Learn the basics of photobiomodulation

How it Works?

Photobiomodulation is the science of light and its impact on our biology and physiology. Red & Infrared light has an enormous amount of studies supporting its benefits. Every positive impact comes from the following process.


1. The Right Light Spectrum

The 610nm- 680nm (Peaks at around 620 and 670nm) and 810nm-850nm spectrum are scientifically proven to excite the mitochondria of the cell and other key enzymes. 810nm, 830nm and 850nm are well researched NIR wavelengths.

2. Boost in Cellular Energy

Red & Infrared light provides joules of energy to the mitochondria and in turn outputs more ATP, the cell's (and your) energy that governs your ability to do any action or process.

3. Enhanced Biological Functions

There is an average of 37 trillion cells in our body. With more energy available, the body can significantly increase every aspect of itself - from speeding up healing, to reducing inflammation and even increasing sports performance

USE PHOTOBIOMODULATION TO ENHANCE MUSCLE GAIN, STRENGTH, ENDURANCE, AND RECOVERY  

“In the near future, sport agencies must deal with ‘laser doping’ by at least openly discussing it because the aforementioned beneficial effects and the pre-conditioning achieved by laser and LED irradiation will highly improve athletic performance.” – Michael Hamblin, PhD





Red/NIR light with exercise makes a potent combination. Not only does red/NIR light help you recover faster, it seems to amplify everything that happens with exercise – increased muscle gain, fat loss, performance, strength, and endurance.    

Muscle tissue has more mitochondria than almost any other tissue or organ in the human body. So muscle tissue is particularly responsive to photobiomodulation. The muscles are packed with mitochondria, because ATP is needed for every muscle twitch and movement, no matter how insignificant.

Through the effect on ATP production and cellular healing mechanisms, red/NIR light help individuals to recover more quickly from strenuous and resistance exercise, and even helps to prevent muscle fatigue during exercise.  

Studies provide evidence that near-infrared and red light therapy powerfully help prevent muscle fatigue, enhance muscle strength and endurance, increase fat loss responses from exercise, increase muscle growth responses from exercise, and promote faster recovery. To get into just a few of the dozens of studies on this topic:  

One study by Vieira et al. examined levels of fatigue in leg muscles after endurance exercise and found that using light therapy immediately following significantly reduced fatigue scores relative to the control group. The researchers concluded “The results suggest that an endurance training program combined with LLLT leads to a greater reduction in fatigue than an endurance training program without LLLT. This is relevant to everyone involved in sport and rehabilitation.”  

Leal-Junior et al. performed a review of the relevant research in 2015 to examine the effects of phototherapy on exercise performance and recovery. They compiled data from thirteen randomized control trials and examined the number of repetitions and time until exhaustion for muscle performance, as well as markers of exercise-induced muscle damage. The researchers concluded that pre-conditioning the muscles with red/NIR light (i.e. using the light prior to exercise) significantly improves muscular performance and accelerates recovery. Another study looked at use of LED red/NIR therapy lights in male athletes who performed 3 intense bouts of exercise on a stationary bike. The athletes who were given the LED light therapy prior to the exercise had significantly lower levels of creatine kinase (a marker for muscle damage) compared to the sham light therapy (placebo) group.

 A recent 2016 review of 16 studies by Nampo et al. looked at research using both laser and LED therapy on exercise capacity and muscle performance of people undergoing exercise compared to placebo/sham treatments. They found an average improvement of 3.51 reps, a 4 second delay in time to exhaustion (i.e. people were able to exercise longer before exhaustion), increased peak strength, and a significant reduction in lactic acid production.  

A review of research by Borsa et al. found that studies consistently show that red/NIR light done prior to weight training improved performance and decreased muscle damage.  

Another study compared red/NIR light therapy with LEDs to cold water immersion (e.g. ice baths) as a recovery method after exercise and found that red/NIR light improved recovery more than ice baths.  




Image Source: Suppversity


A 2014 study by Baroni et al. looked at 30 healthy males who were randomized into 3 groups: Control group – remained sedentary Training group (TG) – did an 8-week exercise program Training + light therapy (TLG) – did the same 8-week exercise program plus also did a light treatment using a near-infrared light (810nm wavelength) before each training session. What happened? The training group improved strength by about an average of 14% while the group that included light therapy improved by nearly 25%. The training group improved muscle size of the quadriceps muscles by about 10% while the group that included light therapy nearly doubled that improvement! 



HOW THE USE OF PHOTOBIOMODULATION  CAN HELP IN YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE

Because red light stimulates both collagen and elastin production, dramatically reduces lines and wrinkles, as well as the appearance of scars, surface varicose veins, acne, and cellulite, photobiomodulation is fast becoming recognized as a safe and welcome alternative to injections and surgeries for anti-aging and skin rejuvenation.

Repairing damage from UV rays requires that skin be able to repair cellular and DNA damage, much as it does when healing from wounds. Red light does this extremely well through stimulating collagen synthesis and fibroblast formation, anti-inflammatory action, stimulation of energy production in mitochondria, and even stimulating DNA repair.  


A wealth of human studies is proving photobiomodulation can reverse the signs of aging, repair damage from UV rays, and reduce the appearance of lines, wrinkles, and even hard to remove scars. A 2013 issue of Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery featured a review of the research that highlighted dozens of studies proving photobiomodulation can reduce the signs of aging.

Another review of the research by Harvard professor Michael Hamblin, PhD has found that red and near-infrared light therapy can:  
- reduce the signs of damage, DNA damage, and aging from UV rays 
-  reduce wrinkles reduce color patches, hyperpigmentation, and skin discoloration 
-  enhance collagen synthesis and collagen density (research has shown it can enhance production of collagen by 31%) 
-  accelerate repair in the epithelial layer of skin combat other skin conditions like acne, keloids, vitiligo, burns, herpes virus sores, and psoriasis 
-  speed wound healing by enhancing skin tissue repair and growth of skin cells 

In short, photobiomodulation is offering a new, extremely safe and non-invasive alternative to various anti-aging skin surgeries, Botox injections, and more abrasive chemical peels. 

For combating skin aging, red and near-infrared light is an extraordinarily powerful tool.

NEAR-INFRARED AND RED LIGHT THERAPY FOR HAIR LOSS AND GROWTH 

Red light has also been shown to help with certain types of hair loss. Red light has proven to help both women and men with various conditions to regrow hair and even thicken the diameter of individual hair strands. Near-infrared and red light therapy has proven to help women with alopecia to significantly regrow and thicken hair. 

NEAR-INFRARED AND RED LIGHT THERAPY FOR CELLULITE

One study found that when photobiomodulation is combined with massage, it led to an astounding 71% reduction in cellulite! Another study that assessed the use of near-infrared and red light therapy on skin health found that “91% of subjects reported improved skin tone, and 82% reported enhanced smoothness of skin in the treatment area.”  





EVERY DAY HEALTH, VITALITY AND BENEFITS WITH LIGHT THERAPY

image: theenergyblueprint.com

NEAR-INFRARED AND RED LIGHT THERAPY FOR FIBROMYALGIA, CHRONIC FATIGUE, AND MORE ENERGY

 

Studies show that red light therapy is also effective at restoring energy and vitality in persons suffering with fibromyalgia. Multiple studies have found that photobiomodulation offers:

  • Enhanced quality of life for fibromyalgia patients
  • Decreased pain
  • Decreased muscle spasm
  • Decreased morning stiffness
  • Decreased total tender point number in fibromyalgia cases


Research – including a very recent 2017 study – suggests that this therapy method is a safe and effective treatment for fibromyalgia

 

NEAR-INFRARED AND RED LIGHT THERAPY FOR INFLAMMATION (AND POTENTIALLY INFLAMMATION-RELATED DISEASES)

We have all suffered with aches and pains at some stage in our lives. We know how much that drains the energy from our very lives. Not only is it the inflammation that we can see that plagues us, it is often the inflammation that we can't see that could prove more troublesome in the long run. The great news is that Red and near-infrared light therapy is highly effective in treating chronic inflammation.

Since chronic inflammation is now being recognized as a major contributor to most chronic diseases from heart disease, depression, and cancer, to Alzheimer’s and chronic fatigue syndrome, this effect of red light therapy on inflammation is a very big deal.


Many aging scientists now speak of “inflamm-aging” — the concept that the genes and pathways that control inflammation may very well be the key drivers of aging and disease.


Studies have even shown that red/NIR light therapy can have anti-inflammatory effects on par with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are the anti-inflammatory drugs routinely prescribed and typically, the over-the-counter drugs people buy when in pain.



IMPROVE YOUR COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE WITH LIGHT THERAPY

In studies, researchers have found that transcranial near-infrared and red light therapy profoundly benefit the brain and cognitive performance. 


Research has also shown that transcranial (Through the skull) near-infrared stimulation has been found to increase neurocognitive function in young healthy adults, finding that it improved sustained attention and short-term memory retrieval in young adults, and improved memory in older adults with significant memory impairment at risk for cognitive decline.


Another study found photobiomodulation also increased executive cognitive function in young healthy adults, providing hope that further studies find that near-infrared and red light therapy may provide a hopeful treatment in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, as well as prevention.

 

If you are still unsure, please contact me and I will help within 24 hours.