Most of us who live in the UK do not get enough healthy light. The summers are short and winters long, we spend most days indoors subjected to harsh artificial blue light from our electronic devices and overhead lighting and when we do venture outside we’re wrapped up in so many clothes that just our faces are exposed. It’s fair to say that we are deficient and taking a daily vitamin D pill to compensate doesn’t cut it. We need sunlight on our skin for so many different reasons and this is where the red light therapy that we offer comes in.
Here’s are some of the many ways it’s beneficial:
Enhanced Energy production for Chronic Fatigue
Light therapy treatments have systemic benefits because they work by improving cellular health across the entire body. At the core of many illnesses will be a mitochondrial dysfunction – these are your ‘battery packs’ present in each and every cell in your body. When they are working more efficiently and producing more ATP energy, the better you can look and feel.
Overall Pain Relief and Reduced Inflammation
To summarise the results of a paper released by Dr Hamblin of Harvard Medical School on light therapy; when red light hits the skin and penetrates into cells, mitochondria are nudged to make energy more efficiently. This boosts the production of healing anti-inflammatories and antioxidants that speed up healing and in turn reduce pain. So, if you’re suffering from joint pain caused by arthritis or injury, you may want to consider regular light treatment at Life Works. For further details on Dr Hamblin’s paper click this link : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5523874/
Better Blood Flow
Our red light therapy panels emit Near Infrared (NI) light rays which acts as a vasodilator. In short, when you’re exposed to our light, your blood vessels will dilate – as they do when you exercise – to allow for better blood flow. This significant increase in blood circulation results in tissues receiving more oxygen and other nutrients, which are important for healing. At the same time, NI helps the body and circulatory system rid itself of toxic byproducts.
Better Sleep
When your sleep is disrupted, you feel awful. Your body does most of it’s repairing while you sleep and deprivation can lead to serious illnesses. Healthy light intake is essential for sleep and maintaining natural circadian rhythms. Our brains interpret light as a sign for when to be awake and asleep, and when to make crucial sleep hormones like melatonin. Bright blue light at night can knock your sleep cycle out of whack, but red light is a lower-intensity alternative that can help support longer, more restful sleep.
Improved Skin, Hair and Nails
Taking in healthy light is crucial for skin cells, skin health, and beauty. Our light panel promotes balance across the body and skin by enhancing cellular respiration, making energy production more efficient, with less oxidative stress. When your cells are in greater balance, your skin will look and feel softer and more invigorated. It will also prompt your body to produce collagen – the ‘scaffolding’ under your skin – which helps reduce scars and wrinkles.
Better Cognitive Function
Mental acuity is a measure of how well your brain processes and responds in the moment. When shined on the head, NIR wavelengths of light can reach brain cells and stimulate the mitochondria in the body’s main processing center. This can improve cellular energy production, enhance blood flow, and support better mental acuity.
Improved Hormonal Function
Well balanced hormones is key to optimal health. With mitochondria getting more aggressive in producing energy as you receive light therapy, hormonal glands such as the thyroid, adrenal, and reproductive organs come into improved health. There have been extremely positive results from studies that say red light therapy increases the probability of conceiving in previously considered infertile women though we are awaiting conclusive results from further trials. Equally positive have been results from treating patients with auto-immune disorders such as hypothyroidism and rheumatoid arthritis with near infrared light – some German and American hospitals are offering this as treatment for such conditions.
The way that red light therapy benefits your body in such a wide variety of ways is a via systemic response. Promoting mitochondrial efficiency is at the very core of this and the positive chain reaction throughout your body is undeniable.