Light therapy is an effective non-invasive solution for SAD and other mood disorders, and has become a highly-sought skin therapy treatment as well.
Select the perfect intensity and wavelength when choosing an eye care device, as too much power may cause irritation. Look for devices featuring LEDs certified to medical standards like IEC 60601-1* for best results.
Electricity
Light therapy is an effective solution for many health conditions, including Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and chronic depression. When combined with other forms of treatment like cognitive behavioral therapy and medication, its efficacy can be greatly increased. Furthermore, light therapy has the power to enhance mental wellbeing by stimulating natural circadian rhythms; helping you feel more balanced and centered throughout the day.
Light is the primary time-setter of human circadian rhythms and regulates melatonin production, core body temperature and sleep cycles among many other aspects. Light therapy works best when utilized on a daily basis for several weeks at once – typically, the higher its intensity is, the more beneficial it will be; clinical studies typically recommend an intensity equivalent to that found outdoors at noontime for best results.
At light therapy sessions, your cells absorb photons from LED lights and convert them to energy for biological processes. This energy is known as Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP; when your cells possess more ATP they are better equipped to repair damage more rapidly and regenerate themselves more rapidly.
Red light therapy stimulates your cells’ mitochondria to produce more ATP, thought to reduce fine lines and wrinkles in your skin and promote regeneration and healing. Furthermore, research indicates that low-level laser therapy may even block pain signals sent out from neurons in your brain and thus alleviating discomfort.
Make sure your light therapy product meets medical standards before purchasing it online. This information should be available from the manufacturer’s website; if not, that could be an indicator that they may be lying about their product and misrepresenting it to you. Furthermore, opt for devices that use single wavelength light rather than multiple ones as these will ensure even power density across your body and greater power distribution.
Infrared
Light therapy has long been used to address circadian rhythm sleep disorders, mood disorders and pain management. Dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons also employ light therapies as a form of dermatologic care; light therapies may even help improve skin conditions! Furthermore, pain professionals frequently recommend light therapies as a method for decreasing inflammation and managing chronic pain; increased circulation and cell metabolism lead to reduced pain levels as well as mobility improvement and faster wound healing times; light therapy also enhances cellular functions while simultaneously reducing anxiety and depression levels.
Pulsed infrared laser light has long been recognized to induce depolarization of neurons and muscles by altering membrane capacitance reversibly, yet the biophysical mechanism behind this effect remains obscure. Previous studies using pulsed infrared lasers to stimulate nerves or muscles required sensitizing target tissues using either channelrhodopsin genes or caged neurotransmitters; both approaches add technical complexity and risk, which limits their use clinically.
Now we have discovered that infrared pulses elicit capacitive currents by directly discharging plasma membrane voltages near neuron firing thresholds, inducing capacitive currents at voltages near their firing thresholds. This effect is reversible and independent of membrane protein composition or voltage-clamp conditions; for instance when used to stimulate oocytes with pulses lasting 10 ms with energies between 0.28 and 7.3 microJs they triggered inward currents which tracked rate changes of membrane capacitance change over time.
Similar capacitive responses were observed upon infrared laser stimulation of HEK cells and artificial lipid bilayers. Membrane capacitance changes decayed within 200 milliseconds after stimulation; charge displacement by infrared radiation was consistent across these models, suggesting that one common capacitative mechanism may underlie these responses.
For optimal light therapy results, it’s essential that you follow your physician’s directions exactly. They may suggest a particular wavelength or intensity level – for instance 5000 lux/h or lower – as well as a treatment schedule tailored specifically to you. Furthermore, keeping a thought journal or record of how you’re feeling throughout therapy allows you to track and assess its efficacy more easily.
Visible
Light therapy can be an effective solution to treat various conditions, from aging skin and pain management to hair restoration and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), an intermittent form of depression which occurs primarily during fall and winter when daylight hours decrease. Light therapy has proven itself effective against SAD by stimulating production of serotonin which regulates mood.
Most doctors suggest using a light box or visor for 30 to 90 minutes daily in the early part of your day, starting in the early part of your day. A thought journal or evaluation can help track whether light therapy is having any positive results. If any side effects arise such as headaches, eyestrain or nausea talk with your physician about shortening session length or switching over to using lamp in evening sessions instead.
When purchasing a light box or visor, ensure it doesn’t emit ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV rays can cause skin damage and eye problems so they should always be avoided at all costs. To safeguard against UV exposure while engaging in light therapy sessions, wear sunglasses or goggles that provide UV protection while doing light therapy sessions.
Studies have indicated that certain hues of light may be more effective at lifting mood than others; green-hued lights, for instance, may prove more helpful than their blue or yellow counterparts in treating SAD symptoms. Unfortunately, however, their results tend to be small so it’s hard to know exactly which kind of lighting would best help every individual person.
Light therapy usually starts to work within several days or weeks and may take two or three months before symptoms improve. Some people might see immediate improvements; others might need to keep using the lamp for several months before feeling better. If you have trouble sleeping, however, light therapy might not help since it disrupts natural rhythms – in this instance it would be wiser to explore other means for getting restful nights such as going to sleep earlier and not using phones or computers prior to going to bed.
Radiant Flux
Radiant flux (or radiant power) measures the total electromagnetic energy emitted from surfaces per unit time and direction, weighted against human perception of brightness sensitivity to provide the photometric quantity known as luminous flux (Ph in lm).
Radiant power refers to how much light emitted across all visible spectral ranges. It’s the most accurate measure of performance since it takes into account all wavelengths used for healing purposes and is the standard way in which medical researchers assess light therapy devices’ efficacy.
Misconceptions about red light therapy often revolve around more power being better. But in reality, our cells only absorb so much energy at one time; therefore, light therapy must deliver energy safely and effectively for best results. Therefore, only buy devices which have been clinically verified as working.
At times it can be confusing determining the difference between radiant flux and irradiance; radiant flux measures how much power is being produced over the entire spectrum range by light sources regardless of direction, while irradiance determines how much power impinges upon photodetectors when placed directly in front of an irradiometer.
Irradiance is an effective measure for gauging how much light therapy devices deliver to specific points. However, it should be remembered that it only shows power values across a small area relative to total emitting surface area – leading some companies to make misleading claims about their irradiance levels in order to mislead buyers – this type of marketing violates FDA regulations and should be avoided by companies seeking to sell safe consumer products.