What is Red Light Therapy? And is it Worth it?

Is red light therapy worth all the hype?

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Personally I was skeptical. It seemed to be yet another “health hack” to purchase. And besides, how can light improve our health?

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However, after a client who was dealing with swollen ankles told me she saw significant improvement after using red light therapy (RLT), I decided to research the claims behind it.

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As a result of what I’ve learned, red light therapy is now part of my routine to help decrease inflammation and age well and one that I recommend to all my clients. Here’s why you might be interested in it, too.
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What exactly is red light? Is it the same as sunshine?

Light from the sun comes in a wide spectrum range (300 - 2500 nm). Red light is a narrow, isolated area within that spectrum (around 600 - 700 nm). The benefit of red light coming from this tiny area is that it does not fall within the range that can lead to sunburn or skin damage.

In addition, the wavelengths of light that produce energy range from 600 - 1000 nm, and as red light falls within that range, it helps to produce energy without negative side effects.

Red light actually has a protective mechanism to help against sunburn.

We can get red light from the sun during sunrise or sunset. In addition, red light is emitted from flames of fire. How fascinating is that?
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Amazing Benefits

Liver health:

By the year 2050, over half of the population globally with have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) - here's a blog post on that. This is a major health crisis because NAFLD increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, and cancer. It is possible to have it and not know that you have it.

One amazing benefit of RLT is its ability to reduce oxidative stress in the liver. (1.)

Our liver is our body’s primary detoxification organ. With the onslaught of toxins and pesticides we come into contact with daily, supporting liver health is imperative to age well. RLT can help.

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Insulin Resistance

Many of the health issues associated with aging are linked to insulin resistance. Although insulin resistance does lead to Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance increases the risk for stroke in those who are not diabetic.
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Insulin resistance leads to chronic, low grade inflammation. Typical aging increases this. Alongside habit and lifestyle changes, red light therapy has been shown to help.

Using red light therapy was also shown to help improve depressive symptoms (our mood is linked to blood sugar balance, too). (2.)

Thyroid health

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a form of hypothyroidism that is an auto-immune disease. The numbers are skyrocketing as of late.

Red light therapy has been shown to decrease the TPO antibody levels (the organisms attacking the body’s own thyroid) which is a huge goal in those with Hashimoto’s. (3.)

Boosts mitochondria health‍

The mitochondria are the powerhouse of our cells. If we want to age well and prevent disease, we need to have healthy, functioning mitochondria.

However, many aspects of our life can lead to defective mitochondrial function.

RLT has been shown to boost mitochondria health and as a result decrease blood sugar spikes. (4.)

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Supports glymphatic flow aiding in detoxification

Our glymphatic system supports waste removal in the nervous system. Its primary role is to escort waste out of the brain and nervous system. When the glymphatic system isn’t working right it increases the risk of neurovascular, neuroinflammatory, and neurodegenerative diseases.

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Red light therapy was shown to improve this process and to decrease elimination of toxic elements. (5.)

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Decreases inflammation, promotes healing
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Chronic low grade inflammation leads to disease. Red light therapy has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in animal models.

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Arthritis, brain injury, wound healing, pain, muscle recovery, and abdominal fat - all are associated with inflammation and are positively impacted by incorporating RLT.(6.)

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Overall, red light therapy is a simple, low stress option to improve our health in many ways! It does seem too good to be true! But with zero negative side effects and its low stress requirement (sitting for 30 minutes), why wouldn't we do it?

If you’d like to watch a YouTube video on this, click here.


Click here for the Red Light Therapy I’ve been using. You can use the code “LL10” to receive a 10% discount, too.