joovv.com/blogs/joovv-blog/improve-skin-health-red-near-infrared-light-therapy)
Remember that all of these things are great but just red light therapy alone can not repair all the damage we do to our bodies on a daily basis. It’s important to get good quality sleep, exercise regularly, reduce sugar and processed food intake, take vitamins, and take steps to reduce stress and anxiety. But red light therapy can be a great enhancement to healthy living. Give it a try.
* A big thank you to the following articles that inspired me to write this blog.
References:
https://joovv.com/blogs/joovv-blog/improve-skin-health-red-near-infrared-light-therapy
https://www.kaiyanmedical.com/post/its-true-you-can-reduce-inflammation-with-light-therapy