Transformation Wellness clients reflect the growing interest in red light therapy as part of a self-care routine during cold and flu season. And their timing could not be better.
The Center for Disease Control issued its US Influenza Surveillance Report, showing that 3.8% of visits to a healthcare provider for the week ending December 14, 2024, were for respiratory illness. In other words, cold and flu season is in full swing.
Pittsburgh’s cold winter climate poses real risks — which can be alleviated with regular red light therapy. Harvard Medical School researchers at Mass Eye and Ear, with colleagues at Northeastern University, discovered a previously unidentified immune response inside the nose that fights off viruses responsible for upper respiratory infections. The study revealed this protective response becomes inhibited in colder temperatures, increasing infection risk.
How Does Medical-Grade Red Light Therapy Help During Flu Season?
Why add red light therapy to your health regime?
At its most basic, red light therapy stimulates mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles in our cells, increasing ATP production. This boost in cellular energy can help support overall cellular function and repair processes that may be impaired in any inflammatory or infectious disease condition, including colds and flu.
One of the central players is the lymphatic system — which supports circulation, nutrition, and the immune system overall. Lymphatic nodes and vessels clear waste and act as a “pipeline” for immune cells. It’s thought that red light therapy increases the body’s supply of nitric oxide, inducing vasodilation and relaxing lymphatic vessels. When lymphatic vessels relax, lymph flow increases throughout the body — including the brain's glymphatic system.
A person’s lymphatic fluid composition reflects the functions of the lymphatic system. These include defending against invading cold and flu pathogens), transporting and absorbing fats and fat-soluble vitamins, maintaining fluid balance, and removing cellular waste. These functions are essential to maintaining health, and impairment of lymphatic system function can cause a wide range of problems, including (but not limited to) susceptibility to colds and viral diseases such as flu.
“As someone who battled chronic Lyme, I know the power of a strong immune system,” says Dr. Annette Cronauer, founder of Transformation Weight Loss and Wellness, home to Pittsburgh’s only medical-grade red light therapy.
Clients choose Transformation Weight Loss and Wellness for its Max Miracle 9600 – Doctor Professional Edition red light therapy beds. The Max Miracle 9600 features 3200 LEDs and delivers over 9600 watts of total power. This bed is considered, by far, to be the highest medical-grade red light therapy device available in Pittsburgh.
Studies have shown that red light therapy can be a particularly effective, drug-free way to navigate cold and flu season. While more research is needed, the existing evidence suggests that adding red light therapy to your health regime — along with adequate nutrition and regular lymph and sinus health routines — offers a promising option for preventing colds and flu.
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