Arthritis – Red lights on the brain

Knee arthritis

For arthritis, photobiomodulation needs to be used daily.

If you’ve ever read how this blog came about, you’ll know that osteoarthritis is a subject dear to my heart and right knee.

I described in agonising detail life before and after months of 850nm near-infrared light on my knee every day. Every day. Not just once a week, or twice a week, but every day.

Even then I knew enough about the effect of red and near infrared light on mitochondria to have worked out that mitochondria are like batteries and need a very regular recharge.

Mitochondria work best if they get daily boosts of energy courtesy of the response of their clever proteins that are able to absorb near infrared light and transform it into metabolic energy.

Multi-purpose Eliza

Red light helps reduce painful joints.

The couple who made the first light hat from the blog instructions (more) reminded me that an Eliza (or in their case, a Daffodil) is more than just an item for use on the head.

Sore knees – put your feet up on the sofa, bring your heel towards your bottom and put your foot in a place that affords a comfortable bend to your knee. Then perch the Eliza on the top of your bended knee and let the light shine around the knee. Continue reading “Multi-purpose Eliza”

The Beginning

Constant knee pain makes it hard to be active, so in mid 2015, I did a lot of sitting and reading. One of the books was Norman Doidge’s The Brain’s Way of Healing.

Chapter 4 covered the effect of red and near infrared light on the brain and spinal cord, and there were some remarkable stories told. In passing, Doidge mentioned the positive effect of red and near infrared light on arthritic joints and damaged tendons.

I went hunting on Google Scholar and found some medical journal articles that supported this possibility. I had no idea how this could be possible, but it was worth a try. I went hunting for a way to shine near infrared light on my sore knee.

The Beginning

Constant knee pain makes it hard to be active, so in mid 2015, I did a lot of sitting and reading. One of the books was Norman Doidge’s The Brain’s Way of Healing. He mentioned the positive effect of red and near infrared light on arthritic joints and damaged tendons, and on brains.