Red light therapy is a healing strategy that makes use of red tinted light in order to stimulate the body’s natural defense systems and bring relief from various ailments. The basis for this type of treatment has to do with the fact that red light helps to activate ATP or adenosine triphospate in the muscle tissues, releasing more energy for the body to use. It is possible to employ LED red light therapy at home or undergo treatments conducted by a practitioner.
Employing the therapy simply involves focusing the generated light on an area of the body that is currently experiencing some type of distress. For example, headaches are one of the more common reasons to employ red light therapy. Proponents of this treatment method note that by moving the projected light slowly back and forth over the forehead, the pain of the headache begins to subside and eventually vanishes.
There are a number of different ailments that can be addressed with the use of red light therapy alone or with a combination of blue and red light therapy. Poor circulation is one example. By moving the light up and down over the legs, the blood vessels begin to relax and healthy blood flow is restored. In like manner, the therapy can be used to help counteract stress after a rough day by helping to relax the mind and body.
Red light acne therapy is said to help adolescents with skin problems, possibly by helping to clear out clogged pores. Facial red light therapy may also be helpful with nervous tics. Mild depression may also be helped with a series of mini red light therapy treatments, offering some of the same effects that can be found by spending time in natural sunlight. There are even claims that the stimulation of ATP in the body can help with various forms of sexual dysfunction in both men and women.
Depending on the ailment that is addressed, the duration of the red light therapy session will depend on the nature of the health issue. The sessions may be anywhere from two to five minutes in length, with repeated sessions occurring after a short period of rest. For example, when using red light skin therapy to facilitate wound healing, it would not be unusual to conduct one five minute session, allow the patient to rest for roughly three minutes, then apply a second treatment lasting five minutes. This procedure would be repeated daily in order to motivate the body’s natural processes to heal the open wound.
As with most forms of alternative healing, red light therapy has a host of supporters as well as critics. At present, there is no hard scientific evidence to indicate the therapy has any beneficial effects other than some of those associated with exposure to sunlight. However, there are many testimonies from people who have tried red light therapy and found the treatment to either cure the ailment or at least facilitate the healing process.