What is Whole Body Red Light Therapy?

Today, red light therapy has become a panacea for treatment of health issues with a broad and growing range of stated benefits. Claims include tissue repair, immune boosting, collagen production, treatment for hair loss, mental depression, skin disorders, arthritis, and even cancer. Because it is a noninvasive and easy to use treatment, many have accepted it for these uses, despite knowing that many of these claims are not clinically proven, or FDA cleared, or covered by insurance companies. There are several red light therapy devices available in the market, from low cost to expensive, with no consensus about treatment features and overall effectiveness.
 

We will review what red light therapy is proven effective for and what it is not, although the basic science research of light treatment can be overwhelming since it incorporates physics, chemistry, and biology. Physics encompasses light–tissue interactions, tissue optics, and light source properties; chemistry looks at light absorption, chromophores, the photobiomodulation of reactive oxygen species and photochemical reactions; and biology covers cell signaling, transcription factors, proliferation, and migration. We will also provide “5 Keys for the Best Red Light Therapy Results.”

What is Red Light Therapy?

Red light, as a standalone short wavelength system, is for treating the skin and superficial conditions (dermatological applications) as it cannot penetrate deep into the body.
 

Red light wavelengths combined with one or more infrared light (long) wavelengths is now referred to as Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT). Photobiomodulation therapy is the application of red and near-infrared light to tissue that has been compromised by injury, disease, or degeneration. It is the use of these clinically-determined wavelengths that increases circulation and the synthesis of cellular energy. This light energy is readily absorbed by chromophores in the mitochondria of the body’s cells, which activates metabolic energy processes. These wavelengths of light promote ATP production, which boosts energy transport within cells, leading to increased healthy cell function and cell proliferation.
 

The natural metabolic processes are enhanced by PBMT to help reduce the damaging effects of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress, or an influx of free radicals in the body, has been linked to health issues from wrinkles to more serious diseases like diabetes and cancer. Photobiomodulation therapy helps promote the body’s natural processes for metabolizing free radicals and minimizing the damage they cause. This boost in the body’s natural healing cycle helps reduce inflammation and promotes healing of damaged tissue. PBMT increases the rate and quality of tissue repair, improves muscle performance, enhances recovery, and reduces pain. PBMT is a safe and relaxing mode of recovery that has no known negative side effects.

The following applications are cleared by the FDA:
 

• Relaxation of muscles and relief from muscle spasms

• Temporary relief of minor muscle and joint aches, pain and stiffness

• Restoration of motion to joints

• Temporary relief of minor pain and stiffness associated with arthritis

• Temporary increase in blood circulation

What Red Light Therapy Is Not

Many red light companies are promoting applications that do not use red light for these specific treatments or are not FDA cleared at this time.
 

NOTE: The FDA does not approve medical lasers. Medical lasers are only cleared by the FDA for specific indications for use, which are referred to as FDA 510k Clearance. Companies that use “FDA Approved” in their marketing for red light therapy products and lasers are in violation of FDA regulations.

Source: https://www.aspenlaser.com/the-difference-between-fda-registered-fda-approved- and-fda-cleared/

Cancer. The FDA has not cleared red light therapy to treat cancer.
Surgical lasers may be used for cancer surgery and other therapy lasers are used for pain relief and recovery from certain cancers. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) that works with photosensitizer drugs may incorporate red light as part of their systems and have been cleared by the FDA.

Psoriasis. The FDA has not cleared red light therapy to treat psoriasis. UVA / UVB devices and Excimer 308nm lasers are used to treat psoriasis.

Depression. The FDA has not cleared red light therapy to treat depression, including season affective disorder (SAD).
Full spectrum 10,000 lux light boxes or blue light devices are being used to treat SAD, as well as circadian rhythm and sleep disorders.

Wounds. The FDA has not cleared red light therapy to treat wounds.
Therapy lasers using infrared wavelengths are being used in veterinary medicine to treat animal wounds.

Red Light Therapy Panels are Not Therapy Lasers. 
Many red light companies are using incorrect terms for red light therapy, including: Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), cold laser therapy, soft laser therapy, low-intensity laser therapy, low-energy laser therapy, and bio- stimulation laser therapy. A red light therapy product is a Light Emitting Diode (LED) system and not a laser. An LED product releases light in many directions, with the result that the light is often weak and diffused and is referred to as an incoherent waveform. In contrast, a laser device releases light in which all the light waves move in phase together in both time and space and is referred to as a coherent waveform. A laser has a very tight beam that is strong and concentrated.

 

Red Light Therapy Companies are Falsely Promoting Laser Clinical Studies. 
Of the thousands of referenced and reported clinical and scientific studies and papers available, most are exclusively done with therapy laser devices as the medically-beneficial light source. Currently, many red light therapy companies are falsely promoting therapy laser studies to support and validate their medical efficacy. They attempt to document claims for the effectiveness of red light in highly marketable conditions (such as cancer treatment, wound healing and immune system boosting) to generate marketing publicity.

5 Keys for the Best Red Light Therapy Results

Key #1: Treat the Cause and Not Just Symptoms with Light Therapy (Red Light)

A primary focus of health care is to treat the immediate issue, but not necessarily the underlying cause. Treating only the symptoms can bring quick relief but not long term benefits. Doctors will issue various prescriptions or recommendations for Rx medications and over-the- counter (OTC) products, or for therapeutic modalities such as TENS, ultrasound therapy, vibration, massage, heat, and cold therapy products. People assume that these products are making their condition better, but the reality is that they often only help to temporarily relieve pain and discomfort.
 

With an estimated 1 of 6 people in America coping with constant pain, an increasing number are dealing with the vicious cycle of opioid treatment. With long-term use, the body develops an opioid tolerance and people start taking stronger doses just to get the same pain relief effect. Taking stronger doses leads to the potential risk of addiction and overdose. Even OTC pain medications and NSAIDs like aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen can have potentially dangerous side effects like increased risk of heart attack or gastrointestinal issues. Many OTC pain medications were also not meant to treat chronic or long-lasting pain.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/index.html

Treating symptoms can not only be financially costly, but also detrimental to health with the result of lower overall quality of life.

Light therapy including red light is emerging as a new treatment option that is different because it treats the cause and not just the symptoms of many healthcare conditions. It is a drug-free, non-invasive treatment that deals with the underlying cause of pain through repair of damaged cells. It does this by safely bringing energy to stimulate the body’s own healing mechanisms without side effects or secondary problems.
 

Summary. The key to treating pain is to treat the cause of pain and not just the symptoms. This can be achieved by using light therapy products that have the proper wavelengths, dosage levels and treatment coverage. Not all light therapy and red light products are equal, and many manufacturers do not develop equipment that properly considers the science and principles of the physics of light, resulting in inadequate or inappropriate dosing levels and marginal or inconsistent results. It is important to only use products that are proven safe, effective for their intended uses or applications and compliant with the FDA and other regulatory agencies.

Key #2: Combine Red Light with Multiple Infrared (IR) Wavelengths

Red is a part of the electromagnetic radiation visible spectrum that includes violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red which are arranged in order of increasing wavelength and decreasing frequency. This narrow band of visible light is also known by the acronym ROYGBIV. Red is a short wavelength in the 600 – 700nm range.
 

Red light has been used in healthcare for many years, primarily in dermatology, to successfully treat various inflammations of the skin that include acne and rosacea. These skin conditions do not require deep penetration to be clinically effective. Red light is often paired with blue light, as the blue light targets the bacteria associated with acne and red light targets the inflammation under the skin. Blue light is a shorter wavelength than red light and penetrates even less while scattering more.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17903156

Several red light therapy companies incorrectly claim their products are absorbed deep into tissues of the body. These claims use numbers from the metric system with stated penetrations of “8 – 10mm” deep. However, converting these numbers to the US measurement system reveals that the penetration is actually less than 1⁄2” depth into the skin (1/2 inch equals 12.7 mm), which is correct and ideal for skin treatments but not deeper therapies.
 

The Grotthuss-Draper Law of Photochemistry (the First Law) states that light must be absorbed for photochemistry to occur. If light of a particular wavelength is not absorbed by a system then no photochemistry will occur, and no photobiological effects will be observed, no matter how long one irradiates with that wavelength of light. Many clinical studies and published papers using low-level therapy lasers or red light LED devices, showing marginal or almost no outcomes, would not and should not have been published if the authors and the reviewers had properly understood the First Law of Photochemistry.

Source: https://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/faculty/reusch/VirtTxtJml/photchem.htm

Wavelength is the prime determinant of light penetration into tissues of the body. Each wavelength has very specific capabilities regarding cell absorption. Red and other visible light are short wavelengths that are absorbed or penetrate superficial skin and tissues.