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Frequently Asked Questions
From preventive care to chronic issues, our medical care providers partner with you for all your healthcare needs.
Insurance and DPC
How much does registration cost?
To register or pre-register costs you nothing or $0. We will not even collect any credit card or bank account information during registration. By registering you are ONLY notifying Long Life Med of your interest in becoming a patient member to find out more by providing your basic contact information.
Note: Any pricing information seen during registration is Retail Pricing. During our grand opening period everyone will receive One-Time Discounts – That will can be huge – the more you sign up for the bigger the discount.
ANY PRICING YOU SEE DURING REGISTRATION is RETAIL PRICING – Your Grand opening discount will NOT be shown. Your registration date will lock-in these discounts. Expect to be contacted and notified of your specific discounted price within 24 hours.
What is the difference between Pre-Registering, Registering, and Enrolling?
Pre-Registration is signifying your interest in the memberships and services we offer. It allows you to estimate the prices you will pay, depending on the number of people, different memberships & services you are interested in, and the billing cycle that you prefer to pay your membership/s. It does NOT guarantee you enrollment as a patient, as this is a 2-way relationship and a free first visit is required to see if we are a perfect fit for each other. You will not be charged anything for pre-enrolling, but it gets you into our EMR so we are ready for your first visit and also locks in your discounts/promotions at the time of your Pre-Registration. If we our patient panel is full for the type of membership you are interested in, you also get put into a waitlist and will be notified when it is open enrollment again.
If you are registered as a potential member, you have completed all of the registration survey, and hopefully already set up an appointment for your free initial consultation.
If you are enrolled, it means that you have had your first visit and we have mutually decided that we are a good fit. You have selected membership, completed new client medical histories, and paid for a membership.
Do you accept insurance?
NO, we don’t accept health insurance.
More specifically, we do not accept health insurance payments for our patient memberships or out-of-pocket expenses.
However, health insurance will can cover some diagnostic orders. For example, lab orders (blood or urine tests) or imaging (x-rays, CT, ultrasounds, etc. ). We provide more than standard labs included in the membership cost, but if you require a unique lab or diagnostic imaging Long Life Med will pass along our facility discount as we pass the savings we are given on to our patients.
If you are willing to go through the hassle of completing the bureaucratic health insurance paperwork and following up with them to apply for reimbursements to go towards your deductible–we will be happy to review the process you’ll need to go through to gain these approvals.
Keep in mind all your annual labs are covered with your monthly membership-including a few specialized labs most health insurance does not cover. That’s our NO Hassle Pricing! Only special labs would have additional cost.
Your provider will ALWAYS discuss ANY cost up front. That’s transparent pricing—without surprises. (We keep it simple for our providers by having the memberships cover A LOT! ;-] ) For example, any order that is a special lab tests an imaging tests will already have a highly reduced price – we pass our reduced pricing cost on to you. We don’t up charge for more profit. If you prefer to go the Health Insurance Route you will need to gain approval and for the lab or imaging before hand, at the standard price structure (our low prices will NOT apply). For those of you who don’t want to play those health insurance game, then DPC care is for you!
Keep in mind all your annual labs are covered with your monthly membership-including a few specialized labs most health insurance does not cover. That’s our NO Hassle Pricing! Only special labs would have additional cost.
Your provider will ALWAYS discuss ANY cost up front. That’s transparent pricing—without surprises. (We keep it simple for our providers by having the memberships cover A LOT! ;-] ) For example, any order that is a special lab tests an imaging tests will already have a highly reduced price – we pass our reduced pricing cost on to you. We don’t up charge for more profit. If you prefer to go the Health Insurance Route you will need to gain approval and for the lab or imaging before hand, at the standard price structure (our low prices will NOT apply). For those of you who don’t want to play those health insurance game, then DPC care is for you!
How much will my co-pay be?
Absolutely $0. Also, no deductibles. We are not an insurance plan.
Most everything under the DPC plans are included, including labs and other tests, urgent care and clinic visits.
We provide full service healthcare for a low monthly membership fee. That is part of DPC care. No Hassle health care!
Most everything under the DPC plans are included, including labs and other tests, urgent care and clinic visits.
We provide full service healthcare for a low monthly membership fee. That is part of DPC care. No Hassle health care!
What are co-pays? What are deductibles?
The insurance deductible is the amount that you will have to spend towards services covered by your health insurance, BEFORE they even start paying for them. If you have a $2,000 deductible, you will have to pay full-price on all your visits, labs, imaging, prescriptions and other services, before your insurance will start paying a certain percentage of it, and you then have your Co-Payment.
Co-Pays are what your will have to pay after you have met your deductible and your insurance starts paying for some of your services. These are typically between 10%-50%. However, the prices that you are going to be paying are bloated insurance prices, so your Co-Pay might be equivalent and usually much higher than what you would pay on a discounted cash price with your DPC membership. (For example, an MRI might cost $3,000, and with a co-pay of 20% after meeting your deductible, you would still be paying $600, when the same MRI would only be $300 or less from our vendors).
Co-Pays are what your will have to pay after you have met your deductible and your insurance starts paying for some of your services. These are typically between 10%-50%. However, the prices that you are going to be paying are bloated insurance prices, so your Co-Pay might be equivalent and usually much higher than what you would pay on a discounted cash price with your DPC membership. (For example, an MRI might cost $3,000, and with a co-pay of 20% after meeting your deductible, you would still be paying $600, when the same MRI would only be $300 or less from our vendors).
I have insurance, why do I need this and can I join?
Insurance Co-pays tend to be high, and even PCP visits usually cost you $150 on a high deductible plan, which is what most people have.
You also have to pay for everything until you have met your deductible, so that adds up.
For half the price of the common deductible of $2000, a prepaid annual Standard DPC membership of $1000, will already include unlimited visits, prescriptions, and a lot of other included services.
However, you can absolutely use your insurance for things like labs, medications, images, specialty visits, hospitalization visits, and more. Although as stated above, it might be cheaper for you to pay for those other services using discounted cash rates out-of-pocket, compared to the insurance rates of up to 10x more if you haven’t met your deductible yet. Sometimes even the 20% copay is more expensive than the discounted cash rate. Our clinic staff can help advice you on best and cheapest solution for each situation.
However, the ONLY thing that your insurance can’t be used for is the low monthly subscription fee. A lot of the services is done at the clinic no additional charge.
You also have to pay for everything until you have met your deductible, so that adds up.
For half the price of the common deductible of $2000, a prepaid annual Standard DPC membership of $1000, will already include unlimited visits, prescriptions, and a lot of other included services.
However, you can absolutely use your insurance for things like labs, medications, images, specialty visits, hospitalization visits, and more. Although as stated above, it might be cheaper for you to pay for those other services using discounted cash rates out-of-pocket, compared to the insurance rates of up to 10x more if you haven’t met your deductible yet. Sometimes even the 20% copay is more expensive than the discounted cash rate. Our clinic staff can help advice you on best and cheapest solution for each situation.
However, the ONLY thing that your insurance can’t be used for is the low monthly subscription fee. A lot of the services is done at the clinic no additional charge.
If this is cheaper than having insurance with all the Copays and Deductibles, do I still need to have insurance?
Yes, we strongly recommend for everyone to have a separate health insurance, to cover for hospitalization and other catastrophic health events.
While your DPC Provider can usually help take care of up to 90% of your health care needs, it doesn’t pay for catastrophic events and specialist visits, although we are working into getting those specialist consults at the cheapest price possible too.
The best way to do this is to get a high deductible plan of maybe $5K or $10K, just in case you need it for that emergency, and then have a Health Savings account to pay for medications, imaging, and other health care costs (except for the DPC membership).
While your DPC Provider can usually help take care of up to 90% of your health care needs, it doesn’t pay for catastrophic events and specialist visits, although we are working into getting those specialist consults at the cheapest price possible too.
The best way to do this is to get a high deductible plan of maybe $5K or $10K, just in case you need it for that emergency, and then have a Health Savings account to pay for medications, imaging, and other health care costs (except for the DPC membership).
I don’t have insurance, why do I need this and can I join?
No problem! While we do recommend that you carry health insurance, it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t have great health care.
We think healthcare should be affordable for all. That’s why, for less than most utility bills, you can get affordable high quality care! Almost everything Long Life Med (except for the stated add-ons) can do in-office is at NO additional charge. There’s no copay, no deductible, no extra charges. You will never, ever be blindsided by a bill.
If there are things that need to done outside of our clinic such as an image, or maybe a lab (we do some labs in office but not all), then we contract with local providers to get you the best possible discounts. We can also recommend or refer to specialists that have discounted cash pay prices.
Most people avoid going to the doctor because of high costs, even for those that have insurance, so most health care issues that should have been preventable are not address until it is almost too late or too late. Having a DPC Membership that will allow you not to stress about surprise bills, will encourage you to get those regular conversations with your health provider regularly to get your health issues resolved sooner and future health problems avoided.
We think healthcare should be affordable for all. That’s why, for less than most utility bills, you can get affordable high quality care! Almost everything Long Life Med (except for the stated add-ons) can do in-office is at NO additional charge. There’s no copay, no deductible, no extra charges. You will never, ever be blindsided by a bill.
If there are things that need to done outside of our clinic such as an image, or maybe a lab (we do some labs in office but not all), then we contract with local providers to get you the best possible discounts. We can also recommend or refer to specialists that have discounted cash pay prices.
Most people avoid going to the doctor because of high costs, even for those that have insurance, so most health care issues that should have been preventable are not address until it is almost too late or too late. Having a DPC Membership that will allow you not to stress about surprise bills, will encourage you to get those regular conversations with your health provider regularly to get your health issues resolved sooner and future health problems avoided.
I have Medicare Insurance, why do I still need this and can I join?
As of now, we are unable to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients. We do have a waitlist and we plan to be able to accept patients who are on Medicare and Medicaid. You can sign up for that Waitlist and we will notify you when we are able to accept you.
However, please note that Medicare will still not cover the Membership fees, and will just cover the labs, imaging, medications, specialists, and other services not covered by your DPC subscription.
However, please note that Medicare will still not cover the Membership fees, and will just cover the labs, imaging, medications, specialists, and other services not covered by your DPC subscription.
Why are you only accepting a few patients for enrollment?
At Long Life Med we are committed to quality care for each of our patients. We don’t want our patients to feel rushed or feel they are being undertreated—ever!
We keep our patient roster low to ensure this level of care. Our patient panel is about 10-20% of a regular provider to ensure we provide exceptional care. When Long Life Med has an open enrollment period, we limit the number of patient enrollment slots to ensure you and your provider have the time to address all your issues and concerns and start building a collaborative relationship from day one.
However, you can still Pre-Register and be on the Waitlist, and we will lock in your discounts and promo at the time of Pre-Registration, and we will notify you when you can schedule your first appointment.
We keep our patient roster low to ensure this level of care. Our patient panel is about 10-20% of a regular provider to ensure we provide exceptional care. When Long Life Med has an open enrollment period, we limit the number of patient enrollment slots to ensure you and your provider have the time to address all your issues and concerns and start building a collaborative relationship from day one.
However, you can still Pre-Register and be on the Waitlist, and we will lock in your discounts and promo at the time of Pre-Registration, and we will notify you when you can schedule your first appointment.
I do not see the doctor often, why should I become a member?
Everyone needs healthcare, and it is important to have a doctor that knows YOU.
In the DPC model, you are able to call, text, email or video chat your doctor about any medical questions that may arise. It is convenient and save you money and time.
We can help keep you healthy with routine check-ups, and when you do get sick we will be there to guide you without charging you for copays or deductibles.
However, if you can not afford the regular monthly fees of the DPC plans, or you are relatively healthy and between 16-30 years old, you can also just pick the TeleHealth only plan, and still have access to discounted urgent care and telehealth when you need it, and also still get the annual labs and physical. You are also still able to text and email your provider for simple questions that does not require a video call or in-person visit, like medication refills etc.
In the DPC model, you are able to call, text, email or video chat your doctor about any medical questions that may arise. It is convenient and save you money and time.
We can help keep you healthy with routine check-ups, and when you do get sick we will be there to guide you without charging you for copays or deductibles.
However, if you can not afford the regular monthly fees of the DPC plans, or you are relatively healthy and between 16-30 years old, you can also just pick the TeleHealth only plan, and still have access to discounted urgent care and telehealth when you need it, and also still get the annual labs and physical. You are also still able to text and email your provider for simple questions that does not require a video call or in-person visit, like medication refills etc.
Is there a sign-up fee to become a member? and is there a minimum commitment? and what if I decide to cancel?
Yes, there is a one-time registration fee of $100, but it is waived for memberships that are pre-paid for at least 3 months. This mostly covers your initial labs, as the first visit is still free.
When you enroll in our DPC clinic, we are committing to your health, and so should you. Therefore, we would like you to commit for a minimum of 3 months.
However, if you still decide to cancel or move out of town, please notify us at least 30 days in advance so we cancel your next bill. There will be no refunds of memberships already paid for and used. The only exceptions are for a deployment or if you move out of town, then we can refund you the remaining months that are not consumed (and the consumed months for that billing period will be billed at the monthly rate).
When you enroll in our DPC clinic, we are committing to your health, and so should you. Therefore, we would like you to commit for a minimum of 3 months.
However, if you still decide to cancel or move out of town, please notify us at least 30 days in advance so we cancel your next bill. There will be no refunds of memberships already paid for and used. The only exceptions are for a deployment or if you move out of town, then we can refund you the remaining months that are not consumed (and the consumed months for that billing period will be billed at the monthly rate).
So the First Visit Is FREE, but do I need to leave a credit card.
No. At no time will you be asked to pay or for a credit card until you are enrolled as a patient.
Even at the Pre-Registration process, the prices you will see at checkout are estimates, before any applicable promos and discounts. You don’t pay until your membership is officially approved and after your initial visit.
What is a Hospital Patient Advocate?
WE TREAT YOU LIKE FAMILY!
If you have an emergency, it doesn’t matter what time it is, someone will be with you on the phone (or another line if you need to call 911) and guide you through the whole process, and either be there to do first aid or a treatment, or go to the ER with you, or stay with you on the phone the whole time until everything is settled.
If someone is hospitalized, your Patient Advocate who knows your history and knows how to navigate the hospitals and the medical system, will help “translate” medical language for you and educate you about what you need to know, or what your doctors may not be telling you or can’t tell you.
The Patient Advocate will also be there to do their best that you get the best care, including making sure that your doctors have your full medical information, keep in touch with specialists on call so you’ll have a 2nd and 3rd opinion right away, and also check and double check that nothing is being missed or overlooked in the care of the patient.
The Patient Advocate Service for hospital/ER/ICU visits is for the member only. This service could extend to include immediate family members (for the Extended and VIP tiers), but those family members need to be pre-registered, and we need to have basic health information for those family members (and the hourly rate also applies).
If you have an emergency, it doesn’t matter what time it is, someone will be with you on the phone (or another line if you need to call 911) and guide you through the whole process, and either be there to do first aid or a treatment, or go to the ER with you, or stay with you on the phone the whole time until everything is settled.
If someone is hospitalized, your Patient Advocate who knows your history and knows how to navigate the hospitals and the medical system, will help “translate” medical language for you and educate you about what you need to know, or what your doctors may not be telling you or can’t tell you.
The Patient Advocate will also be there to do their best that you get the best care, including making sure that your doctors have your full medical information, keep in touch with specialists on call so you’ll have a 2nd and 3rd opinion right away, and also check and double check that nothing is being missed or overlooked in the care of the patient.
The Patient Advocate Service for hospital/ER/ICU visits is for the member only. This service could extend to include immediate family members (for the Extended and VIP tiers), but those family members need to be pre-registered, and we need to have basic health information for those family members (and the hourly rate also applies).
Alma TED Non-Invasive Hair Treatments
Do you accept insurance?
No, we don’t accept insurance in this practice. Insurance also doesn’t cover hair restoration treatments.
How much is the cost of the treatments?
A single TED treatment is $1,300.
However, a minimum of 3 treatments is required, so the package of 3 treatments is discounted at $3,500.
We also have a package of 4 treatments for $4,500, or 6 treatments for $6,500. The subsequent treatments can be used on the 4th to 6th month, or can be used for the “maintenance” treatments later.
Just note that men tend to require more treatments than women.
We also have discounts for our members.
What are the Contraindications for this treatment?
- Pregnancy or Nursing – this is not recommended for pregnant or nursing mothers
- Age – it is safest and most effective between the ages of 21 and 65 years old, although patients as old as 80 years old still see some results
- Somatic pain – ache, throbbing, gnawing or sharp pain in the treatment area
- Central Nervous System Disorder
- Active Thrombophlebitis – blot clots in any veins, causing pain, warmth and redness in the affected area
- Cancer – although cancer patients before and after chemotherapy or radiation find benefit in the TED treatment, it should be done with the clearance from the oncologist, and there should be no cancer or history of cancer anywhere in the head or treatment area for the past 5 years
- Active Infection Disease – If you have fungi, virus, bacteria, or parasites, in your scalp and around it, that should be treated first, before doing the TED treatment.
- Pacemaker or AICD – it is contraindicated for those with an implantable pacemaker or automatic defibrillator/cardioverter (AICD)
- Clotting Disorders – if you have a blood clotting disorder or taking blood thinning medications like Coumadin, it is not recommended for you to do this treatment
- Metal Implants – you can’t do this treatment if you have any implants in or around the head, and hearing aids or earrings should also also be taken off before the treatment
- Tuberculosis – patients with active tuberculosis shouldn’t do this treatment
- Psoriasis – if you have psoriasis in the scalp or anywhere near the head, that should be treated first, before doing this treatment
- Heart Disease – persons with heart disease (CAD, CHF, post-MI, etc.) can not do this treatment
What are the possible side effects of this treatment?
- Warming sensation – You may experience little to no discomfort during and after the Procedure, especially a heating sensation, however, there should be no pain and the warmth should dissipate within a few seconds.
- Tinnitus – You can expect some ringing sound coming from the TED device, and as such may cause some ringing in your ears, but it should also resolve in a few minutes
- Infection – Although very rare, infection is a possibility any time a Procedure is performed, even though the TED procedure is not invasive at all. Although it is even more rare, it is possible for an infection to become a blood-borne widespread infection, that is why it is very important to come with a clean scalp and no current infections or wounds.
- Allergic reactions – Although uncommon, you could possibly develop an allergic reaction to medicines applied to the treated area and you could possibly develop an allergic reaction to any medications that may be prescribed for you in conjunction with the TED treatment.
- Erythema – Redness in the treatment area is expected and it should disappear within a few minutes to a few hours.
- Bruising – Bruising in the treated area is possible, especially if, within the last ten (10) days, you have taken aspirin or aspirin‐containing products, or other medications that “thin” the blood.
- Blood clots in veins and lungs – The procedure could cause blood clots. Blood clots that travel to the heart or lungs could cause an emergency medical condition.
Does Alma TED Regrow a New Hair Follicle?
Unfortunately, no. The only way to restore hair growth to a severely depleted area is through hair transplantation. However, Alma TED can be used in conjunction with hair transplants to help slow, stop, and reverse the progression of hair loss in non-transplanted area. There has also been evidence of sprouting of multiple hairs from adjacent hair follicles.
What can I expect during the Consultation?
During your consultation, NP Linton will conduct a thorough evaluation of your scalp and hair, assessing hair density and overall scalp health to create a customized treatment plan. Your recent blood chemistry labs will also be reviewed, as certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies can contribute to hair loss. Supplementation may be recommended as part of your plan.
What do I need to do to Prepare for the Treatment?
Come to the appointment with a clean, dry scalp, free from any hair products, oils, sprays, or fibers. Shower and shampoo beforehand, but skip conditioner, hair dryers, or any styling products, and take extra time to rinse thoroughly. Avoid coloring your hair for one week before and after treatment.
What can I expect during the TED treatment?
Alma TED is entirely needle-free and pain-free. During the 20-40 minutes of the treatment (longer hair takes longer to manage), you’ll feel warmth and a mild buzzing sensation on your scalp as the device works. Many patients describe the treatment as relaxing and enjoyable, making it a breakthrough option in hair restoration.
What is the downtime and Post-Treatment Care?
Your hair may feel slightly damp at the roots afterward, but most patients leave with hair that’s nearly dry.
Avoid coloring your hair for one week before and after treatment.
You can wash your hair 24 hours after the session, but avoid working out, sun exposure, or anything that causes sweating for 24 hours post-treatment.
Other supplemental therapies may be prescribed, like red light therapy, topical serums and/or oral supplements.
When can I expect results and what should I look out for?
Improvements are typically noticeable within a month, though at least three TED treatments spaced one month apart are recommended for optimal results.
Every individual responds differently due to unique underlying conditions, but most patients experience benefits such as reduced shedding, increased hair growth, enhanced hair quality and texture, and an overall healthier-looking scalp and hair.
NP Linton will monitor your hair density at each session, and after completing the initial treatments, maintenance treatments are suggested to sustain results.
Some patients also choose to continue monthly sessions if desired and affordable.
Red Light Therapy (RLT) or PhotoBioModulation (PBM)
What Is Light Therapy or PhotoBioModulation?
With light therapy, you’re aiming to improve your health or body through the use of light. This light is applied to the body and it requires particular wavelengths (colors) and sufficient power.
Many different types of light therapy exist. Spending time in the sun is one form of light therapy. Tanning beds is another example. Though lately, some types of light therapy have seen a surge in popularity.
Red light therapy and infrared sauna therapy are the two forms of light therapy that are becoming widely used due to their low cost, ease of use, scientific backing and effectiveness.
Red light therapy, also called “Low-Level Laser Therapy” (LLLT) or “photobiomodulation” in scientific circles, uses red and invisible infrared light to achieve a biological effect. Infrared saunas also use infrared light.
This red and infrared light is part of the “light spectrum”. The light spectrum is made up of infrared light (which makes the sun feel hot on your skin), visible light (all colors of the rainbow that you can see with your naked eye including red), and ultraviolet light (which can lead to sunburn).
Many different methods exist to administer light therapy. Lasers, filaments in a bulb and more recently LED’s. The technological advancements we have seen with LED’s (and the resulting drop in prices) is the main driver pushing light therapy out of the scientific labs and into the home.
Light Therapy vs Red Light Therapy?
Light therapy refers to the use of various different wavelengths (or colors) from the light spectrum to achieve a biological effect. You can see that light spectrum below
Red light therapy uses the red part of the visible light spectrum, and a tiny part of the infrared spectrum referred to as “near infrared” light (compared to infrared saunas which typically use far infared light).
Light therapy, on the other hand, might use blue light, green light, red, ultraviolet light, or even a combination of light. Think of red light therapy is a subcategory of light therapy. Or better yet: red light therapy is one type of light therapy.
Red Light Therapy does not just include visible red light (600-700nm light) – it also refers to the invisible near infrared light out to ~ 1200nm.
Who Is Light Therapy For?
If you’re asking “who is light therapy for” then the answer is simple: everyone. Just like exercise at the right intensity is good for everyone, and a healthy diet is good for everyone, the same is true for light therapy.
All the different types of light therapy, such as red light therapy, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) lights, infrared saunas, and sunlight have their own unique benefits.
Red light therapy has 8,000+ studies backing it and has benefits for sports performance and recovery, sleep quality, countering inflammation, decreasing disease risk, and boosts well-being, skin health, wound healing, and brain health, just to name a few.
Hundreds of studies on saunas show benefits for lowering disease risk (heart disease, Alzheimer’s, airway conditions), helping you lose weight, improving skin health, enhancing well-being, boosting sleep quality, and more.
The bottom line is this: If you’re human, you’ll benefit from light therapy.
Does Light Therapy Work?
Since the early 1900s, thousands of studies have been carried out on light therapy. At first, sunlight and ultraviolet light were deemed the most important and heavily researched.
In the 1960s, the first lasers were used for enhancing health. These lasers commonly used red and near-infrared light. Since the 2000s, LEDs have become much more affordable and have started to be used in consumer products.
As stated before, more than 8,000+ studies have been performed on mostly red and near-infrared light. Most of these studies have been included in a spreadsheet on light therapy that you can read online, from Vladimir Heiskanen. In that spreadsheet, 90%+ of studies show positive results.
Also, hundreds, if not thousands of studies have been published on sauna therapy, mostly finding very positive outcomes.
So, yes, there’s overwhelming evidence that light therapy works. Anecdotal evidence supports this, with hundreds of thousands if not millions of people who had their lives changed after buying red light therapy panels or an infrared sauna.
Next up, let’s explore how it all works:
How Light Therapy Works
Light therapy works through many different mechanisms. Different types of light of the light spectrum penetrate your body tissue at different distances.
Infrared light, for instance, can travel up to several inches into the body. Red light penetrates well but . And other types of light, such as blue or parts of the ultraviolet light spectrum, stay on the skin’s surface.
Red and infrared light can travel into your cells. In the cell, the light affects the “mitochondria” – the energy-producing factories of your cells. One or multiple steps of that energy-creation process can be influenced by red and infrared light, thereby leading to higher energy production.
Blue light, on the other hand, has biological effects as well. For instance, blue light can inhibit bacteria formation in your skin. And, when the blue light enters your eyes, it signals to your brain that it’s daytime. Your eyes are not just a camera to see the world but a portal to the clock in your brain that tracks time.
Ultraviolet light, also has various effects. Ultraviolet light can be divided into ultraviolet-A (UVA) and ultraviolet-B (UVB). UVA makes you feel more relaxed when it hits the skin, improves circulation, and helps build brain-signaling compounds such as serotonin and dopamine when it hits your eye. UVB aids the creation of vitamin D in the skin.
What Are The Side Effects of Light Therapy?
Though the side-effects are rare and rather minimal, light therapy can have side-effects when used improperly. Anything in life has side effects when used incorrectly. Water can kill you if you drink too much of it, too much exercise can lead to over training, injuries and elevated stress levels.
Too much ultraviolet light from the summer sun leads to sunburn. Almost any type of light can be abused. Blue light with it’s stimulating effect can keep you up at night. Red light can make you tired and lower your energy levels when you overdo it. Infrared light can make your skin look worse if you sit inside an infrared sauna for hours per day.
If you follow the guidelines that come with your light therapy device you should not have any issues. But if you have any serious health problems always check with your doctor before starting a new form of therapy.
How Do I Use Light Therapy?
How you use light therapy depends on the device you are using. For instance, you would use a red light therapy panel ideally four to five days per week, for 3-20 minutes a day. But all of that depends on how large your device is, the power output, the condition(s) being treated, treatment duration, what time of day you are receiving the treatment. It is truly a medical device that requires a health care provider to review your medical history and dose you based on the device being used to ensure the best results and the safest results possible.
