Introduction & Episode Overview
Intro (00:03)
Welcome to the Red Light Therapy Podcast, brought to you by Platinum LED Therapy Lights, the pioneers who spent 15 years building the world's most powerful red light technology. In each episode, we show you how to use that power to heal your body, save time with shorter sessions, and get the professional grade results you deserve. This is the Science of the Light, Simplified for you. And now, your host, Mike Vulcan.
Mike Volkin (00:00)
All right, everyone, thanks for joining us today for another episode of the Red Light Therapy Podcast. And yet again, back by popular demand, Dr. Alan Inman, co-host today. He's a longevity and sports performance specialist. Welcome to the show, Dr. Alan.
Alan (00:13)
Let's go Mike and a shout out to everyone. Huge hug to all.
Mike Volkin (00:17)
yes, as many of you know, Dr. Allen has two clinics in Costa Rica and is a medical director of a stem cell clinic, which I am a proud customer of. And as a red light therapy expert, he's gonna be sharing some of his wisdom on these short episodes, 15 minutes or less, so you can listen to it while doing your red light therapy sessions. How ironic is that? Learning about red light therapy while doing red light therapy. So today we're actually starting a new series called Strategic Protocols and Myths. Specifically today, we're gonna be talking about
Myths. Now, there's a lot of snake oil in in this industry, the red light therapy industry. And you're gonna find out about almost all of them today. So are you ready to debunk some myths, Dr. Allen?
Alan (00:57)
Yep, I really am.
Mike Volkin (00:59)
All right, all you listeners out there, go to red light therapypodcast.com. If you have some questions, submit it to us. We'll answer it on a future episode. So what's real and what's just marketing hype in the red light therapy industry? Let's go ahead and tackle this. Does a more expensive light always mean you're gonna get a better result? Let's start with that myth.
Premium vs. Budget Devices: Does Price Reflect Results?
Alan (01:20)
So not necessarily, but there is a reason why higher quality devices cost more. So premium systems, what we're gonna find is they have better LEDs, tighter wavelengths, they're gonna have you know, improved optics. We're gonna and find out they have better technology designed to deliver more photons. Remember, photons are what allow us to have better results.
and a lot of the devices that are out there are not reaching the correct level of photons. And so what what we can say is that is the package of light energy ri reaching what is the skin to what is that target tissue. in simple terms, it's better to know that the goal is to get more therapeutic light energy to the areas of the skin underlying tissues where it can actually be absorbed by those cells, which is very important.
That doesn't mean that the most expensive device is automatically the best. So I do want to say that. But quality when it comes to engineering often improves treatment efficiency and consistency. And we'll know that clinical studies have shown improvement ranging from 20 to 70 percent in areas such as pain reduction when we look at as what is recovery and skin health. But it is always important to know that yes, there are companies.
that happen to have more premium because of the fact they have better technology, like in the case of platinum, which is really important for people to know. And at the end of the day, what you're trying to do is get the best amount of photons, like I said.
Why Some Panels Look Like They Aren't Even Turned On
Mike Volkin (03:01)
Yeah, makes sense. One of the things platinum does not do is compromise on the quality of their products and their parts. And you know, unfortunately, that's the reason why we have that saying, we innovate while others imitate, because so many people try to make their lights look like platinums, but the components are just not the same. What you're buying is just a flat a red flashlight, not really any therapeutic device. so why do some lights look like they aren't even turned on?
Alan (03:26)
So many red light therapy devices use what is near-infrared wavelengths. And these are invisible to the human eye. while the red LEDs are visible, the near-infrared LEDs appear dark even though they are actively delivering what is light energy to what is the tissues. So interestingly, some studies suggest that near-infrared light penetrates deeper than
Than visible red light and contributes to significantly a better therapeutic effect observed in the research of photobiomodulation. So it just has to do with the fact of the wavelength. And so in that case, that doesn't mean it's not having the effect of red light. It's just in this case, as I'm speaking, it's going deeper.
Mike Volkin (04:19)
That's that's incredible.
I didn't know NIR could could penetrate deeper. That's incredible. So does more power always is that always the answer? Like can you overdo the amount of power in a red light therapy device?
The Arndt-Schulz Law: Why More Power Isn't Always Better
Alan (04:31)
Okay, more power is not always better. That we need to be able to get out there. As I had spoken before, red light therapy will go on what follows as we call the Art Schultz law. So it's biphasic. But if we look at it as a hormetic effect, we can go on the idea of if you have too little of stimulation then you won't have enough effect. When you have optimal
stimulation, you'll have great effects. And then when you have too much, then it will tend to have a plateau or tend to decline. So the idea is like very similar with exercise. If you don't do enough exercise, you won't get the effect needed. If you do just enough exercise, you'll get the perfect effect. And if you do too much exercise, it will be you know, horrendous for you because you won't be able to repair
enough. And so many studies have reported that improvements have arranged, you know, between twenty and sixty percent with the correct therapeutic dose. Now the goal isn't always maximum power, it's finding the optimal dose.
Mike Volkin (05:47)
Optimal for everyone's a little different, but that's a good analogy with the working out. because you know, if you overdo it, you get sore for days. You're like, I overdid it. I don't know if that really helped at all. I saw I was in an electronic store the other day. I saw like a little red light bulb. It looked like a little cheapy bulb, but can you get the same results from just like a cheap red light therapy bulb that you find at some any retail store?
Cheap Red Bulbs vs. Therapeutic Devices
Alan (06:09)
Usually not. most standard red bulbs, they produce visible red light but lack the specific wavelengths, the intensity, and the consistency used with photobiomodulation research. What we'll find is that the therapeutic device needs to be engineered to deliver targeted wavelengths, like we had said, you know, six sixty and eight fifty nanometers at sufficient intensity to simulate what is the cellular response that we're looking for.
as we see in these medical studies. A standard bulb may create a red glow, but it is unlikely to produce the effects that we're looking for found in medical studies.
Mike Volkin (06:50)
Speaking of medical studies, there's a lot of phrases going along in the red light therapy industry, medical grade. Is that just a buzzword or is it a real standard?
Is "Medical Grade" a Real Standard or Just Marketing?
Alan (07:00)
So medical grade is sometimes used loosely in marketing. So we have to look deeper. What matters is whether the device has real documentation behind it. So if we got FDA registration or classification, then we know there is great electrical safety testing, wavelength accuracy, power output, third
party verification. So for example, with Platinum LED's Biomax line, it's listed as an FDA class three class two, sorry, medical device. And so what this is saying is there's enough certification showing that they've done everything to be able to be in line with what is being found in medical studies. So in that case, medical grade is not just a phrase, it reflects
A higher level of regulatory safety documentation, which is what platinum has. but the key is this don't trust the label alone. We need to verify the data.
Mike Volkin (08:06)
Okay. Interesting. So we get this next question actually a lot from the the customer service department, people calling in. The question is do I need a full body bed or is one panel enough?
Full Body Bed vs. Single Panel: What You Actually Need
Alan (08:19)
Okay, you don't always need a full body bed, but size absolutely matters. And we've heard that before, but we're talking about red light. So larger panels can treat more surface area at one time when you got these bigger beds. They're gonna cover more. So to have like four panels like
You know, that's an option you can get with platinum. You can have those four panels. It covers your entire body. when you get the large ones, that's better because you're covering more surface area. Now, if you get a smaller one, then you're like, okay, well, I want to get just my face, or I want to get joints, you know, or a certain area. That's okay. You know, I'm not saying don't do it. Just saying it's always better to cover more areas so that you're protecting yourself and you're getting more systemic wellness overall.
full body exposure is better because you'll have, you know, these panels covering this area and you'll get a better therapeutic dose over more tissues at once. So it is good to be able to do this in this sense, but I'm not saying don't ever buy a a small panel because it just depends also on your budget.
Mike Volkin (09:32)
That's right. especially if you're traveling, like we just came out with the Biomax Go, the Platinum Biomax Go, and it's it's great if you just need to throw something in there on if you're going on a quick trip or something and you look always have access 'cause it's hard to pack a panel with you on to go away. So my last question for this episode, I hear a lot about red light therapy and NASA. So are those stories about red light therapy actually true?
NASA and the History of Red Light Therapy
Alan (09:57)
So yes, they are, although the story is often oversimplified. NASA didn't invent red light therapy. What happened is around the nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies, there was studies being done on red light therapy on healing tissue, on low level. That's what these researchers were studying. But what happened is NASA played an important part.
In advancing the technology. So around 1993, NASA reported search again you know around plant growth and experiments on how it would help with them. And then what they ended up finding out over time is how it would help with wound healing and cellular repair and tissue regeneration in what is humans. And so then all of a sudden.
You know, some studies have reported at that time that there was 40% improvement in muscle skeletal injuries and approximately 50% faster healing of certain wounds, which was like ginormous at that time. And so while NASA didn't invent red light therapy, it did help bring the technology into mainstream for medical research and accelerated in such a way that you know we have it in the way that we have today. So it is really important that.
we always know that NASA has an important role, but there was research being done previous to them, you know, getting their hands on
Closing Outro
Mike Volkin (11:26)
That's amazing. I can imagine it'd be oversimplified with people like don't like to read studies. They just like to read the abstract and then make their own interpretations out of it. So Dr. Allen, again, always just like a plethora of knowledge. And no matter what question I ask, it's it's always a comprehensive answer. Thank you so much for joining us, and we definitely are going to have you back on a future episode. For all of you interested in learning more about red light therapy, be sure to follow us on the Red Light Therapy Podcast. Available at redlight therapy podcast.com. Until then, thank you very much, Dr. Allen.
Take care. Talk
Alan (11:57)
Have good one, guys.
Intro (11:59)
Thank you for joining us on the Red Light Therapy Podcast. While others imitate, Platinum innovates. For over 15 years, Platinum Therapy Lights remains the pioneers and global leader in the red light therapy industry. Access the same technology trusted by medical professionals, researchers, and peak performers worldwide. Now
It is your turn to experience the Platinum LED difference. Visit Platinum Therapy Lights.com to secure your professional grade results today.
