Red light therapy for long covid?

So if you have a planet fitness membership they have a red light therapy booth. They also have massage chairs and hydro massage. I’ve found all of these things helpful. On a side note, red light cannot be seen by the human eye. They just often put red bulbs in some of those saunas because people need validation that there’s red light going on, but the red bulbs are irrelevant. I found this confusing and had a local spa I go to explain this to me. Spas also have red light saunas as well as mineral pools that are helpful. So you might be able to get more for your money than buying a panel for home is what I’m trying to get at. And I’ve found all
Of these things beneficial as an adjunct to whatever else the doc recommends / prescribed

Infrared has both heat and red light (which cannot be seen). Sometimes they put in red bulbs because people need to “see” to believe something is happening.

Do not confuse the cheap and often untested red light “therapies” found at health clubs and some spas with FDA-approved, medical grade, photobiomodulation (red light therapy) devices. There are dozens of cheap, knock offs flooding the market and advertised across the web, but only a few FDA-approved devices that have been extensively tested and that have evidence published in peer-reviewed medical journals. The most tested and proven of these are made by Platinum Red Light Therapy https://platinumtherapylights.com
I used them daily for two weeks and found a dramatic increase in physical energy levels almost immediately that addressed the chronic fatigue, but have not found as big a decrease in brain fog. I strongly suggest finding a place to try these specific RLT panels and hope you have the same success. DM me if you’d like to see the journal article’s supporting and explaining the science behind RLT.

Red light therapy that is FDA-approved is dramatically different than common infrared bulbs. The medical grade devices emit light only at specific frequencies that have been scientifically proven to impact the body’s ability to increase mitochondrial function that increases cellular ability to produce energy. Research has shown long covid patients have dramatically reduced cellular ability to produce energy. The medical grade RLT uses only the wavelengths proven to address that problem and they produce very little heat.

I have tried red light therapy for a month with a Platinum LED 900 that it is FDA approved. It does help a little. I sleep better and my palpitations decrease. I also tried infrared sauna sessions followed by cold plunges and that also works, perhaps a bit more, stopped tinnitus and reduced anxiety and depression. I am now renting a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, 1.5 ATA, and it is the only thing that gives me energy to function (walk and do basic activities) during the day.

It has been extremely helpful in regaining energy. For brain fog, not as much, but it's slowly clearing after 18 months.

I would be very wary of any product that claims to be "red light therapy" but is not FDA approved. So far, I have found only one device that meets those criteria and it has been very effective for helping me with regaining energy during long covid. Platinum LED Therapy Lights: https://platinumtherapylights.com/ I've been to one of the Planet Fitness locations to check out their "red light therapy" and I had never heard of the brand I saw there. Again, do your own research.

I was looking at hiring a hyperbaric oxygen chamber as it seemed the cheapest way to get such treatment where I live in the Uk, as nearest venue also 4 hours travel to/ from never mind session costs. How much more is it costing to run other than hire? How much space do you need? I was a bit concerned I’d find it claustrophobic even though advertised as ‘can sit upright’ in what looks abit like a tent with frame. So if you had to mark the 3 types of treatment out of 10 how would you rate them for helping with problems?

Thanks for bringing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HOT) to our attention, as it appears to have one fo the few validated studies that show quantitative and qualitative results. The studies I found were relatively new (2022-present) but show promise. I would suggest contacting the authors of the study to learn more details. See:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-53091-3
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8806311/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK596746/
https://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-for-covid-long-haulers
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/11/e061870
Good luck and please keep us all posted here!

Could you provide more information about renting a chamber? I had no idea that was possible. A ballpark price would be helpful.