Therapy of the Future?

Written by: Eusebius Baca

Red light, the new and future treatment? (NOT MEDICAL ADVICE)

Many doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists own red light lasers and in my unprofessional opinion, you should ask your doctor about red light treatment because it:

1. Promotes skeletal muscle cell activation and proliferation (10.1242/jcs.115.7.1461; study, 2002)

2. Heals wounds

3. Reduces inflammation and pain (https://doi.org/10.1080/09553002.2019.1524944; review, 2019)

4. Increases/restores hair growth (10.1002/lsm.22170; review, 2013)

5. Aids “Nonspecific, lower back pain” (10.1136/acupmed-2015-011036; meta-analysis, 2016)

6. Improves plantar fasciitis (10.1097/MD.0000000000012819; systematic review and network meta-analysis, 2018)

7. Improves skin-related cosmetic conditions (PMID: 24049929; review, 2013)

8. Improves knee osteoarthritis (10.1016/j.physio.2021.03.011; systematic review and meta-analysis, 2021)

9. Possibly improves periodontal diseases (10.1111/jre.12361; meta-analysis, 2016)

10. Possibly improves “Breast cancer-related lymphedema” (10.1186/s12885-017-3852-x; systematic review, 2017)

11. Can improve tendinopathies (10.1002/pri.1606; systematic review and meta-analysis, 2014)

12. Can improve infections (10.1007/s10103-019-02862-w; study on mice, 2019)

If the above is what red light lasers do therapeutically, then to what is their healing power attributed?

It all started in 1967 with Endre Mester from Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. He experimented on mice which had their hair shaved off and noticed that when he used a Helium-Neon laser on the shaven mice, he could stimulate hair growth. He noticed the same regarding wounds, that is, the laser helped increase the speed of wound healing. Later, he experimented on humans, and here we are today with a wonderful therapeutic treatment!

Mester’s discovery has evolved into many different names including but not limited to LLLT, or Low Level Laser Therapy, and Photobiomodulation (PBM) which is used mainly “to reduce inflammation, edema, and chronic joint disorders; to promote healing of wounds, deeper tissues, and nerves; and to treat neurological disorders and pain (10.1007/s10439-011-0454-7).”

When you hear laser, you might be thinking of the laser beams that can shoot planes out of the sky instantaneously. However, LLLT is not thermal therapy, but a photochemical therapy. It is comparable to photosynthesis in plants as the light is absorbed and exerts a chemical change (10.2203/dose-response.09-027.Hamblin).

Experiments have shown that mitochondria are most likely the cause of the cellular response to LLLT. Because of that, increases in RNA & protein synthesis, oxygen consumption, membrane potential, and synthesis of NADH and ATP can be observed after red light usage (10.1016/0006-291x(89)91138-8, 10.1016/0014-5793(84)80577-3).

Here are a couple excerpts from a study describing in more depth what else goes on intracellularly during red light therapy:

“When NO is released from its binding to heme iron [due to redlight photons hitting it] and copper centers in cytochrome c oxidase by the action of light, oxygen is allowed to rebind to these sites and respiration is restored to its former level leading to increased ATP synthesis… When NO is released from its binding to heme iron and copper centers in cytochrome c oxidase by the action of light, oxygen is allowed to rebind to these sites and respiration is restored to its former level leading to increased ATP synthesis…”

“…These transcription factors then cause protein synthesis that triggers further effects down-stream, such as increased cell proliferation and migration, modulation in the levels of cytokines, growth factors and inflammatory mediators, and increased tissue oxygenation. (10.2203/dose-response.09-027.Hamblin).”

To summarize, red light causes Nitric Oxide to be released from iron which allows oxygen to bind again and so resets the metabolism in the area which was treated. The increased metabolism means that more ATP (cellular energy) is produced, which allows for an increased cell growth and movement rate. You might think this sounds like cancer, but one review from the International Journal of Radiation Biology indicates that DNA integrity is stabilized and repair of damaged DNA occurs (https://doi.org/10.1080/09553002.2019.1524944).

All of this is great, but what is modern medicine without downsides? Usually, there are no side effects to LLLT, unless it is used for too much time or on the wrong disease like melasma. Otherwise, red lights (not lasers) are available for sale because of the practically negligible number of harms associated with it. The lasers are typically only available for acquisition by licensed medical professionals (10.1007/s10103-022-03514-2, 10.1016/j.physio.2019.06.005).

I have used red light (not laser) for a significant amount of time, and I find that when I use it for too long on any given day I get what is called a Herx reaction which involves feeling like I am sick, despite not actually being infected. This reaction usually happens to me if I dose the red light for more than 20 minutes. Again, THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, however, I find that ten minutes a day of red light will not hurt, especially because the efficacy of the red light decreases (biphasic dosage) if used for too long.

Finally, the most fascinating thing about red light is this, “It [photobiomodulation aka PBM] has been found that PBM can produce ROS in normal cells, but when used in oxidatively stressed cells or in animal models of disease, ROS levels are lowered. PBM is able to up-regulate antioxidant defenses and reduce oxidative stress (10.3934/biophy.2017.3.337).”