Wellness Tracker: Red Light Therapy
This shit is a bummer:
And by that, I mean I'm disappointed in my former-ish field.
This person is well-educated. She knows the medicine well, and has been a decent enough advocate. I follow her, because she tends to focus on the Chinese Medicine aspects of health, instead of the wellness influencer stuff. Even when I didn't agree, I could still say, "well, there is a precedent for her position. I don't agree that the existing data support it, but this isn't out of pocket."
(Generally, I don't agree that cold drinks are strictly verbotten in Chinese Medicine, especially in cases of excess heat and/or when there are no signs of SP Qi/Yang Def. Same for sugar, dairy, and coffee--no pathology; no problem. This is wildly unpopular, but supported by existing data.)
Red light therapy is a wellness trend, period. I like to think that it came about after seeing TDP lamps that incidentally glow red: TDP (far infrared) lamps are a heat producing lamp that we now use in place of moxabustion, because many of our buildings have a prohibition on burning and don't have the appropriate ventilation. We use a heatless moxa paste and direct the lamp.
I personally like it. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's just as good as moxa, but I don't hate the results.
History (as I remember it)
Anyway, when I first saw red light therapy enter the market, it came with a heat aspect, very similar to a TDP lamp. The problem--as with most things wellness--is that patients left to their own devices will often overdo it, so I imagine that the heat component resulted in adverse effects. That's just conjecture.
Another thing to consider is that we have a CPT code for that damned lamp (I think). Probably won't get reimbursed, but it is considered within scope.
So that could complicate things for a wellness influencer who's working a wellness practice without any license whatsoever.
Plus (having briefly worked in appliance QA as a tech writer), that heat component was likely expensive to throw in and prone to catastrophic failure.
Chinese Medicine Aspects
There aren't any. It's more homeopathy or naturopathy, where the reason it's considered is because it looks or acts like something else. Like, "beans look like brains, so they're good for the brain."
She claims that "red is basically heat... heat is energy." Two things: red=heat is not Chinese Medicine. Red on the body can signify a heat presence, but to use red as heat is more homeopathic. It doesn't work both ways.
Secondly, heat doesn't equal energy the way she states in the video. Heat is a pathogen in Chinese Medicine. It's one of the big 6: hot, cold, wind, dryness, damp, summer-heat.
This is where we need our yin-yang theory: we need some warmth for our body's processes. Too little warmth is a Yang Deficiency; too much leads to Yin Deficiency, as our internal fluids "burn" off. They need to be in balance.
We only add heat to the body during clear signs of deficiency, but we have to be really careful about it.
In the summer, it's not likely that you need more exogenous heat. You need 15 minutes in the sun, a good sunscreen, and light activity (as early in the morning as possible). It's 3 billion degrees out there. Get the fresh air and Vit D.
The Upsides
A couple potential upsides:
it's ineffective--no healing, but no big harms
no need for oversight
it gives patients an active role, which could activate the placebo effect
it requires a quiet period that could discourage phone use and/or encourage positive behavior
The Downsides
justified through false information
paves the way for further false information: if this is justified by misrepresenting Chinese Medicine, what else is?
sets false expectations for the patient
it's ineffective
Our Responsibilities
When it comes to wellness, patients can spiral. I'm not being dismissive when I say it reminds me of OCD, because their whole lives revolve around a fear of illness and managing that fear through wellness compulsions. It can cost thousands of dollars as they buy new gadgets that promise things they can't deliver. Water filters, ionizers, air filters and ionizers, juicers, red lights, dry saunas, foot baths, yoni steamers, meditation bowls... It doesn't stop.
A responsible, grounded practitioner can be the reliable touchpoint in this consumerist craze. The oasis in the chaos. But we'll absolutely lose money.
If the patients don't leave (because we're not helping them in a long-term unhealthy pattern), then we're falling behind our peers who are willing to play into this dynamic.
I refuse. My AuDHD sort of requires that I stay true to what is and isn't Chinese Medicine, and while I'm not so rigid that new information can't change my mind, it's really not possible for me to consciously grift. It doesn't fit "The Rules™.''
Last Word on Chinese Medicine
Yin-Yang Theory, Five Changes, and Eight Principles all have one thing in common: balance. Life needs to be balanced to be healthful.
Chinese Medicine is a medicine. You use it when you are unwell. You don't need it when you're doing okay. We do have lifestyle and health-prolonging practices, but it's not the all-consuming thing social media makes it look like.
You don't need to change your culture to use Chinese Medicine. You don't need to join a wellness cult to be healthy.
Selling a lifestyle is lucrative, but it's not healthy for patients in the long term. I don't believe that my fellow practitioners will follow me down this road, but this is more for the layperson or potential patient to stay safe and cautious.
