How Red Light Therapy Works by Reducing Oxidative Stress

What is Red Light Therapy?

Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT) also knows as Red Light Therapy, is the absorption of specific parameters of light to tissues that are sick, injured or degenerating, resulting in accelerated rate and quality of tissue repair and reduced pain.

“Photo” means light. “Bio” means life. “Modulation” means a change in something. Properly administered, it is non-invasive, non-toxic and has no negative side effects.

What is Red Light Therapy Effective For?

Like plants, our cells need light to thrive. Specific wavelengths of Red and Near Infrared Light have profound healing effects in the cells in our body. This cellular regeneration causes a cascade of healing effects for entire systems and tissues in the body.

Red Light Therapy has been mostly utilized for the management of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.

The most profound benefit to light is the reduction of Oxidative Stress at the cellular level

What is Oxidative Stress?

Simply put, oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. Both of these molecules are necessary for normal, healthy reactions in the body, but an excess of either can cause damage.

The Problem with Oxidative Stress -

Free radicals are highly unstable and reactive, they cause damage to the body’s proteins, fatty tissue, and DNA.

Damage by free radicals can affect cellular function and cause apoptosis, also referred to as programmed cell death.

While our bodies’ cells regularly die and get replaced, prolonged damage by oxidative stress has been linked to a variety of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, inflammatory conditions, and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Oxidative stress also contributes to the aging process and can affect skin’s collagen production and elasticity, causing wrinkles.

How Red Light Therapy Reduces Oxidative Stress-

Red light, at specific wavelengths, is readily absorbed by light receptors in the mitochondria of the body’s cells, which activates metabolic energy processes. Red and near-infrared wavelengths of light promote ATP production, which boosts energy transport within cells, leading to increased cell proliferation.

This boost in the body’s natural healing cycle helps reduce inflammation and promotes healing of damaged tissue.

Red Light Therapy is Dose-Dependent-

The key to achieving results with red light therapy is accurate dosage, this is a combination of wavelength and exposure time. Different wavelengths are more readily absorbed by different tissues in the body, so it’s important to select the wavelength that is appropriate for an individual’s concerns and goals.

Additionally, exposure time should be incremental and consistent. For example, an individual session in the Light Pod shouldn’t exceed 15 minutes. More isn’t better when it comes to Light Therapy.