YOUR experience with red light therapy?

G

greyheron

Messages
20
Hello friends,
Has anyone tried red light therapy to treat their ME/CFS symptoms? I've been reading on the interwebs that red light therapy can (1) help cellular mitochondria produce more ATP thus increasing available energy and (2) modulate the inflammatory response in the body. Is this just a health fad, or is there something to this red-light hype?
Check out Dr. Paul Anderson's videos on youtube.
 
ilivewithcfs

ilivewithcfs

Senior Member
Messages
198
I tried it and it did absolutely nothing. Obviously, it doesn't mean it won't help you. A lot of reputable doctors recommend it, some patients say it works for them.
My main advice would be start low and go slow, otherwise you'll probably crash.
 
P

pamojja

Senior Member
Messages
2,551
Location
Austria
Beside comprehensive lifestyle-changes and supplementation, tropical sun-shine - especially during long yearly long winter months, was that little extra which was needed for most difficult to achive remissions. Regularly for many years.

I don't like using apparatus that much, but with corona and not being able to travel anymore, I finally tried about 900 Watts of infrared-light lamps, for 20 minutes a session. It did bring some of the improvements of sun-shine. But wasn't able to use it as regularly as would be needed for me.
 
Mary

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
18,028
Location
Texas Hill Country
I think it's worth a try. It helped me with a painful muscle or tendon - I don't know what it was - on my leg (inner thigh). It had been sore for several years but was the least of my worries but then a few years ago got very painful such that putting on a pair of pants or lifting my leg to press the gas pedal would hurt noticeably. 2 weeks of red light therapy cut the pain in half and a couple more weeks it was gone altogether. Of course this was not an ME/CFS symptom but it still did something.

I have a sister with rheumatoid arthritis and she found that when she used my red light device in the morning, it cut her pain noticeably such that she didn't notice she'd forgotten her prednisone until late in the day. Ordinarily the pain would have started several hours earlier. She also noticed a boost in energy about an hour after using the device.

And one other sister had some type of nerve pain I believe in her hand or arm, and the red light cut that pain noticeably as well.

It didn't help me with PEM but, depending on your symptoms, might be worth a try. I first bought a large device from this company: mitoredlight.com - and it turned out to be too cumbersome, too heavy to maneuver for me. However, they now make stands which you can order separately which would solve this problem. I ended up getting a small device which is easy to move. However, depending on your level of functioning, I'd try the largest device you can afford or manage because it can cover a larger area of your body in one session.

mitoredlight,.com offers a 60-day money back guarantee and they honor it. I had to return the large device and ended up getting a small portable one. They did return 100% of the purchase price. They offer free shipping but I had to pay the return shipping, which I thought was fair.

It is calming and pets are said to like lying in front of it. My brother-in-law who is rather tightly wound and very skeptical by nature likes the way it makes him feel, and that's saying something! It might help with sleep too -

And more is not necessarily better - I'd read the instructions before using.
 
Mary

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
18,028
Location
Texas Hill Country
Hi @Wayne - here are the devices I bought:

large panel: https://mitoredlight.com/products/mitopro-series?variant=32084839432292

small panel: https://mitoredlight.com/products/mitopro-series?variant=32084839333988

The only difference is the size. So the large panel has the advantage because it can cover a larger area of your body at one time. you could stand in front of the large one for 12 - 15 minutes and do the front of you, and then turn around and do the back, maybe 12 -15 minutes each and you're all done.

With the small one, if you want to target several areas of your body, it will take more time because you'll have to spend 12 - 15 minutes on each area. That's the only difference. It would be like going outside and having 3/4 of your body covered up while trying to get an all over tan, you would have to keep switching your clothing!

I didn't have the stamina to stand in front of the large one for 15 minutes, afraid that would make me crash. Then I tried laying it down on its side on my bed and that caused it to shut off because of little fans it has on the sides to cool it. They're really well made. They didn't have the portable stands they have for them now. Also, it's heavy and it was difficult for me to move it around.

So if someone can afford the larger one and standing for 15 minutes or so is no problem, then I think that would be best. Also, look into the stands they sell. They did have hanging equipment to hang the large one from a door (which I assume they still have), but again, I didn't have the stamina to stand for any length of time.

fwiw, several sports teams and Navy Seals use red light equipment too -
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back