Shining Some Light On... Red Light Therapy+

Light therapies - aka photobiomodulation - have been around since, literally, the dawn of time. I aim to amuse myself. Seriously though, our bodies recharge with the sun. Its how we create the critcial nutrient, vitamin D. It also recharges us at a cellular level. Do you remember mitochondria from highschool biology class? Bueller...bueller? No? They are the little batteries inside of our cells that make ATP. ATP is cellular energy. There is a following cascade of other biological effects that occur from mitochonrial stimulation. In the most simplest explanation, increased ATP 👉 enhanced healing, decreased pain and inflammation 👉 feel better and heal faster without medication.

So you've been hit by every ad on social media...

Red light, near infrared light, blue light, and laser therapies all are forms of photobiomodulation. And this all comes down to light spectrum wavelengths, depths of penetration and time for treatment. Let's break it down.

Red Light: Treatment of pain, inflammation, and energy deficits. Why it's great: Supports tissue health and healing in any variety of body tissues. Increases blood flow. Downside: Relatively superficial depth of penetration. However - not all tissues need a great depth of penetration to be effectively treated.

Near Infrared Light: Treatment of pain, inflammation, and energy deficits. Why it's great: Supports tissue health and healing in any variety of body tissues. Increases blood flow. Treats deeper tissue levels than red light therapy. Downside: Can create heat which some may not find comfortable. May not be appropriate for people with light sensitivities.

Blue Light: Antimicrobial. Why it's great: can be used in.

variety of applications for normalizing mircobiomes (hello skin and vaginas!) without medication. Downside: None.

Class IV (deep) Laser Therapy: Used in a medical clinic, uses a combination of red and near infrared wavelengths. Used for a varity of tissue depths, for both acute and chronic conditions. Can be used for more targeted treatment and faster treatment time. Why it's great: Can be very effective at reducing pain fast and getting patients back to normal function - fast. As an example, it is used on the side-lines as a return to play treatment by many professional sports teams. Downside: not covered by most insurances and is a cash-based treatment.

More than skin-deep.

Light and the brain.

Brain fog, memory issues and mood disorders are amongst the most common complaints surrounding peri and menopause. While this is, in large part, due to a decline in hormones, we ladies are always looking for ways to improve our brain health and aging. You can read all about why protein and creatine can help with brain functions in previous blog posts. But let me encourage you to consider light therapies as another non-pharmocologic option. Why light therapy? Charging up those mitochondria generates brain energy! Light therapies have been shown to enhance mood, memory and cognitive abilities in healthy subjects. They have also been shown to aid in healing from brain traumas including concussion and stroke. How does this work? Light therapies target inflammation (and remember, decreased estrogen is considered an inflammatory event) impaired metabolism (hello! our brains are screaming for some of that ATP!) and oxidative stress. Personally I have used targeted light therapies within my post-brain surgery and radiation rehab, vision therapy, and for management of epilepsy and chronic migraine treatments. How? Get sunlight into your brain via your skin and eyes first thing in the morning. If that isn't possible, you want a non-sun option, or want to supercharge your impact, consider sitting in front of a red and near infrared light panel or using a red-light cap.

Light and frozen shoulder.

Have you had a new onset of frozen shoulder since hitting perimenopause or menopause? I pick on this condition, although it is only one of many, as it is just so common. Why is this? Simply, the reduction of estrogen is an inflammatory event. In every part of our bodies. We are prone to think vagina-vagina-vagina when it comes to hormone loss, but inflammation in our connective tissues and joints and an overall reduction in resiliency is often an overlooked medical issue. Those little nagging injuries from our younger years can rear their ugly heads, you may just not recover from new injuries as well or you may experience the dreaded frozen shoulder - all leading you to my clinic. Why light therapy? Back to those mitochondria, ladies! Powering those up helps with cellular energy, turnover and oxigenation thereby inhancing tissue healing, reducing inflammation and increasing tissue oxigenation. As you can imagine, this is a method of non-pharmocologic pain management too. We love that! How? This is an excellent reason to try laser therapy with your own physical therapist or chiropractor. However, due to cost and safety, laser therapies may not be available to you in clinic or at home. Red and near infrared therapy wraps, panels and saunas may be great treatments for you to try.

Light and the vagina.

Symptoms of GSM including vaginal dryness and pain are well treated with red and near infrared light therapies. Why light therapies:The ability to create cellular energy and turnover from those same mitrochondria supports tissue health and healing, collagen production, and enhances blood flow and oxygenation. This helps with dryness and pain related to tissue quality concerns (known as vaginal atrophy). Decreased pain and increased blood flow can also help with muscle tightness in the vaginal walls, which is a contributer to incontinece concerns. How? Intervaginal wands bring light right to the source and are the most direct approach. While there are many on the market, I was on the development team for the Fringe Heals Pelvic Wand. We really worked hard to make it the most effective, comfortable and dynamic on the market so I admittedly have a strong bias to this product. Dont want to go internal? Shining a light-therapy panel - very literally - down there is a seriously solid approach. Place the panel between your legs and let in shine onto bare skin.

Yeast, bacterial vaginosis, fungal concerns can be addressed with blue light. Why light therapies: Blue light is antimicrobial. Like the facial skin masks and wands, blue light for the vagina can help treat many of these concerns by normalizing and balancing the microbiome. How? Intervaginal wands or blue light panels just like the GSM symptoms treatments.

Another tool, not the rule.

Light therapy is a tool to be used as part of an overall treatment program. The type of light matters, and treatments are not a one-and-done event. This is best used as part of a health and wellness program and is not a miracle cure. However, photobiomodulation is a great treatment option that is, in my option, under utilized for many common womens health concerns. My hope with this blog piece is to break some of the social media ad mysteries, draw awareness to this non hormonal/non-pharmocologic treatment option and to inspire conversations for you with your own health care team.

If you feel that this is right for you and have additional questions, please reach out to me directly!

As always, with pelvic love.

xx

Dr. Heidi