What is Near IR Therapy?
Near infra-red LED therapy is on track to become one of the three legs of medicine, equal to surgery and pharmaceuticals. It is a safe and effective therapeutic treatment for pain relief, improved tissue regeneration and faster recovery, applicable to a wide range of common injuries and diseases.
How does it work?
The beneficial effects of Photo-Light therapy are the result of a photochemical reaction at the cellular level produced by near infra-red and/or infra-red light, not thermal energy. The IR and near IR photons are absorbed in the Mitochondria and at the cell membrane level.
Paraphrasing NASA "Low-energy photon irradiation by light in the far-red (“IR”) to near-IR spectral range with Near IR Therapy or LED (Light Emitting Diode) arrays has been found to modulate various biological processes in cell culture and animal models. This phenomenon of photobiomodulation has been applied clinically in the treatment of soft tissue injuries and the acceleration of wound healing. The mechanism of photobiomodulation by red to near- IR light at the cellular level has been ascribed to the activation of mitochondrial respiratory chain components, resulting in initiation of a signaling cascade that promotes cellular proliferation and cytoprotection."
"A growing body of evidence suggests that Cytochrome Oxidase is a key photo acceptor of light in the far-red to near-IR spectral range. Cytochrome Oxidase is an integral membrane protein that contains four redox active metal centers and has a strong absorbance in the far-red to near-IR spectral range detectable in vivo by near IR spectroscopy."
"Moreover, 660-680 nm of irradiation has been shown to increase electron transfer in purified Cytochrome Oxidase, increase mitochondria, respiration and Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), synthesis in isolated mitochondria, and up-regulate Cytochrome Oxidase activity in cultured neuronal cells."
"LED photo stimulation induces a cascade of signaling events initiated by the absorption of light by Cytochrome Oxidase. These signaling events may include the activation of immediate early genes, transcription factors, Cytochrome Oxidase subunit gene expression, and a host of other enzymes and pathways related to increased oxidative metabolism."
"In addition to increased oxidative metabolism, red to near-IR light stimulation of mitochondrial electron transfer is known to increase the generation of reactive oxygen species. These mitochondrial generated reactive oxygen species may function as signaling molecules to provide communication between mitochondria and the cytosol and nucleus."
"Therapeutic photobiomodulation for methanol-induced retinal toxicity."
Proc. National Academy of Sciences (US) 2003 Mar 18; 100(6):3439-44 2003 Mar 07.
