Red-light Therapy

[1wombat]

Has anyone tried red-light therapy for neuropathy? Was it successful?

[HeavyFoot]

I’ve never heard of this. I have neuropathy of the feet and had always believed that when it’s gone it’s gone.

[1wombat in reply to HeavyFoot]

I have read that pain is reduced. redlightman.com seems to be a good general reference.

[Hidden]

Hi 1wombat,

Let's hope this message stays put here unlike my other one. 😉

I have had great success using red light therapy in the form of infrared heat lamp bulbs to control my neuropathy pain, but not the neuropathy itself. As HeavyFoot stated, and according to medical science, once you have neuropathy, it's permanent. But that doesn't mean current treatments and upcoming ones can't help.

I purchased an infrared heat lamp bulb made by Philips in 2019 for about $9 USD on Amazon. The US Amazon search title for it is: Philips Heat Lamp R40 Flood Light Bulb: 250-Watt, Medium Screw Base. These Philips Infrared bulbs are hundreds of dollars cheaper than the red LED lights from websites like the one you mentioned. And they also give a very soothing warmth which can help heal foot ulcers/cracks that are staying too moist and causing skin maceration.

This is the same type of bulb that is used in bathroom saunas and infrared treatment centers. And also to keep baby chicks warm when they are being sold in farm stores. Infrared light penetrates about 2 to 3 inches into the skin to help with inflammation, increase blood flow, and help with healing.

Because it is a heating lamp bulb, you have to be careful to not apply it to closely to the skin to avoid burning. It is recommended you have it at a minimum of 12-14 inches away from the treatment area on your body. I have mine about 14 inches away from my feet. You also need to purchase a standing lamp base that can handle that amount of heat and wattage. I purchased my standing lamp base on US Amazon as well and it clearly stated it was made for Infrared Heat Lamp therapy.

After using this Infrared heat lamp bulb daily for a minimum of 30 minutes, up to 2 hours (depending on how much pain I was in) and with my feet elevated on a wedge pillow above heart level (also purchased on US Amazon), after one month the painful neuropathy in my feet was decreased by about 75%, and after two months by almost 100%. And the neuropathy foot pain I had was brutal. Out of nowhere it felt like someone stabbed my foot with a hot knife or needles. Sometimes the pain would hit me while walking and I would almost fall from the shock and intense pain. Today, if I don't treat my feet at least a few times a week the neuropathy foot pain starts to slowly creep back. So doing this regularly is crucial to controlling neuropathy foot pain. My Podiatrist was so impressed by my results he asked me for specifics so that he could prescribe this treatment for his other patients, as I found this treatment on my own.

You can also find Non-Heating (they can't burn your skin) Infrared LED red bulbs on US Amazon for hundreds less than on the website you mentioned, so it pays to shop around, because there is no reason why this cheap technology should cost so much. I tried a non-heating red LED bulb, but I like the warmth from the Philips heat bulb as the heat helps with any foot ulcers or cracks I might be experiencing by keeping them from getting too moist and causing skin maceration. The heat also feels soothing and relaxes foot muscles as well.

I hope this helps you and anyone else. Foot neuropathy is a very painful condition, so anything that helps and is low-cost and drug-free is a wonderful thing in my book. And anyone can private message me if they need more assistance. Be well!

PS: Thank you

Activity2004

😀👍

[HeavyFoot in reply to Hidden]

I’ll look into that myself thank you, Nightbird. I am subject to intermittent “electric shocks” in my feet (on the uppers) which can recur all night. Then go away after three days. Horrible.

[Hidden in reply to HeavyFoot]

HeavyFoot ..My pleasure my friend. 😉 I know how incredibly uncomfortable those "electric shocks" can be. I've slacked off on my infrared light treatment and have been getting some mild foot shocks myself..so back under the light I go.

By the way..I noticed you were talking about shoes in another thread. I would recommend these shoes if you need extra cushioning as they are the most cushioned shoe I have ever owned: Skechers Men's Max Cushioning Premier Vantage-Performance Walking & Running Shoe Sneaker. Here is the USA Amazon link for them: amazon.com/gp/product/B07W5...

And if your feet are extra large and wide like mine..you'll be happy to know they come in bigger sizes. And to clean..you just toss them in the washing machine. 🙂👍

[1wombat in reply to Hidden]

Thank you

[gangadharan_nair]

"Red light therapy (RLT) is a treatment that uses low wavelength red light to reportedly improve your skin's appearance, such as reducing wrinkles, scars, redness and acne. It's also touted to treat other medical conditions."(1)

"Additional clinical research is needed to prove that RLT is effective. At the moment, however, there’s some evidence to suggest that RLT may have the following benefits:-

* promotes wound healing and tissue repair

* improves hair growth in people with androgenic alopecia

* help for the short-term treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

* stimulates healing of slow-healing wounds, like diabetic foot ulcers

reduces psoriasis lesions

* aids with short-term relief of pain and morning stiffness in people with rheumatoid arthritis

* reduces some of the side effects of cancer treatments, including oral mucositis improves skin complexion and builds collagen to diminish wrinkles

* helps to mend sun damage

* prevents recurring cold sores from herpes simplex virus infections

* improves the health of joints in people with degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee

* helps diminish scars

* relieves pain and inflammation in people with pain in the Achilles tendons

Currently, RLT isn’t endorsed or covered by insurance companies for these conditions due to lack of sufficient evidence. Although, a few insurance companies now cover the use of RLT to prevent oral mucositis during cancer treatment."(2)

"Red and blue lights are typically promoted in LED skin treatments. Experts believe that red LED light acts on cells in the skin known as fibroblasts, which play a role in production of collagen, a protein that makes up a large part of connective tissue and helps the skin to recover when it's harmed."(3)

Links:-

(1) my.clevelandclinic.org/heal....

(2) healthline.com/health/red-l...

(3) health.harvard.edu/staying-...

[Hidden in reply to gangadharan_nair]

Thank you gangadharan_nair for this information. I can attest that Infrared Light Therapy has been wonderful for foot pain reduction due to neuropathy and has drastically improved the healing of a foot ulcer. I use an Infrared Light Bulb as opposed to a non-heating Red LED Bulb because the heat from the infrared bulb is very soothing and penetrating and helps to prevent skin maceration on foot ulcers due to too much moisture. Infrared Light Bulbs are also much more widely available and at a much lower cost that Red LED Bulbs. I hope things are going well for you in beautiful India and be well my friend. 😉