Light Therapy and Red Light Therapy is often considered to be a fringe health practice, but it’s not fringe at all. There is plenty of data that supports the effectiveness of light therapy on the health of humans. Here are 5 examples of PudMed articles along with brief explanations that show the benefits of light therapy for human health!

Article One: Effect of NASA light-emitting diode irradiation on wound healing (link)

NASA discovered that LED light increased cell growth in animals and human cells alike, and decreased wound size. LED also produced improvement in injuries for Navy SEAL team members, and decreased wound healing time in crew members aboard a US Naval Submarine.

Article Two: Near-Infrared Light Therapy to Attenuate Strength Loss After Strenuous Resistance Exercise (link)

39 healthy male and females were randomly subjected to treatments with a Near-infrared light therapy device before exercising. The study compared range of motion, muscle tenderness, and strength. The study found that when muscles were treated with the near-infrared light therapy device before exercise, the participants lost less strength (as defined by range of motion, muscle tenderness and peak torque).

Article Three: Low-level laser therapy (808 nm) reduces inflammatory response and oxidative stress in rat tibialis anterior muscle after cryolesion (link)

60 rats were divided into three groups: (1) a control group (2) an injured group that received laser therapy and (3) an injured group that did not receive laser therapy. The study found that the LLLT (low-level laser therapy) reduced oxidative and nitrative stress in injured muscles, reduced inflammation, and increased SOD gene expression. SOD is short for superoxide dismutase, and is an important antioxidant that prevents many types of cellular damage.

Article Four: Photomiomodulation improves cutaneous wound healing in an animal model of type II diabetes (link)

Using a 632 nm light, the study subjected diabetic rats to 4 days of light therapy, for 250 seconds per session. The study found that the 623 nm light therapy was effective in improving the healing of wounds.

Article Five: Bright light treatment in elderly patients with nonseasonal major depressive disorder: a randomized placebo-controlled trial (link)

89 patients 60 years or older, who were previously diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) were treated with bright blue light each morning for 3 weeks. The study found that the bright light treatment improved mood, enhanced sleep, and increased melatonin production. The study also measured a continuing improvement of mood and decrease in cortisol after the study was over.