Why Everyone’s Talking About Red and Near-Infrared

The Rise of Light Therapy in Holistic Health

Red and near-infrared light therapy (or photobiomodulation, PBM) has quietly gone from obscure to mainstream over the last decade. What used to be reserved for high-performance athletes, post-op recovery units, or pricey dermatology clinics is now showing up in homes, day spas, aesthetic clinics and multidisciplinary practices—including mine.

More and more remedial therapists, exercise physiologists, chiropractors, and even energy healers are integrating red and NIR light into their therapeutic toolkit. And not because it looks cool—but because it works. It’s low-tox, non-invasive, and based on a growing body of evidence that says light is not just essential for circadian rhythm and mood—it’s medicine.

And you might be wondering: Pauline, you're throwing around all these sciencey terms—what would you know?” Well... I’ve studied BHSc - inc sun=objects like Biochemistry, Human Biology, Chemistry, Clinical Anatomy, Physiology, Pathophysiology…..plus about a dozen more subjects that you only survive if you're deeply obsessed with how the human body works. I’m also a qualified Remedial Therapist, and for over a year now, I’ve been using red and near-infrared therapy personally, with my family, and with my clients, from postpartum mums to those dealing with inflammation, fatigue, poor skin healing, and sluggish lymphatic systems.

What I’ve witnessed is more than just placebo:

Chronic pain is reduced

Skin tone and wound healing improves

Inflammation settles

Energy comes back online

Nervous systems downshift into calm

And yes—people sleep better and think more clearly

It’s not a miracle, it’s mitochondrial. And it’s only just starting to catch on.

From Clinic to Couch: Can You Use It at Home?

Yes—and many people already are.

While there are high-grade medical and therapeutic devices used in clinics, there are also (FDA approved) TGA-registered home-use devices that make this therapy accessible, safe, and easy to use in everyday life.

What to Look for in a Home Device:

Wavelengths between 630–670 nm (red) and 810–850 nm (NIR)

Low EMF and flicker-free design

Pulsed vs continuous mode (both have benefits)

Certified power density output (generally 20–200 mW/cm² at source)

TGA registration (in Australia)

Smaller handheld panels are great for targeted use (like joints, face, or scar tissue), while larger full-body panels are excellent for systemic effects—think energy, sleep, inflammation, mood, or deep muscle recovery.

That said, clinical supervision can help you get the most out of light therapy, especially if you’re using it to support complex or chronic health conditions. A trained practitioner can guide usage timing, frequency, and placement, and ensure it complements your broader treatment plan.

Why Light Works on More Than Just the Skin

Red light therapy is often marketed for “anti-aging” and “skin rejuvenation” (and yes, it really does help collagen and wound healing)—but to reduce its benefits to just beauty misses the point. Light interacts with our biology all the way down to the mitochondrial level, and mitochondria don’t only live in your skin—they're in your muscles, brain, thyroid, uterus, heart, and immune cells.

This is why red and NIR light therapy has been shown in studies to:

Modulate inflammatory cytokines

Boost circulatory microflow

Improve neurological resilience

Calm nervous system hyperarousal

Stimulate lymphatic movement and detoxification

Support hormonal feedback loops (including thyroid and menstrual cycles)

It’s not magic—it’s simply giving your cells more energy to do what they’re biologically meant to do. Especially when they're stuck in chronic stress mode, recovering from injury, or compensating for hormone changes, trauma, or postnatal depletion.

For therapists and practitioners, red and near-infrared therapy is an incredibly versatile adjunct tool. Some of the ways I like to use it in my practice is during MLD sessions, apply it post-treatment for pain relief and tissue repair and offer it during guided breathwork or meditation to drop clients deeper into parasympathetic states.

And for home users—it can become a daily ritual, not unlike brushing your teeth or taking your supplements. In just 10–20 minutes a day, you can start improving mitochondrial health, resilience, and vitality from the inside out.

Final Thoughts: Light Is Ancient, Not Trendy

Light therapy may feel like a cutting-edge biohack, but in truth, it’s ancient. We evolved in relationship with the sun. Our biology knows what to do with natural wavelengths—it just hasn’t been getting enough of the good stuff. We live under LEDs and behind glass, in bodies starved of the full-spectrum nutrition light offers. What red and NIR therapy is really doing is restoring that lost relationship—reconnecting your cells with the frequencies they need to thrive. Before you purchase a red light unit at home, I highly recommend visiting a practitioner that uses this in their treatments. Have a good long chat, especially around the fact that this is a COMPLIMENTARY tool, a bio hack if you will - and should NEVER replace good old fashion outdoor full spectrum light exposure!