This week we are diving into red light therapy or photobiomodulation (PBM for short). Before we get into what red light therapy is and the benefits you can experience, let's break down a few of the different types of light therapy.
Therapeutic Light Therapy, Chromotherapy or Color Therapy, Near Infrared Therapy & Red Light Therapy
Therapeutic light therapy is an exposure to light that is brighter than indoor light for 30 minutes to a few hours a day to help with cognitive abilities. This type of light therapy is often found in a lightbox or light therapy box and can create a change in the chemicals and hormones that affect your mood. I have used the lightbox during the winter to combat seasonal affective disorder with positive results.
Chromotherapy or color lights help to balance the bodies energy. Using colors to tune the bodies frequency and bring it back into a state of harmony.
Near infrared therapy is part of the invisible spectrum of light and is felt as heat. It is what you will typically find in an infrared sauna but it is also found in the device I am sharing with you today along with red light therapy. Near infrared therapy penetrates the skin to the deeper tissues in the body to support detoxification, boost metabolism, reduce inflammation and more. I use this therapy both in the RedRush device featured in this post as well as in my at-home infrared sauna.
Now, to red light therapy! The star of today's post. Red light therapy delivers concentrated wavelengths of natural light to the skin and cells without UV rays or excess heat. You simply stand (or sit) in front of the device and it goes to work charging your cells.
I first began my journey with red light therapy 8+ months ago when my transplant doctor mentioned I might want to look into it to support my healing from ramsay hunt syndrome. I have now been consistently using it almost daily for six months and feel it has been an extremely supportive tool for full-body healing.
How It Works
According to studies, red light therapy exposes an area of your body to low-level wavelengths of visible light. These wavelengths penetrate the skin where they are absorbed by the cells and boost the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell where the cell’s energy is created. The mitochondria then produces more ATP, the energy carrying molecule found in the cells of all living things. With even more energy, the cells function more efficiently in doing their work such as repairing and rejuvenating tissue.
The North American Association for Photobiomodulation Therapy defines it as:
“A form of light therapy that utilizes non-ionizing forms of light sources, including LASERS, LEDs, and broad-band light, in the visible and infrared spectrum. It is a non-thermal process involving endogenous chromophores eliciting photophysical (i.e. linear and non-linear) and photochemical events at various biological scales. This process results in beneficial therapeutic outcomes including but not limited to the alleviation of pain or inflammation, immunomodulation, and promotion of wound healing and tissue regeneration.”
You can receive red light therapy in a variety of ways, over the past year I have tried it through a full length bed (similar looking to a tanning bed), in a targeted device used just on my face, and as panel (pictured above). Throughout this post I will be referring to the benefits of adding a panel into your healing toolkit as I found this to be the most potent, easy to use, and supportive way to receive red light therapy.
What Red Light Therapy Is Used To Treat
I believe we are only at the beginning of what this tool can do. Right now it is widely used for pain reduction and inflammatory-related conditions as well as skin health and physical performance. It has also been known to support:
- Depression
- Migraines
- Poor sleep
- Wound healing
- Muscle soreness
- Joint pain
- Acne
- SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
- Insomnia
- Anti-aging
- Collagen production
- Increased circulation
- Autoimmune diseases
- Cancer therapy side effects
- Tissue regeneration
- Overall healing
Please note I am not a medical professional and this information is not a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. Always consult your doctor or health care provider. <3
The Benefits I Have Experienced
While I first began this journey simply to support my healing from ramsay hunt syndrome, I have felt the benefits throughout my entire body. From clearer skin to an increase in energy, improvements in my mood, a decrease in inflammation and feeling overall stronger physically and mentally. It is hard to pinpoint exactly where I am seeing the most benefits but I will say that since adding this device into my daily routine in combination with my other tools, I am feeling better than I have felt in a really long time.
How Often You Do Red Light Therapy
I use my red light panel 5-7x per week as part of my morning routine. The exact protocol I use was prescribed by a PBM/red light therapy expert specifically for my healing from ramsay hunt syndrome and includes a little under 3 minutes on each side of my face along with 5 minutes on the front and back body. It is something I look forward to each day.
Typical recommended use is 5-7 minutes on the desired area of the body.
Also keep in mind, it is possible to overuse the device! Less than 15 minutes per area/per day is advised otherwise you are just adding more stress to the cells and all the positive benefits go away.
How Long Until You Feel a Difference
Some benefits are felt immediately while others take weeks or months. Right away I began feeling improvements in my mood and experienced a glow to my skin, within the first 1-2 weeks my physical pain diminished (without doing anything else differently) and my inflammation began decreasing. Over the first few months I noticed improvements in the mobility of my face.
We are all so individual so your experience will be different but if you stick with it consistently, after 8 weeks you should feel a difference.
The Company I Am Using and Why I Chose Them
After copious amounts of research (as per usual!) and talking it through with a few professionals, I settled on Red Therapy Co. because their device was just as strong as the medical grade equipment I had experienced at the hospital at a fraction of the price, the customer service was incredible and they answered all of my questions with kindness and patience (unlike other companies), they had a 60-day trial if anything didn’t feel right about it and I fully trusted their commitment to delivering a great product. I am extremely happy with my choice and have so been looking forward to writing this post to share it with you!
Where To Learn More and Purchase
Red Therapy Co. sells two size panels depending on your needs. Pictured in this post is the RedRush 720. Keep in mind that you are only treating the part of the body where the light hits when doing a treatment.
Check out their site here to learn more: Red Therapy Co. Website
Community Discount Code
This post is not sponsored by Red Therapy Co. but I am a proud affiliate for the product. You can enter the code "TheDreamerie" at checkout for $25 off your order. Please see below for my affiliate disclaimer and as always if you have any questions you can email hilary@thedreamerie.com
Note to my community: Some of these links contain affiliate codes which allow me to make a small commission if you make a purchase. This is at no extra cost to you and helps to support my blog. As always, I only share items that I absolutely love and have used extensively myself. If you have any questions you can email me anytime hilary@hilarypearlson.com. Thank you for your support!
Medical Disclaimer: This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, or in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. Always consult your doctor or health care provider.
