Red Light Therapy

Written By Samantha M

In recent years, Red Light Therapy (RLT), also known as photobiomodulation or low-level light therapy (LLLT), has garnered attention for its potential benefits across a range of health and wellness areas. This non-invasive treatment shows promise in promoting skin health, aiding muscle recovery, accelerating injury healing, and managing chronic pain. Let’s delve into the myriad advantages that RLT offers, alongside understanding the contraindications and side effects associated with its use.

Skin Health:

  • **Collagen Production**: RLT stimulates collagen production, essential for maintaining skin elasticity, structure, and reducing wrinkles.

  • **Fibroblast Production**: It enhances fibroblast production, aiding in collagen synthesis.

  • **Blood Circulation**: RLT improves blood circulation to skin tissue, promoting a healthier complexion.

  • **Inflammation Reduction**: It helps in reducing inflammation in skin cells.

  • **Skin Rejuvenation**: RLT targets wrinkles, scars, redness, and acne, also proving beneficial for treating stretch marks, psoriasis, and sun-damaged skin.

  • **Cellular Function**: It boosts mitochondrial ATP production, aiding in cell signaling and growth factor synthesis, while also attenuating oxidative stress.

Muscle Recovery and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS):

  • **Pain Reduction**: RLT significantly reduces DOMS pain and discomfort associated with muscle soreness.

  • **Faster Muscle Recovery**: It accelerates muscle recovery post-exercise and reduces the concentration of biomarkers of muscle damage.

  • **Improved Athletic Performance**: RLT enhances performance and endurance when used before exercise.

Injury Recovery:

  • **Accelerated Healing**: RLT speeds up healing from muscle injuries and helps athletes return to play quicker.

  • **Reduced Inflammation**: It's beneficial for faster healing times and reduced pain perception during exercise and injury recovery.

  • **Enhanced Muscle Growth and Strength**: RLT aids in muscle growth and provides structural support for healthy muscle tissue, essential for recovery from injuries.

Chronic Pain Management:

  • **Natural Analgesic**: RLT acts as a natural analgesic by stimulating the release of endorphins, reducing pain perception.

  • **Reduced Tenderness**: It improves symptoms regarding pain, clicking, and the number of tender muscles.

  • **Improved Circulation**: RLT enhances blood flow, reducing chronic inflammation and potentially alleviating associated pain.

    So with all of that said, Earth Flow will be offering an add-on product of Red Light Therapy for 20 minutes that you can tag at the end of your Massage or Chi Nei Tsang session!!

    See you all on the table!

    Samantha M.

I have summarized as much information and research as I could find on this topic but please do your own due diligence of making sure Red Light Therapy is a suitable choice for your body. I have listed contraindications, risks and possible side effects below to help you with that!

Contraindications:

1. **Epilepsy**: Individuals with epilepsy may be at risk for seizures when using RLT, especially with poor-quality red light panels due to a phenomenon called flicker.

2. **Thyroid Conditions**: Direct application of RLT on the thyroid is not advised in specific thyroid conditions, although low-intensity exposure might be safe.

3. **Medications, Lotions, Tanning Creams, or Local Injections**: Some substances may increase photosensitivity or should be cleared from the system before treatment. It's advisable to have clean, bare skin for treatment.

4. **Gonads (Testicles)**: Generally considered safe unless exposed to excessively high doses of light.

5. **Hemorrhage and Active Bleeding**: Due to the increased circulation response from Red/NIR, applying RLT to active hemorrhage or bleeding wounds is not advised as it may allow for more bleeding.

6. **Dark Skin, Tattoos, and Hair**: These factors can absorb light more rapidly leading to heating, pain, discomfort, and adverse skin effects. Dosage and intensity may need to be adjusted downward for darker skin types.

Side Effects:

1. **Thermal and Heat Effects on Skin**: Exceeding skin temperatures of 41°C for prolonged periods may cause tissue and collagen breakdown.

2. **High Intensity and Dose Skin Side-Effects**: Includes heat rash, skin redness, hyperpigmentation, heat blisters, "sunburn" type skin redness, and erythema.

3. **Anecdotal Skin Side-Effects**: Some individuals, especially those with sensitive skin, reported skin redness post-treatment.

4. **Drowsiness, Tiredness, or Dizziness**: Full-body RLT might cause drowsiness or tiredness, especially for first-timers.

5. **Temporary Discomfort**: Some individuals might experience short-term feelings of nausea, faintness, tiredness, shakiness, euphoria, stomach distension, or an increase in fibromyalgia pain.

Other Considerations:

1. **High Flicker or Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS)**: Some red light panels, poorly designed or mitigated for flicker and EMF, might cause adverse reactions in sensitive individuals.

2. **Irritability, Headaches, Eye Strain, Sleep Disturbances, and Insomnia**: These were reported as mild side effects in some cases, although they remit promptly.

Sources:

[Mitoredlight.com - Red Light Therapy Contraindications](https://mitoredlight.com/blogs/light/red-light-therapy-contraindications)

-[Gembared.com - Red Light Therapy Side Effects and Contraindications](https://gembared.com/pages/red-light-therapy-side-effects-and-contraindications)

- [News-medical.net - What are the Risks of Light Therapy?](https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-are-the-Risks-of-Light-Therapy.aspx

   - [Red Light Therapy: The Complete Guide](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/17875-red-light-therapy).

   - [Red Light Therapy for Muscle Recovery](https://platinumtherapylights.com/blogs/news/red-light-therapy-for-muscle-recovery).

   - [Red Light Therapy for Sports Injuries (June 2022)](https://platinumtherapylights.com/blogs/news/red-light-therapy-for-sports-injuries).

   - [How Red Light Therapy Benefits Athletic Performance](https://platinumtherapylights.com/blogs/news/red-light-therapy-before-or-after-workout).

   - [Photobiomodulation: The Clinical Applications of Low-Level Light Therapy](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32951764/).

   - [Efficacy of the LED Red Light Therapy in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30198286/).

   - [Red Light Therapy for Injury – 7 More Injured Athlete Studies](https://www.bestredlighttherapy.com/red-light-therapy-for-injury/).

   - [Red Light Therapy for Pain: 10 Studies that Say It Works](https://www.bestredlighttherapy.com/red-light-therapy-for-pain/).

   - [Red Light Therapy Pros and Cons](https://honehealth.com/edge/health/red-light-therapy-pros-and-cons/).

   - [Science Based Effects of Red Light Therapy](https://www.mitolight.com/pages/red-light-therapy-for-muscle-recovery).

   - [Red Light Therapy for Muscle Recovery: How To + 7 Benefits](https://marathonhandbook.com/red-light-therapy-for-muscle-recovery/).

   - [Red Light Therapy for Athletes: Boost Muscle Recovery & Performance](https://www.therapeuticbeams.com/blogs/our-blog/red-light-therapy-for-athletes).

   - [Healing Sports Injuries with Red Light Therapy](https://www.wellfitrecoveryzone.com/blog/healing-sports-injuries-with-red-light-therapy).

Samantha M
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