Light medicine is one of the most effective and natural methods for treating the underlying causes of conditions like inflammation, fatigue, and stress, rather than just the symptoms. Light therapy activates the body’s natural healing processes, creating a body equipped for wellness and vitality.
Wellness providers, athletes, and biohackers can optimize their health and recovery outcomes with light-powered interventions that don’t rely on prescriptions, surgeries, or extensive recovery plans.
Living With Inflammation, Fatigue, and Stress
Sore, sluggish, and tense. That’s what characterizes the experience of living with these issues:
- Inflammation: Inflammation can present as joint pain, gut issues, stiffness, fatigue, infections, and digestive problems.[1]
- Fatigue: Fatigue can be physical or mental, with both brain fog and mood changes, as well as physical exhaustion or weakness.[2]
- Stress: Prolonged or chronic stress can keep the body stuck in fight or flight mode and trigger depression, anxiety, headaches, sleep issues, weight gain, and trouble focusing. [3]
Living with symptoms like these has a negative impact on daily life and what your body can withstand. These are systemic limitations that short-circuit your potential and your well-being.
Traditional interventions are usually drugs and endless physical tests, but RLT produces a systemic response that empowers the body to do more, better, and faster.
How Photobiomodulation Works For Systemic Issues
Red light therapy (RLT) and laser therapy are subcategories of photobiomodulation. This is a non-invasive intervention that uses red and near infrared (NIR) light to trigger a cellular response.[4]
Photobiomodulation (PBM), or low-level laser therapy (LLLT), penetrates into the body’s energy powerhouse, the mitochondria, to produce more Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). This cycle enhances pain relief, reduces inflammation, and accelerates tissue repair.[5]
By triggering this cellular response, the body can naturally address the underlying causes of these issues and their symptoms. This is a far cry from more traditional interventions, such as medications, which only mask symptoms.
Light Therapy For Inflammation
Studies show that RLT has strong anti-inflammatory effects, including reduced swelling, lowered oxidative stress, and reduced key inflammatory markers associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart issues, and Alzheimer’s.[6]
Light Therapy For Fatigue
Study results on the benefits of RLT for fatigue are more varied; however, it has shown positive effects on sleep quality, which can reduce fatigue. One study showed that low-level red light sessions before bed improved sleep quality, mood, and alertness.[7]
Light Therapy For Stress
Chronic stress and other stress-related conditions, like PTSD, have both mental and physical symptoms that affect nervous system function and overall mood. These symptoms drain the body’s energy reserves, which PBMT helps restore by stimulating cell energy, triggering dopamine and serotonin pathways, and reducing oxidative stress.[8]
Is Red Light Therapy Safe?
Yes, red light therapy administered with FDA-cleared devices is generally safe with virtually no side effects. Always wear eye protection during red light or laser sessions to avoid direct contact. If you experience any skin irritation or hyperpigmentation, you may be overusing RLT.
The Best Approach To Inflammation, Fatigue, and Stress With Light
- Consistent RLT Sessions: For cellular health, schedule 3-5 sessions per week.
- Maintain Duration: Sessions should be at least 10 to 20 minutes each.
- Get Customized Treatment: Different wavelengths trigger different levels of energy absorption and produce different outcomes; be sure to target the right benefits of photobiomodulation for each session (633nm, 810nm, 850nm, 940nm).
- RLT Should Enhance Medical Care, Not Replace It: Consult a physician for long-term, chronic inflammation, fatigue, and stress-related issues to ensure no other underlying problems are missed.
- Make Other Lifestyle Changes: Take care of yourself in other ways by staying hydrated, getting at least 7 hours of sleep, eating a low-inflammation diet, practicing mindfulness and meditation, and getting daily physical exercise.
Reduce Systemic Symptoms With Light Therapy
Activate cellular energy to reduce inflammation, fatigue, and stress with consistent RLT sessions. Experience reduced pain, more alertness, and better stress management with a body that’s able to renew itself.
The body’s natural healing processes are already there; they just need to be optimized and supported. Red light and laser therapies deliver proven results with lasting impact, so you can feel better and live better.
Sources:
[1]https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/inflammation
[2]https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21206-fatigue
[3]https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
[4][5]https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7356229/
[6]https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5523874/#S31
[7]https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10484593/#sec15
[8]https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12620535/#abstract1
