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How to Research Red Light Therapy (Photobiomodulation, Low Level Laser Therapy)

How to Research Red Light Therapy (Photobiomodulation, Low Level Laser Therapy)

The foundation of the mainstream success of Red Light Therapy have been the thousands of peer-reviewed articles in medical journals on this topic. But how do you actually find them? Searching for Red Light Therapy information often results in being bombarded by content from commercial brands, device manufacturers, influencers, or news media claiming to dispense the science. Even if they are referencing scientific articles, they could add their own unqualified interpretations, biases, or agendas to their reporting. So where do you find the legitimate peer-reviewed articles, studies, meta-analysis, and books on Red Light Therapy? Perhaps you are trying to convince...

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The Safety and Benefits of Overdosing Red Light Therapy: Cellular Inhibition and Apoptosis

The Safety and Benefits of Overdosing Red Light Therapy: Cellular Inhibition and Apoptosis

Is overdosing Red Light Therapy safe? How much harm can overdosing red light therapy cause? Should it be avoided at all costs? Or can it be utilized in specific contexts for alternative medical applications with minimal side effects? High doses of Red Light Therapy are reported to cause mitochondrial or cellular inhibition, which is the opposite effect that we typically want from the therapy.  "It has been consistently found that when the dose of PBM is increased a maximum response is reached at some value, and if the dose in increased beyond that maximal value, the response diminishes, disappears and...

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Sun Light Therapy Through Clothing! How Much Light Penetrates Clothes?

Sun Light Therapy Through Clothing! How Much Light Penetrates Clothes?

Should you wear clothing during Red Light Therapy? No, Red Light Therapy should be applied to bare skin for the most consistent dosing.  However, it is often recommended to get light therapy from sunlight. Unfortunately in many places we are unable to enjoy sunlight fully exposed in bare skin.  The culture demands modesty when outdoors or in public places. This causes many people prefer to do light therapies indoors where they can be comfortable without clothing.  To motivate people to go outside for sunlight, it is often claimed that Near-Infrared light or Sunlight can penetrate clothing. But how much sunlight...

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2025 State of Full-Body Red Light Therapy Research: Mad Science

2025 State of Full-Body Red Light Therapy Research: Mad Science

What does the peer-reviewed literature have to say about Whole Body LED Red Light Therapy? Not much, actually.  It should be shocking to learn that there are very few published studies specifically on whole body red light therapy. Whenever we find a new article on the topic, it is quite a treat.  On January 30th, 2025 - a new systematic review published looking at the effects of Whole-Body Red Light Therapy on sports exercise performance and recovery. Title below: "A systematic review on whole-body photobiomodulation for exercise performance and recovery" [1] PMID: 39883205 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39883205/ Red and NIR Light Therapy holds great promise...

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How Wavelength Affects Dosing For Red Light Therapy: The Weight of Photonic Energy

How Wavelength Affects Dosing For Red Light Therapy: The Weight of Photonic Energy

PBM researchers have recently introduced new Red Light Therapy dosing variables that promise to be more consistent and universal! They have the potential to reduce the variability of dosing values, and to reconcile the effects from different wavelengths.  The secret is that precision dosing is now weighted by Photonic Energy. The new dosing system recognizes that shorter wavelengths will have stronger biological effects than longer wavelengths. In other words, shorter wavelengths will require less J/cm^2 weighted by their higher energy per photon. Longer wavelengths require more J/cm^2 to compensate for their lower energy per photon.  Introduction: There are many variables...

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