Since this is only my second appearance in this magazine, I would like to introduce myself again.
I am a pediatric occupational therapist (OT) with many years of experience working with children of all ages with varying ranges of difficulties. Because OTs tend to think holistically, I like to bring some knowledge of many types of healing therapies to my clients. I am a nerdy researcher type, and when I find something I am interested in, I can sit for hours reading research articles about the topic.
A couple years ago, I began hearing a little bit in some videos and podcasts about red light/near infrared light therapy or photobiomodulation (PBM), but I ignored it. Typically, it was an ultrafit body builder discussing the therapy, so it seemed inapplicable for this middle-aged, average-in-every-way type of person. But two summers ago as my husband and I waited in a Mexico airport, an eager salesperson strongly encouraged me to try her red light machine on my face. I was laughing on the inside because somehow she thought I had $3,000 for her machine. The salesperson also talked about joint pain relief, so I made my husband try the red light on his chronic wrist pain from an old injury. It was the kind of shooting pain that would bring him to tears if he moved it wrong. As we boarded our plane, he said he thought it felt a little better. I was very skeptical because nothing he had tried before had helped him. The next day, though, he moved his wrist around and said, “I am not kidding—it feels a lot better!” I was intrigued, and that day began my one-month deep dive into all things red light/PBM therapy.
I will attempt to sum up in one sentence how red light therapy works: The wavelengths of the red light help the mitochondria in your cells to keep moving energy through its channels, which is important for every system in your body. As we age or struggle with illnesses, these channels get bogged down.
What actually happens in the cells is a lot of complex science, and it can be overwhelming to try to understand. Here are my two favorite places to look for accurate, researched-based information if you would like to learn more:
- Red Light Therapy Report Podcast by Dr. Mike Belkowski. He often reports on all-new research coming out about red light therapy and different ways to use it.
- An amazing database of all current red light therapy research—7,931 articles at last count—check out this Google document (Did I mention I am a nerd?): tinyurl.com/rltinfo
Currently I own three different sizes of red light devices. My husband and I use red light most every day for back pain, neck pain, headaches, eye fatigue, skin care and overall general health.
Here’s what I always suggest to a potential buyer after two years of using red light therapy and loving it:
- Find a company that has third-party testing on its products that verifies the output. The certificate should be available to view.
- Find a company that has good verified reviews with an easy return policy.
- Spend a little more for a good product so that you know it actually helps versus a cheaper product that might not do you any good.
- Do your own research into how to best use red light for your particular concern.
Gretchen Fontanini works as a pediatric occupational therapist in Manhattan, Kansas. In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends or listening to biohacking podcasts.