Red and near-infrared light therapy are highly effective in treating chronic inflammation. It suppresses inflammation and production of
inflammatory cytokines, and dramatically reduces inflammation throughout the body.
Since chronic inflammation is now being recognized as a major contributor to most chronic diseases from heart disease, depression, and cancer, to Alzheimer’s and chronic fatigue syndrome, this effect of red light therapy on inflammation is a very big deal.
Many ageing scientists now speak of “inflamm-aging”—the concept that the genes and pathways that control inflammation may very well be the key drivers of ageing and disease.
Red light has shown to decrease inflammation wherever mitochondria are present—from the tissues to the joints and other specific organs of the body. Recent studies are exploring the possibilities of using red light therapy to treat autoimmune diseases which originate in inflammation, such as lupus and multiple sclerosis. Red and near-infrared light therapy has been used with positive effects in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome.
Studies have even shown that red/NIR light therapy can have anti-inflammatory effects on par with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are the anti-inflammatory drugs routinely prescribed and typically, the over-the-counter drugs people buy when in pain. (It’s important to mention that chronic use of these drugs comes with a big risk of side effects).
In general, red and near-infrared light therapy powerfully downregulate the body’s inflammatory pathways. This has profound implications for its potential role in disease prevention and longevity.
