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
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

For LC sufferers who would like to know how laser therapy in the 'red' range works, this was very helpful: https://www.covidcaregroup.org/blog/red-light-therapy-amp-long-covid

@pattig09 Thank you Patti, but lets not confuse RLT, aka PBM, with anything labeled “laser” therapy. RLT/PBM is not laser-based. LEDs within certain wavelengths are not lasers. I’m unaware of any laser-based LC therapies that have evidence based research published in peer-reviewed journals supporting their effectiveness, as does select RLT/PBR.

@jsg12206 The green and violet Erchonia technology doesn't refer to RLT or PBM at their web site so they are using the laser technology. This is how they describe their product sold to doctors:
What is Laser? Stimulated Emission of Radiation, produces energy in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum. This energy is intensified through stimulated emission, not to be confused with harmful radiation. Laser light color is identified by its wavelength, typically measured in nanometers, with one billion nanometers in a meter. Laser light covers nonionizing wavelengths from ultraviolet (100 – 400nm) through visible (400 – 700nm) to infrared (700nm – 1mm) regions.

This web site provides greater detail on the history of both lasers and LEDs for PBM. https://huelightusa.com/photobiomodulation-vs-red-light-therapy/

"Throughout its history, more than 60 terms have been used to describe PBM light therapy. For example, PBM was previously called low-level laser therapy (LLLT). This was because early devices used lasers to create red light. Today, lasers aren’t as widely used. Instead, LED lights are more common.

In addition to LLLT, photobiomodulation (PBM) might also be called:

Cold laser therapy
Phototherapy
Photomedicine
Laser biostimulation
Soft laser therapy
Monochromatic infrared light energy (MIRE) therapy

As a general rule, photobiomodulation (PBM) is the preferred medical term within the industry."