Latest news with #TheUniversityofArizona
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Everything You Need to Know About the Benefits of Light Therapy, According to Doctors
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Unless you've sworn off social media, you've probably noticed that LED face masks are everywhere recently. Like, I can't go a single day without swiping past at least one Instagram Story of an influencer wearing one. And if you're anything like me (read: always curious about the latest wellness trend), you might be wondering whether light therapy has any actual benefits. To answer that question, we need to zoom out a little bit. Light therapy—aka phototherapy—isn't just something that exists in the beauty world. It's actually a pretty complicated topic. Light therapy comes in many different forms, and it can be used to treat a whole bunch of different health concerns. In fact, it's been proven to help with everything from mental health to chronic pain and sleep disorders. Because I have zero medical degrees, I asked five experts who do to explain how light therapy works, what conditions it can help with, and which devices are the best if you're curious about trying it at home. Read on for the scoop. Since light therapy is used in so many different contexts, it's tough to narrow down just one definition of what it is and how it works. But to keep it really basic, light therapy involves being exposed to specific wavelengths of light to treat a range of mental and physical conditions. It generally uses LED (or light-emitting diode) light, but the exact color of the light, the intensity, and the length of exposure will depend on what you're trying to treat. Light therapy works in two main ways: It's either applied onto the skin or exposed to the eyes (again, depending on what condition you're dealing with), to change a biological function in the body, explains Mohab Ibrahim, MD, PhD, a professor of anesthesiology at The University of Arizona and medical director of the University's Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction. We'll get into more specifics later on what functions and conditions it can help with. Light therapy can have a lot of benefits. Here, I've outlined five of the most common ways it's used and who might be a good candidate to try it. If your mood tends to take a nosedive in the fall and winter, you've probably heard of SAD lamps. These are light therapy lamps that simulate natural sunlight, helping your body to decrease production of melatonin (the hormone which regulates your body's sleep-wake cycle) and increase production of serotonin (a hormone which helps regulate mood), explains Amanda White, LPC, LMHC, therapist and founder of Therapy for Women Center. They're usually called SAD lamps because they're most commonly used to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD), but light therapy lamps can actually help with all types of depressive disorders, says psychiatrist Seth A. Eappen, MD. A 2024 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that bright light therapy (another term for light therapy) led to a 41 percent remission rate in people with nonseasonal depression—higher than the remission rate for other treatment methods, like antidepressants, alone. Another benefit is how quickly it can work. Some patients notice improved mood within days, while antidepressants can take weeks to kick in, White adds.$59.99 at To feel the benefits, Dr. Eappen recommends getting a lamp that emits 10,000 lux and starting with 15-minute sessions every day. You can use the lamp anytime before 2:30 p.m., he says—after that point, it might start to mess with your sleep. Sit with the lamp about 12 inches away from you and avoid looking directly at it. As long as you don't notice any negative effects like headaches, sleep disturbances, or overstimulation, you can keep increasing the length of your sessions by 15 minutes each week until you hit 60 minutes a day, he says. Good news: It turns out those trendy LED face masks aren't pure snake oil. LED exposure has proven anti-aging benefits. 'Cells in our body respond to [LED light], and the energy they receive [from it] is used to 'refuel' them, giving them new energy to replace old damaged cells with new youthful ones,' explains dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD. Benefits include increased collagen production, improved skin elasticity, and reduced pigment unevenness. In other words, with regular use, you can be left with fewer wrinkles, a more even complexion, and plumper skin. It's important to remember that these benefits come from red LED light specifically, Dr. Nazarian adds. Both at-home and in-office treatments can be effective, but you'll have to be more patient and consistent with an at-home device in order to see results. When shopping for an LED face mask, look for a model that has FDA clearance, meaning it's been shown to be safe and effective. Therabody and Omnilux both make masks that have been FDA-cleared.$649.99 at at Some preliminary research suggests that blue LED light might help clear acne—but it's still early. A 2024 study published in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery found that people with mild to moderate acne saw some improvement in their skin after getting three or more treatments for four weeks straight. But Dr. Nazarian says more research needs to be done before she'd feel comfortable recommending blue light therapy for acne. It's not well understood yet, and there are potential skin damage risks that need to be studied further, she says. Beyond anti-aging, light therapy has been proven to help with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. According to the National Eczema Association, phototherapy can help with itching and inflammation. You'll need to have it prescribed and administered by a derm, though. Similarly, the National Psoriasis Foundation says that phototherapy has been shown to slow the growth of affected cells, in turn reducing symptoms. Light therapy can also be helpful for certain types of chronic pain. The most well-understood form is red light therapy, which is most commonly used to treat joint pain and arthritis symptoms. Let's say you messed up your knee in a workout class, and now it hurts whenever you walk long distances. Using a red light device directly on your knee can help decrease inflammation, in turn reducing the amount of pain you feel, says Dr. Ibrahim. According to a 2021 study published in The Journal of Pain, applying red light through the skin—even for just a short period of time—can decrease joint pain, nerve pain, inflammatory pain (think: sprains and strains), and even postsurgical pain. If you want to try it at home, Dr. Ibrahim recommends opting for a device that's been FDA cleared, like the Kineon MOVE+ Pro. Just keep in mind that when it comes to pain relief, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Similar to how you might respond better to Advil sometimes and Tylenol other times, depending on the specific type of pain you're dealing with, red light therapy isn't a cure-all for physical pain, he adds. There's also emerging evidence that suggests green light therapy can reduce pain. Unlike red light therapy, which is applied through the skin, green light therapy is applied through the eyes. Based on the research that's been done so far, experts think that green light alters the pain centers in the brain, turning off mechanisms that amplify pain and turning on mechanisms that suppress pain, explains Dr. Ibrahim. So far, studies indicate that it can be helpful for people with conditions like chronic migraines and fibromyalgia. Since red light therapy can reduce inflammation, it also has potential workout recovery benefits. Muscle soreness often comes with an inflammatory response as the body works to repair the muscles you've just broken down in the gym. It varies from person to person, but applying red light to the area where you're sore might make you feel less achy and help you recover faster, says Dr. Ibrahim. Research is limited, but a 2016 study published in the Journal of Biophotonics found that using red light therapy and near-infrared light therapy (a slightly different wavelength than red) either before or after a workout can increase overall performance and reduce fatigue and inflammation. Last but certainly not least, light therapy has proven sleep benefits. That's because light exposure affects the body's circadian rhythm, aka our body's natural sleep-wake cycle. Ideally, your circadian rhythm is synced up to the 24-hour cycle, helping you to wake up when the sun comes up and prepare for sleep when the sun goes down. But sometimes it gets out of whack, making it hard to wake up in the morning or fall asleep at a normal time. Light therapy can help reset your body's 'clock,' says Brandon Peters, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist. 'Appropriately timed exposure to light will help everyone sleep better,' he explains. He recommends trying to get 15 to 30 minutes of direct sunlight exposure within 15 minutes of waking up. If you're going outside, don't wear a hat or sunglasses, since that can lessen the impact. Exposing yourself to light first thing in the AM will make it easier for you to feel awake and refreshed, and also help you feel a natural desire to go to sleep at night, he says. It can also be beneficial for sleep disorders like insomnia, and situational issues like jet lag. Another option is a light therapy box. Dr. Peters recommends getting one that has an intensity of at least 10,000 lux of either white or blue light. Sitting in front of it for 15 to 30 minutes in the morning will provide a lot of the same benefits that natural sunlight exposure does. Here, the answer depends on which benefits you're looking for. If you're after mental health, sleep, or skin benefits, you'll want to do light therapy pretty regularly. For mental health and sleep, make light therapy part of your daily routine, following the time guidelines the experts mentioned above. But when it comes to your skin, you can be a little more lax. Most LED face mask brands recommend that you use them three to five times per week to see results. In terms of how often you should do light therapy treatments for specific skin conditions like eczema, you'll need to talk to your doctor. If you're interested in light therapy for pain relief or muscle recovery, you can use it on more of an as-needed basis. There's no need to strap on your red light therapy device every day—unless you're experiencing pain on the daily. And if that's the case, it's important to reach out to your doctor to figure out the root of your issue. You Might Also Like Here's What NOT to Wear to a Wedding Meet the Laziest, Easiest Acne Routine You'll Ever Try
Cosmopolitan
20-05-2025
- Health
- Cosmopolitan
Everything You Need to Know About the Benefits of Light Therapy
Unless you've sworn off social media, you've probably noticed that LED face masks are everywhere recently. Like, I can't go a single day without swiping past at least one Instagram Story of an influencer wearing one. And if you're anything like me (read: always curious about the latest wellness trend), you might be wondering whether light therapy has any actual benefits. To answer that question, we need to zoom out a little bit. Light therapy—aka phototherapy—isn't just something that exists in the beauty world. It's actually a pretty complicated topic. Light therapy comes in many different forms, and it can be used to treat a whole bunch of different health concerns. In fact, it's been proven to help with everything from mental health to chronic pain and sleep disorders. Because I have zero medical degrees, I asked five experts who do to explain how light therapy works, what conditions it can help with, and which devices are the best if you're curious about trying it at home. Read on for the scoop. Since light therapy is used in so many different contexts, it's tough to narrow down just one definition of what it is and how it works. But to keep it really basic, light therapy involves being exposed to specific wavelengths of light to treat a range of mental and physical conditions. It generally uses LED (or light-emitting diode) light, but the exact color of the light, the intensity, and the length of exposure will depend on what you're trying to treat. Light therapy works in two main ways: It's either applied onto the skin or exposed to the eyes (again, depending on what condition you're dealing with), to change a biological function in the body, explains Mohab Ibrahim, MD, PhD, a professor of anesthesiology at The University of Arizona and medical director of the University's Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction. We'll get into more specifics later on what functions and conditions it can help with. Light therapy can have a lot of benefits. Here, I've outlined five of the most common ways it's used and who might be a good candidate to try it. If your mood tends to take a nosedive in the fall and winter, you've probably heard of SAD lamps. These are light therapy lamps that simulate natural sunlight, helping your body to decrease production of melatonin (the hormone which regulates your body's sleep-wake cycle) and increase production of serotonin (a hormone which helps regulate mood), explains Amanda White, LPC, LMHC, therapist and founder of Therapy for Women Center. They're usually called SAD lamps because they're most commonly used to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD), but light therapy lamps can actually help with all types of depressive disorders, says psychiatrist Seth A. Eappen, MD. A 2024 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that bright light therapy (another term for light therapy) led to a 41 percent remission rate in people with nonseasonal depression—higher than the remission rate for other treatment methods, like antidepressants, alone. Another benefit is how quickly it can work. Some patients notice improved mood within days, while antidepressants can take weeks to kick in, White adds. To feel the benefits, Dr. Eappen recommends getting a lamp that emits 10,000 lux and starting with 15-minute sessions every day. You can use the lamp anytime before 2:30 p.m., he says—after that point, it might start to mess with your sleep. Sit with the lamp about 12 inches away from you and avoid looking directly at it. As long as you don't notice any negative effects like headaches, sleep disturbances, or overstimulation, you can keep increasing the length of your sessions by 15 minutes each week until you hit 60 minutes a day, he says. Good news: It turns out those trendy LED face masks aren't pure snake oil. LED exposure has proven anti-aging benefits. 'Cells in our body respond to [LED light], and the energy they receive [from it] is used to 'refuel' them, giving them new energy to replace old damaged cells with new youthful ones,' explains dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD. Benefits include increased collagen production, improved skin elasticity, and reduced pigment unevenness. In other words, with regular use, you can be left with fewer wrinkles, a more even complexion, and plumper skin. It's important to remember that these benefits come from red LED light specifically, Dr. Nazarian adds. Both at-home and in-office treatments can be effective, but you'll have to be more patient and consistent with an at-home device in order to see results. When shopping for an LED face mask, look for a model that has FDA clearance, meaning it's been shown to be safe and effective. Therabody and Omnilux both make masks that have been FDA-cleared. Some preliminary research suggests that blue LED light might help clear acne—but it's still early. A 2024 study published in the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery found that people with mild to moderate acne saw some improvement in their skin after getting three or more treatments for four weeks straight. But Dr. Nazarian says more research needs to be done before she'd feel comfortable recommending blue light therapy for acne. It's not well understood yet, and there are potential skin damage risks that need to be studied further, she says. Beyond anti-aging, light therapy has been proven to help with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. According to the National Eczema Association, phototherapy can help with itching and inflammation. You'll need to have it prescribed and administered by a derm, though. Similarly, the National Psoriasis Foundation says that phototherapy has been shown to slow the growth of affected cells, in turn reducing symptoms. Light therapy can also be helpful for certain types of chronic pain. The most well-understood form is red light therapy, which is most commonly used to treat joint pain and arthritis symptoms. Let's say you messed up your knee in a workout class, and now it hurts whenever you walk long distances. Using a red light device directly on your knee can help decrease inflammation, in turn reducing the amount of pain you feel, says Dr. Ibrahim. According to a 2021 study published in The Journal of Pain, applying red light through the skin—even for just a short period of time—can decrease joint pain, nerve pain, inflammatory pain (think: sprains and strains), and even postsurgical pain. If you want to try it at home, Dr. Ibrahim recommends opting for a device that's been FDA cleared, like the Kineon MOVE+ Pro. Just keep in mind that when it comes to pain relief, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Similar to how you might respond better to Advil sometimes and Tylenol other times, depending on the specific type of pain you're dealing with, red light therapy isn't a cure-all for physical pain, he adds. There's also emerging evidence that suggests green light therapy can reduce pain. Unlike red light therapy, which is applied through the skin, green light therapy is applied through the eyes. Based on the research that's been done so far, experts think that green light alters the pain centers in the brain, turning off mechanisms that amplify pain and turning on mechanisms that suppress pain, explains Dr. Ibrahim. So far, studies indicate that it can be helpful for people with conditions like chronic migraines and fibromyalgia. Since red light therapy can reduce inflammation, it also has potential workout recovery benefits. Muscle soreness often comes with an inflammatory response as the body works to repair the muscles you've just broken down in the gym. It varies from person to person, but applying red light to the area where you're sore might make you feel less achy and help you recover faster, says Dr. Ibrahim. Research is limited, but a 2016 study published in the Journal of Biophotonics found that using red light therapy and near-infrared light therapy (a slightly different wavelength than red) either before or after a workout can increase overall performance and reduce fatigue and inflammation. Last but certainly not least, light therapy has proven sleep benefits. That's because light exposure affects the body's circadian rhythm, aka our body's natural sleep-wake cycle. Ideally, your circadian rhythm is synced up to the 24-hour cycle, helping you to wake up when the sun comes up and prepare for sleep when the sun goes down. But sometimes it gets out of whack, making it hard to wake up in the morning or fall asleep at a normal time. Light therapy can help reset your body's 'clock,' says Brandon Peters, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist. 'Appropriately timed exposure to light will help everyone sleep better,' he explains. He recommends trying to get 15 to 30 minutes of direct sunlight exposure within 15 minutes of waking up. If you're going outside, don't wear a hat or sunglasses, since that can lessen the impact. Exposing yourself to light first thing in the AM will make it easier for you to feel awake and refreshed, and also help you feel a natural desire to go to sleep at night, he says. It can also be beneficial for sleep disorders like insomnia, and situational issues like jet lag. Another option is a light therapy box. Dr. Peters recommends getting one that has an intensity of at least 10,000 lux of either white or blue light. Sitting in front of it for 15 to 30 minutes in the morning will provide a lot of the same benefits that natural sunlight exposure does. Here, the answer depends on which benefits you're looking for. If you're after mental health, sleep, or skin benefits, you'll want to do light therapy pretty regularly. For mental health and sleep, make light therapy part of your daily routine, following the time guidelines the experts mentioned above. But when it comes to your skin, you can be a little more lax. Most LED face mask brands recommend that you use them three to five times per week to see results. In terms of how often you should do light therapy treatments for specific skin conditions like eczema, you'll need to talk to your doctor. If you're interested in light therapy for pain relief or muscle recovery, you can use it on more of an as-needed basis. There's no need to strap on your red light therapy device every day—unless you're experiencing pain on the daily. And if that's the case, it's important to reach out to your doctor to figure out the root of your issue. Kara Cuzzone is a New York City-based writer, editor, and artist. She has over seven years of experience covering health, wellness, and shopping-related topics for sites including Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Byrdie, Wondermind, and PureWow.
Buzz Feed
10-05-2025
- Health
- Buzz Feed
Hidden Germs: The Dirtiest Spots In Your Bedroom
People are very aware of the germs that lurk in public places like grocery stores and airports. But less thought goes to the potentially harmful microbes in private spaces like your bedroom. 'We all have this image of our bedrooms as being a sanctuary, but actually, there's a surprising amount of bacteria, fungus and allergens there,' Carol McLay, an infection preventionist and president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, told HuffPost. To help folks protect their health at home, we asked experts to break down the germiest areas in bedrooms and share their advice for reducing contact with harmful microbes. Pillows 'Pillows and pillow cases are a hot spot for bacteria, fungi, dust mites and dead skin cells,' said Kelly Reynolds, a professor and chair of the community, environment and policy department at The University of Arizona's Zuckerman College of Public Health. 'These contaminants can make you sick, spread skin infections and trigger respiratory symptoms or asthma attack in susceptible persons.' Think about how much of your life you spend sleeping in your beds with your head on the same pillow. It might be one of your most regularly touched household items. 'There's a statistic that a two-year-old pillow can weigh up to 10% more from just from dust mites and skin cells,' McLay said. She pointed to a 2005 study out of the U.K. that found pillows can contain millions of fungal spores, particularly Aspergillus fumigatus. 'A professor who worked on the study said that we know the pillows are inhabited by the house dust mite, which eats fungi,' McLay said. 'A theory is that the fungi are, in turn, using the house dust mites' feces as a major source of nitrogen and nutrition, along with human skin cells. There could therefore be a miniature ecosystem at work inside your pillow.' Fortunately, there are ways to keep the ecosystem at bay, but we'll get to that later. 'Bed sheets can be similarly contaminated but also have additional risk of excess fecal and skin bacteria accumulating from our bodies along with large amounts of sweat, skin oils and dead skin cells,' Reynolds said. 'If you eat in bed or sleep with pets, the contamination levels of bacteria, dust, hair, and pet dander can dramatically increase.' This is why many people change into their 'inside clothes' before touching their beds after returning home. 'Sheets collect microbes like a sponge and offer a nice place for them to grow such as moisture, heat, and food,' said microbiologist Jason Tetro, aka 'The Germ Guy.' Mattresses 'How often do people clean their mattresses? Probably never,' McLay said. Over time, mattresses collect dust mites, dead skin cells, sweat and other things that can trigger allergies and asthma and also degrade the quality of the mattress more quickly. 'While bed sheets and pillow cases can be washed, accumulation of contaminants in mattresses may be more difficult to control,' Reynolds said. 'Germy places in your bedroom are obviously going to be any high-touch surfaces, so your light switches and your door handles,' said McLay. 'These are things that are touched quite a bit but don't necessarily get cleaned very often.' The Floor 'One of the most germ-filled areas is the floor,' Tetro said. 'The human body continually sheds microbes and this leads to contamination of surfaces.' He noted that walls and tabletops may also have microbial contamination, but it tends to be in fewer numbers. 'Feet inevitably will contaminate floors and that can build up over time,' Tetro explained. Most bacteria and fungi can survive for days ― and viruses for about a day ― so they can accumulate and grow in numbers. While most of them will be skin-based, some can also be fecal, especially if pets are also frequenting the bedroom. Studies have suggested that some of these bacteria may be antibiotic-resistant, Tetro added, noting that this could be a problem if it leads to an infection. 'Consistently I find that electronics are some of the germiest sites in a home,' Reynolds said. 'Remote controls and cell phones are commonly used in the bedroom and these frequently touched, rarely disinfected items can be important reservoirs for germs to collect.' If you share your room with your spouse and even your young children on many nights, keep in mind that the remote is coming into contact with multiple individuals who can spread germs. Meanwhile, your cell phone is traveling to your room from many different places. 'If your phone goes with you to the bathroom, it may become contaminated with disease causing fecal bacteria and viruses,' Reynolds said. Carpeting And Upholstery MoMo Productions / Getty Images 'Any kind of carpeting and rugs is going to trap dirt, dust mites and bacteria,' McLay noted. 'The same goes for your curtains and your upholstered furniture.' She emphasized the importance of vacuuming your carpeting and upholstery but acknowledged that it's more challenging to clean fabric items like curtains and furniture ― compared to simply spraying and wiping a solid surface with disinfectant. But it's an important thing to remember nonetheless. 'Upholstered or fabric based bed frames, towels and napkins, laundry bags ― these may be specially affected avenues due to high contact by hands, presences of fomites that are ideal for germs, and often times, a tendency to not clean these items and areas frequently,' said Jagdish Khubchandani, a professor of public health at New Mexico State University. Jena Ardell / Getty Images 'The majority of microbes are harmless and won't lead to any problems. However, the potential does exist for skin irritation, allergies, and odor,' Tetro said. 'So, whether you choose safety or stink, make sure you clean the bedroom at least once a month and change those sheets every few weeks ― or sooner if you sweat heavily during the night.' Although the various surfaces in bedroom might not need as much attention as those in bathrooms and kitchens, you still need to do regular cleaning and disinfecting. 'It is a good idea to establish routine habits for bedroom hygiene,' Reynolds said. 'Wash bed linens weekly in hot water and use the high-heat cycle on your dryer for the most effective germ kill. Keeping extra pillowcases on hand will allow you to change them every few days so that the site were you lay your head ― the area on your body where germs are most likely to enter via the eyes, nose and mouth ― will have minimal levels of contaminants.' She recommended vacuuming carpets, mattresses and upholstered furniture regularly. There are special vacuums and other products that can be a real game changer, especially for mattresses. Don't forget to wash your actual pillows and replace them in the recommended time frame as well. 'Use of hypoallergenic pillow and mattress covers can also keep allergen counts down,' Reynolds said. 'And don't forget to wash pet beds frequently as well.' If you let your pets onto your bed, make sure to at least wipe down their paws. For high-touch hard surfaces like TV remotes, be sure to frequently use disinfectant. 'Bedroom cleaning should be thorough and frequent,' said Khubchandani, who also recommended cleaning door handles, knobs, lamp buttons and 'creating a partition of some kind between a bedroom and restroom if they are attached with each other.' Taking the time to remove moisture, dust and food crumbs from surfaces in your bedroom can also go a long way. 'A hygiene routine in your bedroom is even more critical if someone in the home is sick,' Reynolds noted. 'Increasing the frequency of the prevention methods above may help to dramatically reduce the spread of infections to other people living in the home.' HuffPost.
