Red light therapy, or RLT, is a non-invasive medical procedure that can have incredible benefits to your health. Yet some people remain skeptical.
After all, how can light heal your body?
While it may sound too good to be true, scientific studies show that red light therapy does work! If you’ve had patients recently ask you about red light therapy or you’ve been curious yourself about this exciting new form of treatment, it may help to take a closer look at how red light therapy works.
Most of the light sources we encounter in a typical day—such as light bulbs or the sun—emit a broad spectrum of light that includes both visible and invisible wavelengths. Red light therapy uses only red and near-infrared light.
Red and infrared light have longer wavelengths than blue and ultraviolet light, allowing them to penetrate deeper into the skin.
Red light exists within the visible color spectrum, but infrared light is invisible. In fact, humans can only detect infrared light as heat.
Infrared light was first discovered by Sir William Herschel in 1800, but it wasn’t until 1967 when a Hungarian scientist named Endre Mester accidentally discovered the therapeutic effects of red and infrared light.
Red light therapy is believed to work by stimulating the mitochondria, causing cells to work and repair themselves more efficiently. The same process can even activate stem cell production.
Even though scientists aren’t entirely sure why red light therapy works, the plain and simple fact is that it does. Over the years, there have been numerous scientific studies that have observed a marked difference in the human body after the application of red light therapy.
Red light therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation, promote regeneration, and even prevent damage. As a result, RLT can have a wide range of applications!
The best part? When used correctly, there are no known side effects!
Limit the use of a red light therapy device to 20 minutes, 3-5 times a week for best results.
Red and infrared light can penetrate deeper than blue and ultraviolet light but cannot penetrate through many fabrics. (This is why you wear more clothes during the winter—the fabrics trap the small amount of infrared heat emitted by your body to keep you warm.)
While small amounts of red light may be able to pass through certain types of fabrics, you will get the best results with direct skin contact.
This also means you should choose your device carefully. Some red light therapy devices use a “buffer” that keeps the LEDs from coming into direct contact with the skin, thus allowing the red light to diffuse.
Red light therapy is more than just a healthcare trend. For millions of people, it’s a life changing form of treatment.
Bedrock Bioscience specializes in red light therapy devices for neuropathy, weight loss, and erectile dysfunction to help your patients optimize their life. Our devices are FDA-approved so you can feel confident recommending them and use both red light (660 nm) and infrared light (880 nm) for the best results possible.
