Are you interested in learning whether light therapy helps autoimmune diseases? Now, there are over 80 diseases that fall under the autoimmune diseases category, including eczema and hyperthyroidism. And while the symptoms vary depending on the condition, the most common ones are inflammation, swollen glands, and recurring fever.
Thus, can red light therapy help autoimmune diseases, or is there at least the slightest possibility that red light therapy lessens the autoimmune disease’s unbearable symptoms?
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Can Red Light Therapy Help Autoimmune Disease?
RLT
This therapy goes by many names, like low-level light, infrared light, biostimulation, photobiomodulation, soft laser therapy, etc.
The treatment is a procedure that uses LEDs or light-emitting diodes for medical and cosmetic purposes. The treatment works by sending low-intensity red and near-infrared light into the body’s cells, stimulating healing.
Red light therapy might be an excellent alternative to conventional medicine, which has become extremely popular. The procedure is non-invasive, painless, and does not provide enough heat to burn or damage your skin.
Red light therapy today is used for medical, spa, dental, and home settings and may help repair any muscle or joint tissue faster. The treatment may also help with pain and inflammation.
In addition, red light is part of photodynamic therapy, which may offer your skin anti-aging properties and activate the skin agents for more light absorption.
Autoimmune disease
Before we dive deeper and explain how red light therapy may help autoimmune diseases, let’s define the term autoimmune disease and the many illnesses included under it.
The condition that carries the name autoimmune occurs when the body’s natural defense system cannot distinguish between the foreign cells and its own cells.
This causes the body to attack the normal cells. The term describes more than 80 autoimmune illnesses that can strike multiple body parts.
The most common autoimmune diseases that can attack the female body are:
- Psoriasis: A condition that makes the skin with thick and scaly patches
- Lupus: An illness that damages the organs, skin, and joints
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Arthritis form that attacks the joints
- Psoriatic arthritis: Arthritis that affects the psoriasis of people
- Thyroid diseases: Including Graves and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Type 1 diabetes: A condition in which the immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells that are in the pancreas
The symptoms of autoimmune disease may be mild for some people and severe for others. Several medical studies have shown that when it comes to autoimmune illness, there are multiple different degrees. In most cases, a person’s symptoms are related to several other factors like personal health, the environment, and, most importantly, genetics.
RLT as a solution for autoimmune diseases
Now that you have a basic idea of what red light therapy is and the usual forms of the autoimmune system, let’s address the primary question which brought you to our article in the first place: can red light therapy help autoimmune disease?
Red light therapy may offer some relief from symptoms of autoimmune disease. Let’s elaborate more on the subject.
You may tackle various disease symptoms with low-level laser therapy, such as reducing stress and boosting your immune system. The best part is that you only have to expose your skin to red light for a couple of minutes daily.
Although this therapy focuses mostly on joint pain and inflammation, many people have been known to use it for its potential anti-aging properties. To tie everything together, people who suffer from autoimmune diseases struggle with pain and inflammation daily.
Many studies have proven that light therapy can significantly improve the inflammatory cells during the late and early stages of Rheumatoid arthritis.
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Related: Does Red Light Therapy Help Sagging Skin?
RLT for Inflammation and Pain From Rheumatoid Arthritis
The Arthritis Foundation has reported that over 1.5 million people in the United States suffer from rheumatoid arthritis RA.
This immune system disorder is a surprise, and health researchers are unaware of how some people develop RA. The belief is that some individuals may catch it from the environment, like a virus, and some develop the illness from external factors like emotional and physical stress.
In the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis, people may experience tenderness, stiffness, swelling, and joint pain for a couple of weeks. As arthritis progresses, there is more damage to the joints, and the pain level rises.
In addition to an exercise regimen, balanced and healthy diet, stress reduction, hot and cold treatments, and prescribed medical treatment, a low-level laser may also reduce the symptoms of RA.
Several studies have proven this claim, and more than 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis have used red light therapy treatment for one month with two sessions a week. The results have shown that each individual has felt a temporary reduction in pain and stiffness.
Read more: Can Red Light Therapy Help With Depression?
RLT for Reducing Soreness from Fibromyalgia
This disease affects 6 to 12 million people in the United States. This chronic condition may cause widespread pain. Something else worth pointing out is that this illness is more likely to be developed in a female body in middle age.
Fibromyalgia may cause some tenderness to 19 points on the human body, The neck, chest, lower back, shoulders, thighs, arms, and joints. Other symptoms of this disease are mood disorders, memory loss, fatigue, and insomnia.
Even though scientists have not yet discovered a cure for this illness, multiple approved drugs may make fibromyalgia symptoms such as pain and depression more bearable. Luckily, red light therapy also referred to as low-level laser therapy, can help in relieving musculoskeletal or neuropathic pain.
Source: dreamstime.com
RLT for Hashimoto’s Disease
This disease is a common autoimmune disorder involving chronic thyroid inflammation. Studies have shown that it affects one out of five people; usually, the victim is a middle-aged woman.
The ability of the thyroid gland to produce hormones over time becomes impaired, which leads to a gradual decline in function. The result may be an underactive thyroid which, if you are familiar with the task of this gland, you know how serious it can be.
An underactive thyroid may cause weight gain, constipation, fatigue, dry skin, depression, reduced exercise tolerance, and muscle aches. For some people, the inflammation causes the thyroid to become goiter and much more prominent.
Therefore several studies, including the one where 43 women used RLT to help treat chronic autoimmune hypothyroidism, showed promising results in RLT helping with the said chronic disease.
RLT to Treat Grave’s Disease
The last illness that falls into the category of autoimmune disease that we will talk about is Grave’s disease. This condition is frequent in the US and causes hyperthyroidism or an overactive thyroid gland. Women tend to get it eight more times than men.
While the condition is triggered by the body’s immune system, which usually protects us from foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria.
Grave’s disease makes the body do the opposite and causes the cells to work overtime. The result is an overactive thyroid.
The symptoms of this illness may include hand tremors, insomnia, weight loss, increased heartbeat, heat intolerance, muscle weakness, and much more.
If the disease continues to affect the body after six months, the following treatments are surgical removal or disabling of the thyroid.
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Conclusion
Ultimately, can red light therapy help autoimmune disease? Yes, various studies show promising results of how effective red light therapy can be in helping treat autoimmune diseases. However, it’s best to consult with your doctor before using an alternative therapy.
According to many studies, low-level laser light is a promising therapy for people who suffer from autoimmune diseases. Although the red light cannot attack any illness directly, it may significantly reduce symptoms.
Hello! I’m Nicky Rodgers.
Almost a decade ago, I got excited about the idea of employing alternative methods like red light therapy to create a healthier life.
To learn more about it, I did my Certified Light Therapist course from Photonic Therapy Institute and started looking into the intricacies of how light therapy influences several bodily processes. Before I knew it, my interest had become an obsession which resulted in this extensive blog.
Here, I offer countless well-researched articles to help you understand the benefits and uses of light therapy. I hope this information gives you a head start in your wellness journey.