What Is Red Light Therapy and Which Devices Actually Work?

Description

Red light therapy is everywhere right now—but most people are either using it wrong or buying overpriced panels that don’t work. In this video, I’ll break down what red light therapy actually is, how it works based on real PubMed research, and which red light devices are worth your money. I’ll also explain common mistakes, dosing protocols, and how to avoid getting scammed by flashy marketing.

I’ve tested dozens of panels myself and still use a few daily. If you’re serious about healing, recovery, or performance, this is the guide you need to see.

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Transcript

Red Light Therapy, what actually works and what’s a scam? Red Light Therapy is exploding in popularity, but is it legit or just overhyped wellness noise? Today, I’m gonna break down exactly how Red Light Therapy works, what the real benefits are, the biggest myths I see out there, and what to look for when buying a device.

♪♪ Most people using Red Light Therapy panels in sauna, they’re doing it wrong, and it’s not their fault. Let’s fix that today. The biggest question is, what does Red Light Therapy actually do? Red Light Therapy, also called photobiomodulation, or PBMT for short, like you hear me say in videos, it’s not just a trend.

It’s backed by over 7,000 peer-reviewed studies on PubMed. So how does it really work? Red and near-infrared wavelengths, typically 660 nanometers or 850 nanometer range, penetrate the skin and stimulate your mitochondria. That’s the energy production center of your cells.

The result, more ATP, better blood flow, reduced inflammation, faster recovery, and improved tissue repair. Think of it like charging up sluggish, inflamed, or injured cells, so they can heal the way they’re supposed to. So let’s get into real benefits versus misconceptions, because in the sauna world, there’s a ton of misconceptions, especially with full-spectrum saunas.

This is where most people get tripped up. Red Light Therapy isn’t magic, but it’s also not nonsense. It’s not colored therapy lights in the roof of the ceiling of the sauna. It’s how you use it.

And let’s get one thing straight. None of these things are like a tanning bed. It’s not gonna melt fat off your body overnight. And cranking up the light to max power and blasting your face for 45 minutes, that’s not gonna get you better results.

In fact, overdoing it can make it less effective. Here’s what it can do when used properly though. It can stimulate collagen production to help with fine lines and wrinkles for those of you who want to improve skin. It can reduce joint pain and inflammation.

It can speed up muscle recovery after workouts.

support thyroid health when applied over the neck can also regulate your circadian rhythm to improve sleep and mood. There’s also research on using PBMT for traumatic brain injury, nerve regeneration, and even PTSD, but only when dosed the right way. And if you haven’t seen my videos about going through leukemia treatment, you’ll see that I use red light therapy to get the function in my feet back after having nerve damage and having neuropathy in my feet for several months.

Now let’s get into how to use red light therapy correctly, the right intensities, distance, and duration for your sessions. This is where most red light therapy brands drop the ball or just don’t explain it well. If you want results, you’ve got to match what the clinical research says to your protocol.

So let’s break it down. Here’s what real PubMed studies show us. Hamblin 2012 for reference, the nuts and bolts of low-level laser therapy. Ideal radiance ranges are between 10 and 50 milliwatts per centimeter squared.

It’s actually between 28 and 34 in a lot of them. It also warns about overdosing due to something called the biphasic dose response. Translation, more is not better. In fact, too much intensity can actually reduce the beneficial effects.

Huang et al 2009 for reference, biphasic dose response in low-level light therapy. Radiance range used, again, 25 to 35 milliwatts a centimeter squared. Dosing, three to eight joules per square centimeter per session. Results, significant improvements in tissue repair, circulation, and inflammatory markers.

Dimarchi 2022, systematic review on PBMT for muscle fatigue. Studies showed great results with just 20 to 30 milliwatts a centimeter squared for only 10 to 20 minutes per treatment. Consistent improvements in muscle recovery, energy output, and fatigue reduction. So what does this mean for you?

Target range for you is 20 to 50 milliwatts a centimeter squared for intensity. Sit or stand six to 12 inches from your device to match what most of the studies use. Use it for 10 to 20 minutes per body area. If you…

a spot treatment, aim for a total dose of 4-8 joules per square centimeter. Most people, including myself, have been overdoing it, especially with high-powered panels at close range. You just don’t need it, according to the science. Let’s talk products, because not all red light therapy panels are created equal, and not all the popular ones are actually based on real science, from my research.

Here’s what to look for. Majority of the research is covered in the wavelengths of the 600nm range and the 800nm range, specifically 660 and 850, or within ±1020 points. Generally irradiance levels that stay within the 20-50 mWcm2 treatment distance of 6-12 inches. Meaning, if you’re using something across the room, maybe it’s appropriate to have 150 mWcm2.

But if it’s touching your skin, no piece of research suggests that you need that. Low flicker and low EMF, especially for brain or thyroid use. If you’re treating a TBI or some type of skin spot treatment, low flicker and low EMF is essential. Clear documentation is needed.

Real specs, real testing, and dose transparency will help you implement successful protocols. There’s so many that we’ve tried, I’m going to put a list together and you’ll find links in the description. But just to name a few, Gemba Red, Platinum LED, Heavenly Heat, Mito Red, EMR Tech, Hygge, and several others are brands that I started with, and some of which I still use today.

Of course, I have a top 3, top 5 pick. I’ve used Gemba Red a lot. I love them. They’re low EMF, accurate irradiance specs.

Tested around 28-40 mWcm2. I’ve also used the Heavenly Heat panels quite a bit because now they come where you can mount one in a sauna or out of the sauna. It gives you the flexibility to do both. I’ve also used a Platinum LED Biomax because they have a horizontal mounting stand so I can lay down underneath it.

Same thing with the Mito Red. Very, very similar. EMR Tech also, for their little small square desktop or tabletop panels. And also, as of late, Hygge.

I’ve used a Hygge face mask, which I’ve enjoyed.

It’s a little bit weird, but we’ll publish a review here very shortly, so check the links in the description to see more. And if you haven’t seen, we have over 700 videos on the YouTube channel over the last five years, and we review health and wellness products every single week.

This is my life. I live this, and we publish it. It’s taken years to start to understand photobiomodulation, and a lot of this therapy and PubMed studies are difficult to understand and assimilate the info. Want to give a special thanks to Andrew Latour of Gemba Red for helping me over the years behind the scenes.

It’s something that no one will ever see, but helped me order custom spectrometers in order to test these devices within a set frequency range that’s actually greater than a normal spectrometer will reach, and basically helping the community for free for years and years, and also producing some of the best panels that I still use in my life today.

And one thing I’ll say again, if there’s anything that I’ve noticed, it’s that a lot of these companies are blowing out of proportion their irradiance or their output of their devices. It would be my recommendation to not buy any panel from a company that won’t publish their irradiance at a set distance, and anyone who uses these big wattage numbers, like 200 milliwatts a centimeter square at the surface, doesn’t really mean much when used in the real world, because if you have that too close to you, you’re overpowered.

If you have it across the room from you, it’s really not a targeted treatment, so be careful what you’re buying. Remember, red light therapy is not magic, but it is medicine when used right. Now you know what wavelengths to look for, how long to use it, what dosing actually works, and which brands are probably going to be worth your time.

Grab my free download, it’s a red light therapy buyer’s checklist, it’ll be linked up below to avoid getting scammed or overpaying for a junk panel. Drop a comment and let me know, what are you trying to heal with red light? Or if you’re already using it, how’s it going so far?

And if you want to go deeper into this world of infrared healing, make sure you’re subscribed, because the next video we’re diving into exactly what comes first, red light therapy or sauna.

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