The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy Quotes

“A recent 2013 randomized, placebo-controlled study in hypothyroid patients demonstrated that in people who got near-infrared light therapy, thyroid function dramatically improved, and remarkably, that thyroid antibody (TPOAb) levels were massively reduced. Amazingly, 47% of patients were able to stop medication completely! Moreover, the researchers also followed up 9 months after treatment and found that the effects were still evident!116 They even published a 6-year follow-up, which basically said that even at 6 years, some of the benefits still remained, but periodic sessions were recommended to maintain all benefits.117”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Specifically, most research showing benefits of red and near-infrared light have used wavelengths in the narrow ranges of 630-680nm and 800-880nm. More on this later.)”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Melatonin: Interestingly, red/NIR light therapy has been shown to increase “extra-pineal” production of melatonin outside of the pineal gland. Melatonin is much more than just a sleep inducing hormone as most people know it—melatonin has critical roles in protecting the mitochondria from damage and supporting glutathione levels, which is one of our body’s most powerful and important antioxidants and detoxifying compounds. Some researchers have suggested that this increased melatonin may be a significant factor in the effects of red/NIR light.31”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“If you only want to treat your brain (e.g. for depression, anxiety, cognitive performance, or neurological disease), then near-infrared is best. (The VieLight Neuro is likely the best option for this specific purpose. See the information on this device in the “Recommended Devices” section later in this book.)”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“1-2 minutes shining it on the neck and thyroid gland area and thymus area in the center of the chest, from roughly 6-12” away. There are studies already showing this can impact thyroid function (the studies were done in people with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism), which is critical to metabolic health in the entire body. The light on the thymus can potentially enhance immune function. 1-2 minutes on your sex organs (from 6-12” away) if possible, as this will increase the health of those tissues and promote optimal hormonal function.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“FOR DEEP TISSUES: For deeper issues in muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, glands, the brain, organs, etc., you want much higher doses more in the neighborhood of 10-60J. In general, this means that you want higher power devices and you want to be 6-12” from the device (as opposed to further away as with treating the skin) to get optimal doses of light to those deep tissues. The deeper the tissue you’re trying to treat, the closer to your body you want the light to be (i.e. 6” is ideal) and the higher the overall dose you want to do, so that you deliver adequate therapeutic doses to the deeper tissues. Also, for use on the brain, this may require higher doses (or doses on the higher end of the spectrum shared here) because it takes a relatively higher dose for enough light to penetrate through the skull and be delivered to the brain. Here are my general suggestions for treating deep tissues below the skin: Using the light from 6” away for between 2-7 minutes per area is the ideal dose range. Or 5-10 minutes per area from 12” away. (For treating deep tissues, I don’t recommend going further away than 12” away from your body.) If you get the lights I recommend, that’s really all you need”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“FOR SKIN ISSUES: Assuming you have one of the lights I recommend, for skin issues (e.g. anti-aging benefits) and other more superficial (near to the surface) body issues, here are my basic usage suggestions: Somewhere between 1-4 minutes from 12” away. (Note: For skin issues, I recommend going 12” or more away from the device, whereas with deeper tissues, you want to be closer and have higher power density to reach deeper into the tissues.) Or 1.5-5 minutes from 18” away. Or 2-8 minutes from 24” away.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“We want a relatively low overall dose on each area of skin, of roughly 3-15J.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“mW/cm2 x time (in seconds) x 0.001 = J/cm2 Here’s the critical piece of information you need to know: The dose you want to shoot for is between 3J/cm2—50J/cm2.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“As discussed in the section on thyroid health, in people with Hashimoto’s—a common autoimmune condition responsible for most hypothyroidism—red/NIR light has proven to have remarkably beneficial effects on immune function.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Fight Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism with Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy Several studies have shown profound benefits of red and near-infrared light therapy for autoimmune hypothyroidism. This is one of the only treatments that has been shown to potentially reverse (or at least greatly slow the progression of) autoimmune hypothyroidism. A recent 2013 randomized, placebo-controlled study in hypothyroid patients demonstrated that in people who got near-infrared light therapy, thyroid function dramatically improved, and remarkably, that thyroid antibody (TPOAb) levels were massively reduced. Amazingly, 47% of patients were able to stop medication completely! Moreover, the researchers also followed up 9 months after treatment and found that the effects were still evident!116 They even published a 6-year follow-up, which basically said that even at 6 years, some of the benefits still remained, but periodic sessions were recommended to maintain all benefits.117 (To be honest, I don’t suggest red/NIR light as a one-time treatment that is expected to last long-term. For optimal benefits, most research indicates that sessions be done with red/NIR therapy at least once a week consistently.) A 2010 study found that red light therapy helped 38% of study participants reduce their hypothyroid medication dose, with a whopping 17% being able to stop taking the medication altogether!118 A 1997 study done in Russia included some data on people with autoimmune hypothyroidism who underwent a thyroid surgery. They found that red/NIR light therapy improved thyroid hormone levels enough that they required, on average, roughly half as much thyroid hormone medication.119 A 2003 study done in the Ukraine showed that red light therapy can decrease thyroid medication needs by 50-75% in people with postsurgical hypothyroidism.120 A 2010 Russian dissertation study gave red light therapy on the thyroid gland to a group of people with hypothyroidism and found that 17% of people could completely get off thyroid medication and 38% could decrease the dose by 25-50µg.121 A 2014 study used the light therapy for 10 sessions with 347 women with subclinical hypothyroidism. At baseline, the average TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) was 9.1 mIU/L. (Note: Higher TSH is a sign of hypothyroidism). After ten sessions of light therapy, the TSH was normalized in 337 (97%) of these women. Their TSH averaged at 2.2 mIU/L after just 10 light treatments.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“at nerve fibers. Anti-inflammatory actions, as well as blocking of substance P, likely play a role in this effect.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Nerve (Pain): Some studies have shown that red/NIR light can dull pain due to blocking conduction”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“If you are using it for wrinkle reduction and anti-aging purposes, you will likely notice effects within a few weeks (and may even have people complimenting you on how good you look).”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“BIO-300” by Platinum Therapy Lights It’s 300 watts (more than double the comparably sized Joovv, and almost as much as the Red Rush), and gives a great power intensity of about 100mW/cm2 at 6” from the light (almost as high as the Red Rush360). It’s 19” tall by about 9” wide (slightly larger than the Joovv, and roughly the same size as the Red Rush, slightly longer just not as wide). It has 100 LEDs. It’s available in the same options as the Joovv light—660nm, all in 850nm, or a 50-50 split of 660nm and 850nm. The prices are excellent: All 660nm = $449 50-50 split of 660 and 850nm = $449 All 850nm = $449”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Red Rush360” by RedTherapy.co. It’s 360 watts (significantly higher power output than the other lights in this category) and gives a solid power density of about 100mW/cm2 at 6” from the light. (That’s the actual light output, not the claimed power output.) It’s 16.3” tall by about 10.6” wide (slightly larger than the other lights in this category). It has 120 LEDs (twice as many as the Joovv). It comes with a 50-50 split of 660nm and 850nm. They’ve also developed new technology to nearly completely eliminate EMF (electromagnetic fields) emission from their light device, making it extremely safe to use even from very close distances. (They are the only manufacturer to do this, to my knowledge.) The price is excellent at $449. (This is my overall top choice for a light under $500.) Given that it has the highest power output, the broadest coverage area, the most LEDs, a very competitive price, and the lowest EMFs, it is my top choice in this category.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“But if you must get a small device (or you only want to treat a very small part of your body), the only small light that I recommend is this one from Red Light Man. It’s 100 watts with LEDs split between 610nm, 630nm, 660nm, and 680nm. Or you can get it as solely a 670nm light. I recommend doing the latter, because 670nm will active cytochrome c oxidase in the mitochondria more effectively than lower wavelengths like 610nm. This light will have a good power density at about 4-5” away from the light, but”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“630-680nm (the optimal healing spectrum of red light) 800 to 880nm (the optimal healing spectrum of near-infrared) or a combination of both Earlier, it was mentioned that wavelengths of 600 to 700nm and 780 to1070nm have been proven to have the most significant impact upon cytochrome c in the mitochondria, and thus, these are the wavelengths that will provide the most stunning results for anti-aging, arthritis, fat loss, reduced waist circumference, re-growing hair for individuals with hair loss, joint repair, bone repair, cancer recovery and prevention, cognitive enhancement and brain health. The therapeutic range is only within those specific wavelengths. I do not recommend devices that specify other wavelengths than the ones I mentioned above (or don’t specify any wavelengths at all). If you see a device offering wavelengths in the 700-770nm range, be aware that far fewer studies support health benefits at these wavelengths. Again, if the company doesn’t give you information about the wavelengths in their light devices (or you have to go searching for it), or they are not using optimal wavelengths, I don’t recommend it.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Wavelength: What wavelengths does the device offer? Do these have health benefits? Are they in the proven ranges of 600-700nm and 780-1070nm, or better, the most researched ranges of 630-680nm and 800-880nm? Power Density: How much irradiance/power does the device deliver—what is the power density in mW/cm2? (To calculate this, you need to know the total wattage and the treatment area of the light.) Size of the light and treatment area: This is critically important—how big of an area will it treat? Is it a small light of less than 12” or a big light that can treat half of your body or your whole body all at once? Think about it: Do you want to hold one of these small devices by hand for 30-60 minutes to do a treatment? Probably not. You’ll get tired of using it pretty quickly. So it has to be convenient, and ideally, has to be something that is not only fast, but something that you do while doing other things (if you wish), so you’re not sitting there holding a device in different positions for 30-60 minutes. Warranty: How long does the warranty last? Will you have time to find out if it works? (Hint: look for at least one year or longer.) What do you want it for? Depending on your specific purpose, there are a few different devices you may want to consider. (If you have specialty needs like brain health, or skin health, it will affect the wavelengths you want, the power of the device, and even the type of device.) I cannot emphasize enough: When choosing a red light or near-infrared light device, you want to be extremely careful to choose wisely, based on the wavelength and power density levels of the device. Wavelength and intensity makes all the difference between incredible benefits and no benefits.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Fatigue treatment/energy enhancement—For this purpose, we want to boost overall mitochondrial health, decrease inflammation in the blood, enhance immune function, optimize hormones, and decrease brain inflammation. First, take of all your clothes and shine it diffusely on your entire body for 30-60 seconds (from 24”-36” away), back and front from head to toe, to wake up every cell in your body. 1-2 minutes shining it on the neck and thyroid gland area and thymus area in the center of the chest, from roughly 6-12” away. There are studies already showing this can impact thyroid function (the studies were done in people with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism), which is critical to metabolic health in the entire body. The light on the thymus can potentially enhance immune function. 1-2 minutes on your sex organs (from 6-12” away) if possible, as this will increase the health of those tissues and promote optimal hormonal function. 1-2 minutes on your belly (from 6-12” away) to get systemic effects through getting the red/NIR light in the entire blood of your body. (Remember, some research has shown systemic effects, likely from irradiating the blood and affecting blood cells, inflammatory cytokines, and immune cells.) 1-3 minutes on your forehead/brain (from 6-12” away) and another 1-3 minutes on the base of the neck and spine area to decrease brain inflammation and support mitochondrial health in the brain. Total treatment time should be no more than 10-12 minutes. Also, be aware that if you have severe fatigue (e.g. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) or are very ill with a particular condition, you may need to cut these doses in half or even do only 1/4th or 1/5th of these recommendations to start. Remember that the more unwell you are, the smaller doses you should use, especially starting out.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Sleep enhancement/melatonin production—As mentioned previously, there is some research suggesting that red/NIR light can impact melatonin (interestingly, melatonin produced by the body outside of the pineal gland!)374,375,376 While further research is needed to explore the potential for red/NIR light to be used for increasing melatonin/sleep enhancement, I have experimented with this heavily with my Energy Blueprint program members and it clearly seems to work to enhance sleep. For many people, it has an extremely powerful and very noticeable sleep-enhancing effect from the very first time they do it. Here’s how I recommend using it: Timing is key for this purpose. Do the treatment 1.5-2 hours before bed. I do not suggest doing this closer than 60 minutes to bedtime. Use the light on your spine and the back of your neck area from about 12-18” away for 3-7 minutes Even though blue light is primarily what effects circadian rhythm and suppresses melatonin (red light generally doesn’t suppress melatonin), research has actually shown that very bright red light (like red light therapy LED panels) can suppress melatonin. For that reason, I have a few more detailed recommendations: I don’t recommend doing this within an hour of bedtime I recommend avoiding looking into the light (i.e. doing it with eyes closed or a towel over your eyes and avoiding actually looking into the light is ideal). Also, in my experience, pure near-infrared lights are more optimal for sleep enhancement because they don’t have the bright red light that makes you squint your eyes. (Remember, near-infrared is mostly invisible to the human eye). So a quick NIR treatment on the spine for a few minutes 1-2 hours before bed can really make a difference in your sleep.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Brain performance, mood enhancement (e.g. combatting depression and anxiety), or brain healing—Use the light (ideally a pure near-infrared light or 50-50 mix of NIR and red, since near-infrared penetrates the skull much more effectively than red light) from 6”-12” away. Since hair blocks the light, you want to use it on an area of your head without hair. For people with hair (no shaved or bald head), this generally means to use it on the forehead, or on the sides of the head through ear area, or at the base of the neck. The base of the neck may allow you to target the cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that surrounds the brain), and this may provide beneficial effects on the cells in that fluid which impact brain health. The forehead is definitely the most effective area, and has actually been used in several of the studies on depression and brain enhancement. In addition to using the standard LED panels in this way, you also have the option to get the VieLight Neuro device, which allows you to work the lights into the base of your hair follicles and deliver light through the skull at multiple points on the head, even if you have hair. For people who wish to target the brain as their primary focus, I think it’s definitely worth it to get that VieLight Neuro device. (Note: I don’t recommend their intranasal lights—only the whole head “Neuro” device.)”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Immune health—Doing one treatment every few days on the thymus gland area in the center of the chest is likely supportive of good immune health. During an acute infection, you can try one treatment per day. I suggest a treatment time of 3-5 minutes from 6’-12” away on the thymus gland area in the center of the chest.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Fat loss—Follow my protocol I outlined in the fat loss section. If you can’t do that specific fasted morning protocol, I suggest using it right before your workouts. You can shine it on both the fat areas you want to lose as well as the muscles that you are going to exercise in that workout. Use the light from 6” away for 2-5 minutes on each area.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“personally almost always use mine while laying down. I position the lights on the ground and lay next to them either on my side, back or front to treat the targeted area. I just find it more relaxing (than standing) to lay down while doing it.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Total Treatment Dose/Time: I suggest that you limit total treatment dose for all areas of the body to no more than roughly 120J. So assuming the light is 6” or 12” away from your body, that means no more than 15-20 minutes of time total with light shining on your body.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“deeper issues (e.g. muscle, bone, brain, organs, glands, fat, etc.), we want around 10-40J per area, so optimal treatment times and distances with the lights I recommend are: 2-7 minutes per area (if the light is 6” inches away) 5-10 minutes per area (if the light is 12” away) I do not recommend going further away than 12” if you’re treating deeper tissues. Roughly 6” inches away is ideal for delivering the most light to the deeper tissues. If you get the Joovv light, these tend to have lower power density than the Red Rush360 and Platinum lights. So for the Joovv lights, you’ll want to add roughly 20-40% more time to the above dose ranges (when using them from 6-12” away from your body) E.g. If you would use the Red Rush360 for 10 minutes (from 12” away), you may need to use the Joovv Mini for 13-15 minutes to get the same dose. For use on the brain, some people recommend much relatively higher doses (the high end of my recommended dose ranges), due to the fact that it’s harder to deliver a significant amount of light to the brain tissues since the light has to penetrate through the skull before it can reach the brain. Thus, less overall light actually makes it to brain tissue (relative to say, treating fat or muscle tissue). As a general rule, the deeper the tissue and the more it is covered by bone, the longer doses will be needed to deliver a significant amount of light to that targeted tissue.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“For skin issues, we want between 3J to roughly 15J per area. So optimal treatment times with the lights I recommend are: 30 seconds-2.5 minutes per area (if the light is 6” inches away). (But remember, further away is likely more optimal for skin anti-aging purposes, if you get the lights I suggest. See details below.) 1-3.5 minutes per area (if the light is 12” away) 1.5-5 minutes per area (if the light is 18” away) 2-7 minutes per area (if the light is 24” away). Remember that having it further away from the body allows you to treat much larger areas of your body at once, since light spreads out the further you move away from the light source. 3-14 minutes per area (if the light is 36” away).”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“Ideal frequency of use is likely between 3-7x/week (or up to once per day). There are studies which have used more and less than this, however, based on my experience working with hundreds of people, I believe between 3 to 7 times per week is optimal.”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization

“For general use, the light should be about 6-36 inches away from your body. Closer distances (6”-12” away from your body) are ideal for deep tissue treatments as you’ll get a higher dose and much greater depth of penetration. Further distances (12”-36” away from your body) are ideal for treating surface skin issues and anti-aging purposes. Get a high-power light that can still deliver an effective dose from further distances. This allows you to treat much larger areas of your body at once compared to lower power lights. This is especially important for people wanting to treat their skin for anti-aging purposes. By getting one of the high-power lights I recommend, even though they are smaller (i.e. not the size of a full human body), you can use them from a further distance away and basically treat the entire front or back of your body at once. Because light spreads out the further you go from the source, a light that is only 15” or 20” inches long may be able to treat 40” or 50” inches of your body at once when used at a further distance. (Again, be aware that this ONLY works with high-powered lights. If you have a low power light and you move it further away from your body, it will quickly be out of the effective range as far as the power density of the light.) This is why getting a high-powered light can be so cost-effective—even a smaller light that is high power can essentially function like a much larger light that is lower power. So take advantage of this!”
― Ari Whitten, The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging, Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Performance Enhancement, and Brain Optimization