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RED Light Therapy (tanning) beds

Strawberry

Senior Member
Messages
2,109
Location
Seattle, WA USA
I searched the LED red intranasal light therapy thread, but it seems completely different. This is about the RED light beds you would find in a tanning salon. Specifically this one: http://www.insun.us/rejuvasun.php

Has anyone ever use one of these? My daughter thought it would be good for my illness, so she searched the internet and found some published articles (MCAS) that made it sound like it would be good for me. So I tried it. Twice. Both times I was so weak at the end of the 20 minutes I could barely get out of the bed, and almost could not walk the 3 feet to the chair. By the time I am dressed, I am still weak and slightly shaky, but I can at least make it to the lobby. I sit in the lobby and talk to my daughter (or who ever is working) until I can drive home.

It isn't the heat, these beds don't get hot. Also, I tan with no issue. I use tanning beds to slowly harden my skin from my PMLE (Polymorphous light eruption http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...light-eruption/basics/definition/con-20030452) so that I can go outside without breaking out into hives. My daughter says the bulbs in the bed are basically UV lights, so it could be that, but I sit under florescent daily at work. So I can't understand that one either. The LED lights are rather bright and psychedelic (even with proper eye covering) so maybe that is what affects me? The LED part is only over the face.

Anyway, to sum this up, I'm trying to figure out why I get so weak and shaky.

Also, I've thought about converting what I bought into tanning sessions. Should I push through this and see if it helps inflammation, CFS, and MCAS? Or not? Is the weak and shaky a warning?

Thanks in advance
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
I forgot, do you have POTS or dysautonomia? I do not tolerate heat well and twice got an allergic reaction to the sun. I have also never had the ability to tan and only get a sunburn. I think one of those beds would give me tachycardia and make me feel very ill. But I am not sure of the exact mechanism.
 

Strawberry

Senior Member
Messages
2,109
Location
Seattle, WA USA
@Gingergrrl I do have orthostatic intolerance (from home poor mans tilt table test), but I don't know any specifics yet as I haven't been officially tested. I don't think it is POTS. My heart rate is fast, but not fast enough for tachycardia. I just looked up dysautonomia and that is a possibility. I also don't tolerate heat well, but I can tolerate the normal tanning beds with the fan on high. Well, at least one tanning bed! I don't use the beds that people say run "hotter", I used the coldest one. But heat isn't the issue, this RED light bed doesn't get hot. Actually, the second time I used the RED light therapy bed I was cold the whole time! My PMLE (above) is also sun allergy, but completely different than the allergic reaction you get. So I can also rule that one out.

(to all)

Maybe I should clarify the purpose of this bed, it isn't a tanning bed. It is used for treating skin conditions (or reversing aging), it is also good for pain and inflammation. My daughter has construction guys that use the bed several times a week so that they CAN work with little pain. It is not a tanning bed, and does not give me any tan. I think the LED panel has red, amber, and green lights if that matters. The LED panel is only over the face. I'm not aware the bulbs on the body have any function, I believe the owner is just to cheap to put tanning bulbs in the bed. He expects people to pay for the therapy bed, and pay for a tanning bed separately. So they are normal bulbs.

I appear to have thrown away the email of the publications my daughter found, so I can't quote anything. But she was searching for MCAS and RED light therapy. The articles talked about mast cells degranulating and stimulating healing, but none said anything about making MCAS worse. I think she did a scientific google search with "mast cells degranulating" and "red light therapy", and was unable to find anything with MCAS specifically... Just the healing benefits of the RED light therapy through the process of mast cell degranulation.