Let’s chat about the healing benefits of light therapy.
A friend of mine, Heather Parkin, introduced me to light therapy three years ago. She explained that light therapy decreases inflammation, increases blood flow and reduces pain because it supports the body’s ability for self-healing.
The words PAIN and INFLAMMATION echoed in my thoughts.
My mom was in almost constant pain due to osteoarthritis. If light therapy could possibly could reduce her pain, I wanted her to have access so we invested in a device for her home use. When she uses the system daily, her arthritic pain decreases significantly.
My curiosity was peeked so I signed up for a complimentary light therapy treatment. The result was a large release of poop (history of IBS and constipation) and I noticed that I slept deeper for a few nights.
I followed my session by attending a workshop on light therapy where I learned more about how light therapy works. The system I am referring to is the In Light Medical LED device intended for home use.
The system has different sized pads which have a combination of red, blue and near-infrared light emitting diodes. The pads are individually connected to a device which has ten setting options. The setting determines the speed of light pulsations onto the body.
I’ve been interested watching different light therapy products come online. Most are focused on anti-aging and skincare however, the cover a relatively small area of skin and are hand held. I have yet to see one that is comparable to the In Light Medical system that has a combination of polychromatic lights, various sized pads to cover larger areas of the body plus the settings to pulse the light onto the skin tissue. Part of the benefit of this system is the relaxation and rejuvenation gained while giving yourself a session. Once you set the lights on your body, you are in receiving mode.
I was further fascinated by the testimonies of light users so I purchased a device for myself. Initially, my plan was to offer sessions to clients for health conditions but I knew I needed to experiment on myself first.
Due to my history with IBS and chronic constipation, I targeted my light therapy sessions on my digestive system and stress. Within two weeks of using the lights daily, I noted that my bowels evacuated with ease, my sleep was more restful. Overall I felt more energized and my bloating drifted away (I was also following a healing food protocol during the same period).
During this period, I had been having regular acupuncture sessions which were effective in diminishing menopause transition symptoms. After I started using the lights at home, I was able to discontinue my acupuncture sessions without menopause transition symptoms returning.
A bonus side effect was that my skin was glowing to the point that people were commenting and curious about my skin routine. Fast forward three years and the skin on my sun damaged chest has dramatically improved.
After a year of successfully improving my health outcomes with light therapy, my marriage hit a seriously stressful situation. I can honestly say, using the lights during this period saved me. My nervous system felt extraordinarily triggered and using the lights for PTSD calmed me. I also did not get sick once during that tumultuous year while I used the lights regularly.
The beauty of having your own light system is that the lights support the body’s ability for self-care and healing.
What is “light therapy?”
Light therapy is not laser therapy.
In the 1960s, laser therapy was discovered to have favorable outcomes for healing wounds and reducing pain, inflammation and swelling. It was later discovered that the use of broad spectrum light also impacted the body’s ability to heal.
Broad spectrum light therapy is referred to as:
- Photobiomodulation
- LED (Light Emitting Diodes) Light Therapy
- LLLT Low Level Laser Therapy
- Or Light Therapy for the purpose of this post.
Laser therapy is narrow and focused (coherent) light whereas light therapy is broad and scattered (incoherent).
Laser therapy requires a professional for treatment and light therapy is safe for personal use.
The benefits of blue, red and near-infrared light therapy.
Blue Light Benefits
-increased nitric oxide production and release ( produced by the body’s cells and critical for blood vessel health. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, which means it relaxes the inner muscles of your blood vessels, causing the vessels to widen. This mechanism increases blood flow and lowers blood pressure.)
-reduces inflammation
-speeds wound healing on the surface
-assists with skin challenges: skin damage and degeneration, including scars, birthmarks, aging, acne, stretch marks, fungal conditions
-increased lymphatic stimulation/flow
-increased circulation in the surface layers of the skin
-restorative and balancing to the liver function
-prevents jaundice and can prevent psoriasis in some cases
-reduces intensity of herpes lesions and speeds healing
-supports circadian rhythm
-calming to the nervous system
Red Light Benefits
-increased nitric oxide production and release
-increased lymphatic stimulation/flow
-speeds wound healing of soft tissue
-supports the body’s ability for ATP (fuel or energy for the cells) production and synthesis
-supports the body’s ability to remove cellular debris and pathogens
-reduces inflammation
-supports immune response
-pain relief
-increased parasympathetic response
-stimulates hair growth
-cancer cell protective-decreased C-reactive protein and neopterin levels
-supports skin regeneration
Near-Infrared Light Benefits
-increase in nitric oxide production/release
-increased circulation in the deeper and larger vessels
-increased detoxification of the cells
-increased lymphatic stimulation/flow
-reduced inflammation
-speeds wound healing on surface and deeper levels
-increased phagocytosis-removal of cellular debris and pathogens
-enhanced immune response
-increased angiogenesis
-increased parasympathetic response-release of acetylcholine
-axonal sprouting and nerve cell regeneration
-DNA and RNA synthesis which helps the cells to produce proteins to fix
themselves and also aid other cells by donating these proteins.
-increased ATP production at deeper levels
-increased cellular metabolism
-collagen synthesis
-stimulates production of fibroblasts-new connective tissue
-reduce fibrous tissue formation
-nervous system rebalancing/regeneration at deeper levels
-pain relief at deeper levels
-osteoblast production-new bone growth and increase in density
In summary, light therapy is FDA approved to increase blood flow and decrease inflammation and pain.
Inflammation is one signal the body provides to indicate that the immune system is turned on.
I see light therapy as my in-home support system for my immunity and resilience.
When I need an energy boost, I light up! When I feel symptomatic of dis-ease, I light up.
I light up in support of my resilience and vitality.
Please feel free to contact me if your curiosity is peeked because you deserve to let your Vitally You light shine.
