Can red light therapy help thyroid?

If you’re one of the nearly 20 million Americans living with a thyroid condition, you know how much it can impact your health. You’ve probably tried various medications, supplements, and lifestyle changes to find relief. But what about shining red light on your thyroid? As bizarre as it sounds, red light therapy is emerging as a promising treatment for optimizing thyroid health. But can red light therapy help thyroid? Let’s find out on how red light therapy can improve thyroid health!

red light therapy help thyroid

Understanding Your Thyroid

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck. It produces hormones that regulate your metabolism, growth, development, and mood. An underactive thyroid, also known as hypothyroidism, is a common condition that affects around 5% of the population. Symptoms include fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, hair loss, and feeling cold.

The thyroid gland produces two main hormones:

Triiodothyronine (T3) – the more active hormone that regulates metabolism

Thyroxine (T4) – the storage form of the hormone

These hormones circulate through your bloodstream and influence almost every cell in your body.

T3 and T4 production is regulated by thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which is released by your pituitary gland. When T3 and T4 levels fall, your pituitary gland detects this and releases more TSH to tell the thyroid to produce more hormones.

A feedback loop between the pituitary gland and thyroid helps maintain optimal hormone levels. But various factors can disrupt this delicate balance and cause thyroid problems.

Common thyroid disorders include:

Hypothyroidism – When the thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones. Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder, is the most common cause, it can cause the following problems: hypothermia, intolerant to cold, congestive heart failure (when your heart can’t pump blood effectively), constipate, weight gain, poor memory, depressed.

Hyperthyroidism – When the thyroid is overactive and produces excessive hormones. Graves’ disease is the most common cause, t can cause the following problems: anxiety, sleep problems, not heat resistant, heart palpitations, fatigue, lose weight.

Other potential thyroid problems include goiter, thyroid nodules, and thyroiditis.

Conventional treatment focuses on getting thyroid hormone levels back in the normal range with medications like levothyroxine or anti-thyroid drugs. But lifestyle measures like stress relief, diet and exercise can help too.

This is where red light therapy shows promise. Preliminary research suggests it may help normalize thyroid hormones and relieve symptoms.

Understanding Your Thyroid

What is Red Light Therapy?

Red light therapy, also called photobiomodulation, is the therapeutic use of red and near-infrared wavelengths of light to provide a variety of benefits in the body. The light comes from LEDs (light emitting diodes) or lasers in wavelengths from 600nm to 1200nm.

When absorbed by cells and tissues, red light triggers positive changes like increased blood flow, less inflammation, faster healing, and more cellular energy production. It must be intense enough to penetrate below the skin.

Red light therapy was pioneered by NASA for treating wounds and bone density loss in astronauts. But folks soon discovered it could also improve hair growth, joint pain, skin health, and even thyroid function. It’s now available both in medical offices and portable at-home devices.

But can just shining red light on your neck really help balance your thyroid? Let’s look at the evidence behind using light for better thyroid health.

What is Red Light Therapy?

How Could Red Light Therapy Help the Thyroid?

Here are some of the ways medical research indicates red light can benefit hypothyroidism, inflammation, goiters, thyroid nodules, and overall thyroid function:

Increases Thyroid Hormone Production

One of the main causes of hypothyroidism is inadequate production of T3 and T4 thyroid hormones. Chronic inflammation and autoimmunity in Hashimoto’s disease can damage the thyroid over time. Red light seems to have direct stimulating effects on thyroid cells.

Reduces Thyroid Antibodies

Many people with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis have high levels of thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin antibodies. This autoimmune response damages the thyroid over time, causing glandular destruction and impaired hormone production. By stimulating thyroid cells, red light therapy may help slow or reduce the impact of antibodies.

Protects Thyroid Tissue and Function

Inflammation from thyroiditis and other thyroid diseases can damage the gland over time, leading to impaired hormone production. Red light has direct anti-inflammatory effects that may help protect and preserve thyroid tissues.

By reducing oxidative damage and immune reactions, red light therapy may be able to maintain healthy thyroid structure and function in people with various thyroid disorders. This can delay progression and help avoid complications.

Enhances Thyroid Conversion

Your thyroid mainly produces the storage hormone T4. But your body relies more heavily on the active T3 form to regulate metabolism.

The enzyme that converts T4 into usable T3 is called deiodinase. Factors like stress, inflammation, and aging can reduce deiodinase activity.Optimizing T4 to T3 conversion through red light therapy ensures enough active thyroid hormone is available for your cells and metabolism.

Improves Symptoms

Most importantly, studies using red light therapy on people with thyroid problems report meaningful improvements in symptoms:

Less fatigue
Reduced anxiety and depression
More energy and stamina
Better mood and mental clarity
Warmth intolerance relief
Improved sleep

The benefits seem to occur within weeks for most people – without side effects. This makes red light therapy ideal as a complementary treatment to medication.

The Science Behind Red Light Therapy for Thyroids

But don’t just take my word for it. Science backs it up too. A 2015 study published in J Lasers Med Sci showed that red light therapy stimulated blood circulation into the thyroid gland, improved its function and affected thyroid hormones [1]. Another study published in the journal Int J Endocrinol in 2017 found that patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (or chronic autoimmune thyroiditis CAT) with a history of levothyroxine intervention exhibited significantly improved.[2]

Of course, more research is required in this field, but these early findings provide some biological basis for using red light as an adjunct therapy for underactive thyroid issues.

Is Red Light Therapy Safe for the Thyroid?

The benefits seem to occur within weeks for most people – without side effects. This makes red light therapy ideal as a complementary treatment to medication.

Red light therapy is considered very safe, with few side effects in most people. It has been cleared by the FDA for various medical uses.

Red light therapy is considered very safe overall when used correctly. But there are precautions to take for thyroid health:

– Avoid aiming light directly on the thyroid gland itself. Angle light from the front and back of neck instead.

– Start with short 5-minute sessions and slowly build up over a few weeks.

– Use longer near-infrared wavelengths that penetrate thyroid tissue best.

– Don’t use light therapy if you have thyroid cancer or are light-sensitive.

– Consult your doctor before starting, especially if you have Hashimoto’s or are taking thyroid medications.

How to Use Red Light Therapy for Thyroid?

Here are some tips for using red light to support thyroid function:

– Treat your whole body not just the thyroid area alone – hypothyroidism causes body-wide symptoms.

– Use near-infrared light in the 850nm to 950nm range – this penetrates deeply into thyroid tissues.

– Consistency is key – aim for daily or at least every other day. It’s a cumulative treatment.

– Give it time – it may take 2-3 months to notice a difference. Be patient.

– Follow your doctor’s recommendations for prescription medications, supplements, diet, and lifestyle changes too.

– Consider at-home red light therapy in addition to professional treatments in your doctor’s office if accessible to you.

While not a stand-alone cure, red light therapy is emerging as a promising supplemental treatment for thyroid dysfunction when used properly. Now let’s look at effective device options.

Best Red Light Therapy Devices for Thyroids

If you’re trying to find the best light therapy equipment, there are many factors to consider: design quality, operating settings, warranty and service, safety certifications, and power and energy output.

For best results, please use the RedDot RDPRO series, which combines two wavelengths of red light and near-infrared light design, the wavelength and power meet the requirements of the aforementioned red light therapy research, with adjustable auto timer settings, product warranty up to 3 years, the price is very affordable, and efficient enough, passed the FDA certification, safe and effective is guaranteed.

If you feel like you’ve tried everything for hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s symptoms with little relief, give red light therapy a chance.

Check out reddot led’s full range of products and services now!