Photobiomodulation Research: April , 2026
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Published 6 April 2026
Quick Answer: New research this week adds to a growing body of clinical evidence that photobiomodulation (red light therapy) helps with conditions that conventional medicine struggles with, including the persistent fatigue of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, post-dental pain, and dry eye disease. Here's what was published, what it means, and why it matters for you.
Something landed in my email this week that I want to share with you, because it is a good example of why I keep reading the research even after all these years of doing this.
I have been selling and using red light therapy devices since 2018. Back when I used to be a personal trainer, people would come to me with all kinds of problems that strength and conditioning alone couldn't fix. Fatigue that wouldn't shift, inflammation that kept coming back, recovery that stalled. I saw the same patterns over and over. And when I came across photobiomodulation properly for the first time and started understanding the mechanism at the cellular level, a lot of things suddenly made sense. The mitochondria are the key. When they are not working well, nothing else works the way it should.
This week's research touches on exactly those kinds of problems. The ones that affect huge numbers of people. The ones where standard medicine often says "your numbers are normal" while the patient feels anything but.
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Red Light Therapy for the Fatigue Levothyroxine Doesn't Fix
This is the one I keep coming back to.
Do you know anyone with Hashimoto's? Or maybe you have it yourself? It is one of the most common autoimmune conditions, particularly in women, and the standard treatment is levothyroxine (a synthetic thyroid hormone). The problem, and this is something I hear from customers regularly, is that a large number of people continue to feel exhausted, foggy, and generally awful even when their blood tests look "normal" on paper. The medication replaces the missing hormone but doesn't address the underlying autoimmune activity or the mitochondrial dysfunction that comes with it.
A new clinical trial published in Lasers in Medical Science by Tunç, Altuntaş, and Atmaca looked at exactly this. They applied photobiomodulation (850 nm diode laser) directly over the thyroid gland in Hashimoto's patients who were already on levothyroxine, using a proper sham-controlled design where the control group had the probe placed identically but the laser was off. The PBM group showed meaningful improvements in fatigue scores and behavioural status compared to the sham group.
Think about what that means. These people were already being medically treated. The medication wasn't enough. The light therapy added something the medication couldn't.
The mechanism makes complete sense from a mitochondrial perspective. The thyroid is metabolically one of the most active tissues in the body. When it is under autoimmune attack, the local mitochondria are under enormous oxidative stress. Red and near-infrared light (nærinfrarødt lys), particularly in the 800-850 nm range, is absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase in the mitochondrial membrane and helps restore electron transport chain function. It is not magic. It is photochemistry. And when you improve the energy production capacity of the cells in an inflamed tissue, things work better.
This is an early study and needs replication with larger numbers. But the direction is consistent with earlier trials on PBM and Hashimoto's showing reductions in thyroid antibody levels and improved hormone markers. If you or someone you know lives with this condition, this kind of evidence is worth knowing about. I'd always recommend talking to your endocrinologist as well, of course.
If you want to explore near-infrared therapy at home, the red light panels in my Restore collection operate in exactly the wavelength ranges being studied in trials like this.
(Tunç et al., Lasers in Medical Science, Read the study)
Dry Eye Disease: Where Does Light Therapy (Lysbehandling) Actually Rank?
This one is practical for a lot of people, and especially for us in Norway where dry indoor air, long winters spent inside, and screen time combine into a recipe for chronically unhappy eyes.
A large network meta-analysis published in Ophthalmology and Therapy by Noyman and colleagues compared every technological intervention for dry eye disease across 45 randomised controlled trials and over 3,400 patients. When you have a dataset that size, you start to get genuinely useful answers.
Intense pulsed light (IPL), which sits within the photobiomodulation family and operates across a broad visible-to-infrared spectrum, came out strongly on patient-reported symptoms and now has regulatory approval in several countries for this indication. What Norwegian clinicians call lysbehandling for øyehelse is becoming mainstream, not fringe.
The anti-inflammatory action is the key driver. IPL reduces inflammation in the meibomian glands (the little oil-producing glands along your eyelid margins that are responsible for keeping your tear film stable), and when those glands work properly the dry, gritty, light-sensitive feeling reduces significantly.
IPL for dry eye is a clinical procedure rather than a home treatment. But it is worth knowing that if you have been told by an optician that you have meibomian gland dysfunction and eye drops aren't doing enough, there is now a substantial evidence base for light-based treatment that you could take to a specialist and have an informed conversation about.
(Noyman et al., Ophthalmology and Therapy, Read the study)
Dental Pain Without More Ibuprofen: Laser Therapy Shows a Real Signal
Most people reading this will have had a root canal at some point, or know someone who has. The procedure itself is one thing. But the 24-48 hours afterwards, when the anaesthetic wears off, can be genuinely unpleasant. And the standard answer from most dentists is ibuprofen or paracetamol.
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Bonacina et al. published in the Australian Endodontic Journal pulled together nine clinical trials on low-level laser therapy for post-endodontic pain. The pooled analysis showed statistically significant smertelindring (pain relief) at 24 hours compared to placebo. Eight of the nine individual studies found laser therapy more effective than control.
The effect is moderate rather than dramatic, but for a non-pharmacological intervention applied in a few minutes at the end of a procedure, that is clinically meaningful. Particularly for patients who can't tolerate NSAIDs or who want to avoid loading up on painkillers after dental work.
What's happening at the cellular level is straightforward. Near-infrared light reduces the inflammatory prostaglandin cascade in the periapical tissues (the area around the root tip where most of the post-treatment inflammation sits) and appears to accelerate tissue repair in that region. The mitochondria in the stressed tissue respond to the photonic stimulus and ramp up ATP production, which speeds resolution.
Worth asking your tannlege (dentist) whether they use laser therapy in their practice. The evidence is there now to support the conversation.
(Bonacina et al., Australian Endodontic Journal, Read the study)
Saving Teeth: Laser Plus MTA for Pulp Preservation
Still in dental territory because there was a well-designed randomised controlled trial this week that I want to flag.
Priya, Dakshindas, and colleagues published a split-mouth RCT in the Australian Endodontic Journal on whether adding LLLT to mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) during a direct pulp cap procedure improves the histological outcome. A pulp cap is a procedure designed to save a tooth's nerve when the pulp is nearly exposed, as an alternative to a full root canal.
The clever part of the design is that they used teeth being extracted for orthodontic reasons, which meant they could actually examine the tissue under a microscope rather than relying on clinical signs alone. The laser group showed better quality dentine bridge formation and less inflammatory infiltration than MTA alone.
For patients, the implication is simple. If your dentist is doing pulp-capping work, adding laser therapy to the procedure may improve the chance of the tooth healing well and avoiding a root canal further down the line. Not every dental clinic has laser capability yet, but this evidence is worth knowing exists.
(Priya et al., Australian Endodontic Journal, Read the study)
Vitiligo: Excimer Laser Combined with a Plant Compound
Vitiligo affects somewhere between 1 and 2% of the global population and has a significant impact on confidence and quality of life. The 308 nm excimer laser is one of the best-established phototherapy options for localised patches, working by stimulating melanocyte activity and reducing local autoimmune inflammation.
A study by An, Yang, Wang, and colleagues in the Journal of Visualized Experiments tested combining excimer laser with matrine, a compound extracted from the Sophora plant with known betennelsesdempende (anti-inflammatory) properties. The combination group showed greater reductions in inflammatory cytokines and better repigmentation than laser alone.
The thinking is that the two approaches hit different parts of the pathology at the same time. The light stimulates melanocyte function and local immune modulation. The matrine addresses the broader inflammatory signalling driving the autoimmune attack. Together, they do more than either alone.
This is still at an early clinical stage and needs larger trials before it becomes a treatment recommendation. But it is a good example of how phototherapy is increasingly being understood as part of a combination approach rather than a standalone tool. That framing, incidentally, is exactly how I think about red light therapy in the home setting: it works best as part of a broader approach to light environment, circadian biology, and mitochondrial health.
(An et al., Journal of Visualized Experiments, Read the study)
What This Means If You Use a Home Device
Every week I read this research and I am struck by the same thing. The evidence base for photobiomodulation is genuinely growing, and it is growing in areas where people really need help. Autoimmune fatigue. Dental pain. Inflammatory eye conditions. Skin conditions. These are not obscure research corners. They are everyday problems for large numbers of people.
The clinical research typically uses calibrated laser devices in controlled settings. Home panels, including the ones I sell, work through the same core mechanism: delivering red and near-infrared photons to tissue in a way that the mitochondria can use. The wavelengths matter. The irradiance matters. That is why I test every device with a spectrometer and provide that data to customers. You deserve to know exactly what you are working with.
If you are in Norway and wondering which device suits your situation, the red light panel collection is a good starting point, or browse the portable and specialist devices if you want something more targeted. The FAQ covers a lot of common questions, and I'm always reachable directly if you want to talk it through.
FAQ
Can red light therapy help with Hashimoto's thyroiditis fatigue? The emerging clinical evidence says yes. A new clinical trial this week showed that photobiomodulation applied to the thyroid area meaningfully reduced fatigue and improved wellbeing in Hashimoto's patients who were already on levothyroxine but still felt unwell. The mechanism involves improving mitochondrial function in the thyroid tissue and reducing local oxidative stress. This is early-stage research and I'd always recommend discussing it with your endocrinologist, but the direction is consistently positive across multiple trials now. Home near-infrared panels in the 800-850 nm range are the closest home equivalent to the clinical protocols being studied.
What is the best light therapy for dry eye (tørt øye) in Norway? For clinical treatment of dry eye caused by meibomian gland dysfunction, intense pulsed light (IPL) currently has the strongest evidence base among light-based therapies, as confirmed by this week's large network meta-analysis. This is a clinical procedure you would access through an ophthalmologist or specialist eye clinic. If eye drops and warm compresses haven't been enough, it's worth asking a specialist whether IPL is available and appropriate for you.
Do home red light panels deliver the same wavelengths as clinical devices? Yes, the core wavelengths are the same. Red light panels operating in the 630-670 nm and 800-860 nm ranges deliver the same photons studied in clinical photobiomodulation research. The difference is power output and delivery consistency, which is why spectrometer testing matters. I verify the irradiance and wavelength accuracy of every device I stock, which very few sellers in this market do. You can see the verified range in the red light panel collection.
Is red light therapy good for pain relief (smertelindring)? This week's dental pain meta-analysis is one of many pieces of evidence pointing in the same direction. The evidence for red and near-infrared light reducing acute and chronic pain covers musculoskeletal conditions, post-surgical recovery, nerve pain, and joint inflammation. The mechanism involves reduced inflammatory prostaglandin synthesis, improved mitochondrial ATP production in stressed tissue, and modulation of local pain signalling. For everyday joint or muscle pain, a home panel used consistently is a practical tool that fits into a daily routine without medications. Take a look at the portable and specialist devices if you need something targeted for a specific area.
How often should I use red light therapy at home? Most clinical protocols in the research run between three and five sessions per week, with sessions of ten to twenty minutes per area. For general maintenance and mitochondrial support, daily use is fine and many people, myself included, use it every morning as part of a routine. The key is consistency over time rather than intensity in a single session. If you want to talk through a protocol for your specific situation, feel free to reach out directly.
Browse the full range at lighttherapy.no or read more on the English blog.
Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes. Nothing here constitutes medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment of any medical condition.