To kiddo14 —

Thank you for posting the question about Red Light Therapy. I also read a lot about it at one time. However, I couldn’t come to a clear conclusion about its validity and value for LC. So, I never acquired the equipment.

It might be that others have commented about it on this forum in the past two years. Perhaps you (or our Moderator) could do a search of this forum….

~ Friedrich

@kiddo14, as suggested, I moved your question about red light therapy to this existing discussion to help you connect with others and read their experiences.

- - Red light therapy for long covid?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/red-light-therapy-for-long-covid/

@kiddo14
I have been doing a red light therapy since early 2024 with benefit.
Early in my course with long covid, I had heard some YouTube posts about this helping mitochondria and found out that my hair salon had a “Fitness Cocoon” which looks a bit like a tanning booth but delivers red light, infrared light, dry sauna, and lymphatic vibration massage in a 20 minute session.
My first session (using a medium heat setting and intense vibration) gave me amazing results. The following day, my energy levels moved up enough so that I could do some walking. At that point in time, I could barely walk 20 feet without exhaustion and need to lie down. I had to diffuse muscle pain, headaches, profound fatigue, and felt very blunted mentally. I had over sensitivity to screens and could not read, had tachycardia with wide swings in heart rate with chest pain, etc. all these and other symptoms familiar to many.
After the first red light session, some of the swelling in my legs and belly reduced, my energy felt at least a little more organized. I noticed that I could use heart rate to pace my physical activities and started to do so. That first session was the most dramatic help. After that each session seemed to bring some benefit to my sense of well being. I did three sessions weekly for the next year or so and still do 2 to 3 sessions per week. Over this extended time when I have traveled or missed sessions for more than a week, I have noted a decline in how I have felt. So I get back to it 3 times a week and notice feeling better right away again.
These sessions have been consistently helpful but not curative.
I would highly recommend looking for “Fitness Pod Cocoon”. Many gyms and salons have them. My own salon gave me a monthly subscription so that it has been very affordable.
It is also worth noting that I have increased my exposure to sunlight, as this includes red and infrared light, especially early in the morning. I have been able to work up my physical activity so that I walk outside regularly on a daily basis. I try to prioritize sitting in the sun regularly as an additional way to get healthy spectrum of light exposure.
This is the machine my salon has:
https://www.amazon.com/Cocoon-Fitness-Workout-Free-Management-Wellness/dp/B099XDMXMH
Or here:
https://wellness-usa.com/pages/cocoon-wellness-pod

@kiddo14 The only ones that are FDA APPROVED, not in process of approval, AND whose effectiveness is evaluated in oeer-reviewed journals, are those at https://platinumtherapylights.com/
I have found them to be very helpful in restoring energy throughout long covid, but only with ongoing use.