Red Light Therapy Vs Bright Light Therapy (UV Light)

J

j.

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If I recall correctly UVB produces vitamin D, but also some damage after some time. However, the red light from the sun protects to some extend from UVB damage. So a UV lamp should have red light to not be more harmful than the sun, right?

Do they?
 

mt_dreams

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I did some light therapy at a friends clinic for a scar on my hand, and the light was blueish. This was a UVB light device made specifically for hands. I'm not sure if general UV lights fall under the same category as these light therapy devices. Though, if I was looking at a light source to create vitamin D, I would try find one that is just UVB, and not UVA & UVB aka typical UV light.
 
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J

j.

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I would probably be too afraid to get UV from anything other than the sun. I'm sure science can surpass sun exposure, but it's hard to know when and who does it.
 
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J

j.

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What about using a reptile light to generate vitamin D? I was looking at this one: Link
 

Mittir

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These lights are not suitable for red light therapy.
These are mainly blue light used for season disorder.
They claim to have 17,000 kelvin light, that is a lot of blue light.
RP recommends light with less than 3,000 kelvin. Most incandescent bulbs
give 2700-2900 kelvin. Lower the kelvin higher the red light.
 

DaveFoster

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I don't really understand the specifics of red light therapy. I have a Lighthphoria 10,000 LUX Sad Bright Light Therapy LED lamp (10,000 lumens) and it definitely helps keep me awake and does relieve depression to some degree. Is this the same thing as bright light? I'd expect not. Is there two different kinds of ideal light exposure; one being a high lumen count (10,000-25,000) and the other being the wattage of the bulb? Or are these interrelated?

Would one do well to surround himself with both a bright light and a red light, or would this be the same thing for most considerations?
 

tara

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The benefit of red light specifically (orange through near infrared) is that it restores the cytochrome oxidase enzyme, which tends to run down in darkness, and which is crucial for efficient mitochondrial oxidation. Expose skin to red light.
Some ultraviolet is useful for generating vit-D, but excessive ultraviolet is also harmful in other ways (radiation, burn).
Excessive blue light may have some antimetabolic effects.
There are some effects of light coming in the eyes, too, but I'm not up with those aspects.

So red light and 'bright light' are not the same thing and likely have some different effects. The sun has broad spectrum, and the skin tends to develop it's own protection against UV if it's regularly exposed. The red light in sunshine is very useful. Getting sunburned is not good.
 

Brian

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DaveFoster said:
post 108750 I don't really understand the specifics of red light therapy. I have a Lighthphoria 10,000 LUX Sad Bright Light Therapy LED lamp (10,000 lumens) and it definitely helps keep me awake and does relieve depression to some degree. Is this the same thing as bright light? I'd expect not. Is there two different kinds of ideal light exposure; one being a high lumen count (10,000-25,000) and the other being the wattage of the bulb? Or are these interrelated?

Would one do well to surround himself with both a bright light and a red light, or would this be the same thing for most considerations?

Bright light is for the eyes to signal to the brain that it's day time and set your circadian hormonal rhythm. Right after you wake and the next few hours is the most important time to have bright light in your view, but all day until sun down would be ideal. Being outdoors all day under a clear sky would be best, but second best is to at least be in a room that faces the sun with large windows and has some very bright incandescent or halogen lighting.

Red light is for mitochondrial health. You just need a good daily amount that is equivalent to being out in the sun for most of the day. Some daily full body sunbathing is nice or a red light therapy bed would be awesome if you can make one. I'm building one with three halogen work lights for this winter to do 20 minutes of full body intense therapy that should be equivalent to a few hours of sunbathing.
 
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scarlettsmum

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I am still not clear on the bright light, I have also 10 000 LUX unit, apparently it is fluorescent. I have this nagging feeling that fluorescent is bad...? I feel good using it for lifting my mood and resetting circadian rhythm as Brian mentioned. Is it recommended and safe to use alongside the red light? I have both and like to use the bright light throughout the day and then use the red light in the evening.
 

biggirlkisss

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The Actual Lumen Amount Brightness Of The Sun
is it 100000 lumens or what?
 
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Quality

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Lux is what matters to us most;

Bright moonlight 1 lux
Candle light at 20 cm 10-15 lux
Street light 10-20 lux
Normal living room lighting 100 lux
Office fluorescent light 300-500 lux
Sunlight, 1 hour before sunset 1000 lux
Daylight, cloudy sky* 5000 lux
Daylight, clear sky 10,000-20.000 lux
Bright sunlight > 20,000-100,000 lux


Taken from this article:
Light Therapies For Depression | PsychEducation
 

Davinci

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Bright light is for the eyes to signal to the brain that it's day time and set your circadian hormonal rhythm. Right after you wake and the next few hours is the most important time to have bright light in your view, but all day until sun down would be ideal. Being outdoors all day under a clear sky would be best, but second best is to at least be in a room that faces the sun with large windows and has some very bright incandescent or halogen lighting.

Red light is for mitochondrial health. You just need a good daily amount that is equivalent to being out in the sun for most of the day. Some daily full body sunbathing is nice or a red light therapy bed would be awesome if you can make one. I'm building one with three halogen work lights for this winter to do 20 minutes of full body intense therapy that should be equivalent to a few hours of sunbathing.

@Brian Interested in your light setup. Can you provide some details about what you used to build it? Did it help to raise your Vitamin D levels?
 

Davinci

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@Brian Interested in your light setup. Can you provide some details about what you used to build it? Did it help to raise your Vitamin D levels?

According to this post, the author suggests a UVA/UVB mercury lamp for a 3 minute exposure,
A new option for getting UVB, so you can make your own Vitamin D at home! | Facebook

I found one on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CRJXJZ4/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A18UZ8OJII3VEM&psc=1

Now I'm going to look for a desk or floor lamp to put the bulb in.
 

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