Millions of Americans experience inflammation, but what is it exactly? This article gives an overview of inflammation: types, causes, symptoms, and treatments. We also look at how red light therapy promotes balance, optimizes cellular function, and supports your bodyโs response to inflammation and pain.
What is Inflammation?
You probably know inflammation when you see it: part of your body gets redder, hotter, swollen, and often painful, in response to an injury or an infection. Inflammation isnโt just a symptom though, itโs a complex (and necessary) process that takes place in every living thing. You can think of inflammation as your bodyโs programmed response to danger. Itโs one of your immune systemโs first actions against germs, irritation, and cell damage. But if inflammation becomes a chronic problem, it can also be a route to disease and wider dysfunction in the body.
What Causes inflammation?
Inflammation can be caused by just about anything that puts the body under stress. There are clear physical causes of inflammation like injuries & wounds, bruises, burns, and splinters. Inflammation also occurs in response to biological factors like infection from germs and stress. Chemical irritants, toxins, and alcohol can also trigger inflammation. Our bodies can also become inflamed in response to environmental stressorsโlike inadequate sleep, poor nutrition, dehydration, and exposure to toxins. [2] Over time, these environmental factors can play a role in the development of chronic inflammation conditions that have more serious long-term health implications.
Signs and Symptoms of Inflammation
The five classic signs of inflammation are heat, redness, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Pain is caused by chemicals like bradykinin & histamine that your body releases to stimulate your nerve endings as a warning of danger. [3] Clinical evidence also shows that inflammation can cause depression, and vice-versa, depression can cause inflammation.
Acute or Chronic Inflammation?
Not all inflammation is a bad thing for your health. Acute inflammation can help our body recover from a specific problem. In a normal response to stress or injury, inflammation sets in within a few hours and works to clear the damaged tissue and start the repair process. Once the injury or strain is healed, the inflammation fades away.
Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is often caused by frequent and persistent acute inflammation, as well as by viral infections, autoimmune reactions, recurrent tissue damage, and foreign bodies that arenโt removed. [1] Chronic inflammation can be very painful and lead to other conditions, like arthritis, lackluster skin, poor gut health, and even increased risk for some cancers. [5] Chronic inflammation is incredibly common and may be the basis for other diseases like stroke, heart disorders, diabetes, and cancers resulting in over half of all human deaths. [6]
Current Inflammation Treatments, Risks, & Side Effects
Inflammation is often treated with NSAIDs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These include supposed lower-risk, over-the-counter varieties like aspirin and ibuprofen that can treat symptoms of acute pain. To treat more serious chronic inflammation, people often take prescription NSAIDs, but these have shown numerous risks for people over age 60 and kidney risks for the general population.
However, these established inflammation treatments generally only address theย symptomsย of inflammation, like pain and swelling, not the root causes, like cellular function, tissue repair and biological imbalance.
Given how common inflammatory conditions are, and the limitation of existing treatments, itโs not surprising that many people are looking beyond NSAIDs and pharmaceuticals for solutions to chronic inflammation and pain. Lifestyle factors (diet, exercise, sleep quality) play a major role in keeping the body in proper balance, so acute inflammation doesnโt become chronic. Healthy light exposure is also important, so cells can repair, regenerate, and make energy efficiently. In the next section, weโll look at how light, and specifically red light therapy treatments, can help support the cellular response to inflammation and pain.
Red Light Therapy For Pain Relief and Inflammationย Management
Red light therapy treatments are part of a healthy lifestyle, andย can help support bodily balanceย and enhanced cellular function. Like exercise, nutritious eating, and restful sleep, healthy light exposure can have a big impact on managing inflammation and pain.ย
What is Red Light Therapy?ย Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation (PBM) or low level laser therapy (LLLT), is a simple, non-invasive treatment that delivers wavelengths of red and near infrared (NIR) light to the skin and cells. The term โred light therapyโ refers to treatments from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that deliver specific wavelengths of red and NIR light to the skin and cells.ย
Red Light Therapy and Inflammationย
Red light therapy treatments help supply the mitochondria in your cells with the light needed to make the ATP energy that powers your body. Red light therapy allows a person to supplement the sunlight they get from their environment with concentrated wavelengths of red and NIR light.
To summarize , red and near infrared light acts as a very mild form of stress that activates protective mechanisms in cells. When red light hits the skin and penetrates into cells, mitochondria are nudged to make energy more efficiently. This boosts the production of healing anti-inflammatories and antioxidants that speed up healing.
How Does Red Light Therapy Work?
Red and NIR light helps balance the bodyโs inflammatory effects by boosting cellular energy and cutting down on oxidative stress. Wavelengths of red and NIR light have been shown to stimulate the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, and can optimize the cellular respiration process that makes ATP (adenosine triphosphate) energy, which increases function, speeds healing, and can reduce inflammation & discomfort, as demonstrated in numerous peer-reviewed studies.
Red light therapy also supportsย arthritis and joint pain reliefย by improving blood flow to damaged tissues. When cells receive the healthy light they need, the whole body has the potential to work more efficiently, with improved circulation and reduced inflammation.
Conclusion: Red Light Therapy Promotes Balance and Helps Support the Bodies Natural Healing Process
Everyone, no matter their age or health, should be aware of inflammation and seek greater biological balance in their lives. Inflammation is a natural and necessary part of life; our health and wellness depends on our bodyโs natural response to danger. But chronic inflammation is a serious health risk, and can limit what we can do on a day-to-day basis.ย
Red light therapy supports cellular homeostasis and efficient energy production. In conjunction with a healthy lifestyle, red light therapy can ha
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