Health Wanted: Cannabis

The Episode

This week on the show: cannabis! Is it bad for you? Is it good for you? Is it better than alcohol? And how does it seem to be everywhere…even in states where you know it’s illegal?

Listen now

The Listener Questions

Do red light therapy devices actually work?

Red light therapy is not a scam if done correctly and, most importantly, consistently. But it's also not a miracle cure.

The data for red light is still emerging. It started in the 1960s with the invention of lasers, and doctors wanted to see if exposure to low-level red light over time could potentially cause skin cancer. They tested on rats, and what they found was the rats exposed to red light grew some incredible hair. Or rather, just grew more hair than the other rats. So it was investigated further. 

The technical term for light therapy is “photobiomodulation,” meaning the light penetrates skin and influences your body’s normal systems. One potential pathway is that cells absorb the photon energy of light and use that energy to power their own cellular machinery. If those cells have a job (like making collagen) they get a boost to that job, which can promote wound healing, plump up skin, and reduce wrinkles. Another potential pathway is that the energy from the light causes vasodilation (increased blood flow), which also helps skin healing and rejuvenation.

The important thing to remember is that your light therapy needs to be at the right wavelength, irradiance, and duration.

• When it comes to red light therapy masks for things like skin rejuvenation, you want a wavelength of 630-660nm, with 633nm being the most studied wavelength that shows improvement.
• Many red light masks also have near infrared light, which is a different wavelength that penetrates deeper. And for that you want 700-1200nm, with the gold standard being 830nm.
• For irradiance, which is the amount of light, you want 30-50 miliWatts/cm2 for masks. Over 50, and that’s when you start to have the energy turned into heat (which can be uncomfortable or even cause heat induce melasma, which are dark spots on the skin) and under 30 the mask is basically underpowered to do anything.
• Panels, like the Joovv panels, are a little different. Because they’re not pressed up against the skin (or having any escaping light reflected back at the skin by the rest of the mask) they need a higher irradiance, closer to 100miliwatts/cm2, because more will be diffused.

Also always buy products that are FDA cleared, meaning they’ve demonstrated they have the same safety and efficacy as products already on the market. This will (hopefully) save you from getting something that damages your skin.

The most important question to ask about red light is “will you use it?” Research has shown that, while some benefits can kick in after about 5-6 weeks, most improvement is seen after 9-12 weeks. Even then, it’s not going to be as dramatic as some other interventions.

In the case of red light panels, while they can hit more areas of the body which can be helpful for things like muscle recovery, you should be honest with yourself if you’re committed enough to sit in front of them for 10-20 minutes a day.

While we have strong enough evidence for benefits when it comes to wound healing, skin improvement, and muscle recovery, the claims that red light helps with things like mental acuity or sleep are not yet supported. 
 

Catch all the listener questions and Laurel’s answers on the full episode of Health Wanted by:

• Streaming at wabe.org or the WABE app
• Subscribing on Apple or Spotify
• Watching on WABE's YouTube channel