Red light therapy, which mimics the dawn/dusk rays we’re deprived of indoors, can rejuvenate skin, muscles, brain function, hair growth, wound healing, and relieve pain per emerging science.

What Is Red Light Therapy?

The discovery of red light therapy originated from early experiments by NASA astronauts tending plant growth chambers aboard space shuttles in the 1990s. They noticed little scratches on their hands began to remarkably heal under the red lights used for the plants. Intrigued, NASA funded research into photomedicine, the use of light for healing, which revealed red and near-infrared light can penetrate deep into human tissues and cells to stimulate healing[1].

How Does Red Light Therapy Work? 

When red or near-infrared light is applied to the skin and tissues, the photons are absorbed by specialized photoreceptor cells called chromophores. This stimulates cellular energy production, predominantly by enhancing mitochondrial function and ATP synthesis[2]. Specific signaling pathways are also activated which reduce inflammation and oxidative stress[3], while increasing protective antioxidants[4], tissue regeneration and growth factors[5]. This ultimately accelerates healing and restores optimal functioning on a cellular level.  

7 Top Health Benefits of Red Light

For millions of years, humans evolved under the natural red and near-infrared wavelengths most abundant at dawn and dusk. However, today we spend over 90% of our time indoors[6], deprived of these healthful beams, and in fact, are exposed to synthetic blue light constantly, which is a well-known endocrine disruptor and contributing factor in accelerated skin aging, along with at least 20 other diseases. Emerging research shows that when we restore these vanishing rays through red light therapy, profound benefits ensue:

1. Rejuvenates Skin: Studies show red light therapy visibly reduces wrinkles, fine lines, skin roughness and boosts collagen density[7] by stimulating fibroblast activity[8]. It triggers specialized skin cells to regenerate and repair themselves[9]. 

2. Revitalizes Muscles: Red light reduces inflammation and damage in muscles while enhancing performance and growth by increasing microcirculation and tissue oxygenation[10]. It’s been shown to help muscles heal after exercise and injury[11].

3. Improves Brain Function: Applying red light to the scalp can boost cognition and memory in people with dementia and other brain disorders by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress[12]. It may also lift mood and reduce anxiety by stimulating nerve cell growth[13].  

4. Fights Acne: Red light calms inflammation and increases turnover of skin cells, significantly improving acne[14].

5. Regrows Hair: In those with androgenic alopecia, red light grows new, thicker, denser hair by stimulating follicles[9].

6. Heals Wounds: Studies reveal red light therapy accelerates closure and healing of wounds, including diabetic ulcers[10].

7. Relieves Pain: Red light is proven to successfully reduce joint, nerve, back and other chronic pain[11].

In conclusion, modern science now confirms what our ancestors intrinsically knew: the rejuvenating rays of dawn and dusk are vital to our overall health and wellbeing. Red light therapy allows us to recapture this nourishing gift of nature.