Red and near-infrared (NIR) light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation (PBM) and low-level light therapy, uses emitted light to interact with cells and tissues in your body.
Safe and concentrated wavelengths of light are delivered into your body and absorbed by cells, enhancing their ability to generate energy and your ability to recover.
Different wavelengths of light are useful for different goals. The developers and engineers have carefully calibrated the wavelengths used in The BodyGuard to emit light at two very specific wavelengths in the red and near-infrared spectrum, and optimized dosing and treatment time.
Infrared light therapy is a safe and natural treatment for skin, muscles, neurological disorders, and more. Near-infrared light therapy (also known as photobiomodulation and red light therapy) is gaining popularity as a natural treatment due to its effectiveness in treating a variety of ailments, from wrinkles to dementia, with complete safety. Unlike tanning booths, near-infrared light therapy does not use harmful UV rays. Instead, much safer red and near infrared light targets the mitochondria, the energy generators in our cells, causing them to soak up this light and ultimately produce more energy.
Though infrared light therapy has been gaining popularity recently, it has actually been utilized for thousands of years as a treatment for pain and other ailments, long before the biology was properly understood. According to a scientific study on the biological effects and medical applications of infrared radiation, humans evolved to heal our bodies using the sun. Ancient cultures actually used the sun to assist with healing wounds and as a form of pain relief.
Infrared light is able to penetrate the skin’s surface and reach the tissues and muscles below without causing harm. When infrared light hits the skin it is absorbed by receptors in the skin cells, kickstarting a chain reaction of cellular processes that ultimately generate energy.
After absorption, infrared light triggers the cells to begin processes that make room for more energy production in the body. Nitric oxide, a molecule involved in the maintenance of healthy arteries, plays a large role in energy generation. When infrared light is absorbed, nitric oxide production increases, which in turn relaxes arteries by preventing blood platelet clumping and helps regulate blood pressure.
Nitric oxide makes it possible for blood to circulate more effectively, which allows more oxygen to reach more cells, and hence more energy is generated.
As more oxygen is able to reach the cells, vital nutrients are also carried to more areas of the body. Increased blood flow from extra nitric oxide production carries more nutrients to damaged cells and tissues and increases their ability to repair themselves. As tissues regenerate and heal we experience reduced pain and other symptoms of inflammation.