Natural Menopause Relief Tips for Mood, Weight, and More

Menopause is an experience nearly 50% of the world needs to face. Mood swings, weight gain, hot flashes, and cramps are only a few examples of symptoms. Going through menopause can become more tolerable with the right tools and techniques to help lessen menopause symptoms. Read below to learn how to find natural menopause relief with these tips you can try at home.

What is Menopause?

Menopause is the time that marks the end of your menstrual cycles. It’s diagnosed after you’ve gone 12 months without a menstrual period. Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States.

Menopause is a natural biological process. But the physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, and emotional symptoms of menopause may disrupt your sleep, lower your energy or affect emotional health. There are many effective treatments available, from lifestyle adjustments to hormone therapy.

Menopause Symptoms

In the months or years leading up to menopause (perimenopause), you might experience these signs and symptoms:

Irregular periods
Vaginal dryness
Hot flashes
Chills
Night sweats
Sleep problems
Mood changes
Weight gain and slowed metabolism
Thinning hair and dry skin
Loss of breast fullness

Symptoms, including changes in menstruation, are different for every woman. Most likely, you’ll experience some irregularity in your periods before they end. If you feel you are experiencing the symptoms of menopause, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss any questions or concerns about this next phase in your life.

Woman-Using-Sauna-for-Natural-Menopause-Relief

Natural Remedies for Menopause Symptoms

Infrared Sauna

It may sound counter-intuitive to recommend a sauna for someone who is already too hot, but it’s an amazing tool for women suffering with symptoms of menopause. Regular infrared sauna use provides many health benefits for those seeking natural menopause relief, including symptoms affecting your mood, weight, and immune system.

Sleeping through the night is a struggle many suffer through during menopause, which is difficult as sleep is beneficial for your mental and physical health during this time. Infrared saunas improve sleep before bed by putting the body in a parasympathetic state. Saunas also help decrease stress levels, which in turn decreases the frequency and intensity of hot flashes and night sweats. Additionally, reduced stress helps improve mental clarity and lift your mood throughout the day.

For your physical health, sauna health benefits include weight loss and an improved immune system. Infrared sauna heaters raise your core body temperature, which temporarily induces an artificial fever and helps boost your immune system. This, combined with improved elimination of toxins and wastes via intense sweating, can increase your overall health and resistance to disease. As your body increases sweat production to cool itself, your heart works harder to pump blood at a greater rate to boost circulation. This increase in your metabolism will burn calories and lose weight.

Vitamins

Hormonal changes during menopause can cause bones to weaken, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Calcium and vitamin D are linked to good bone health, so it’s important to get enough of these nutrients in your diet. A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is important to prevent the bone loss that can occur during menopause.

Adequate vitamin D intake in postmenopausal women is also associated with a lower risk of hip fractures due to weak bones. Many foods are calcium-rich, including dairy products like yogurt, milk and cheese. Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens and spinach have lots of calcium too. It’s also plentiful in tofu, beans, sardines and other foods. Additionally, calcium-fortified foods are also good sources, including certain cereals, fruit juice or milk alternatives.

Sunlight is your main source of vitamin D, since your skin produces it when exposed to the sun. However, as you get older, your skin becomes less efficient at making it. Taking a supplement or increasing food sources of vitamin D may be important to help reach adequate vitamin levels. Rich dietary sources include oily fish, eggs, cod liver oil, and foods fortified with vitamin D.

Healthy Weight

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight may help alleviate menopause symptoms and help prevent disease. It’s common to gain weight during menopause, which can be due to a combination of changing hormones, aging, lifestyle and genetics.

Gaining excess body fat, especially around the waist, increases your risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. In addition, your body weight may affect your menopause symptoms. One study of 17,473 postmenopausal women found that those who lost at least 10 lbs (4.5 kg) of weight or 10% of their body weight over a year were more likely to eliminate hot flashes and night sweats.

Exercise

Regular exercise can help alleviate menopause symptoms such as poor sleep, anxiety, mood, and fatigue. It can also protect against weight gain and various health conditions. While there is currently not enough evidence to confirm whether exercise is effective for hot flashes and night sweats, there is evidence to support other benefits of regular exercise. These include improved energy and metabolism, healthier joints and bones, decreased stress and better sleep.

For example, one study found that exercising three hours per week for one year improved physical and mental health and overall quality of life in a group of menopausal women. Regular exercise is also associated with better health and protection against diseases and conditions including cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.

Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant compounds that can mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. Therefore, they may help balance hormones. Foods rich in phytoestrogens include soybeans and soy products, tofu, tempeh, flaxseeds, linseeds, sesame seeds and beans. However, the phytoestrogen content in foods varies depending on processing methods.

One study found that diets high in soy were associated with reduced cholesterol levels, blood pressure and reduced severity of hot flashes and night sweats among women who were starting to enter menopause. However, the debate continues over whether soy products are good or bad for you. Evidence suggests that real food sources of phytoestrogens are better than supplements or processed foods with added soy protein.

Water

During menopause, women often experience dryness. This is likely caused by the decrease in estrogen levels. Drinking 8–12 glasses of water a day can help with these symptoms. Drinking water can also reduce bloating that occurs with hormonal changes. In addition, water can help prevent weight gain and aid in weight loss by helping you feel full and increasing metabolism.

Diet

A diet rich in fruit and vegetables may help keep bones healthy, and can help prevent weight gain and certain diseases, and can help prevent a number of menopause symptoms.

Fruits and veggies are low in calories and can help you feel full, so they’re great for weight loss and weight maintenance. They may also help prevent a number of diseases, including heart disease. This is important, as heart disease risk tends to increase after menopause. This could be due to factors such as age, weight gain or possibly reduced estrogen levels. Finally, fruits and vegetables may also help prevent bone loss. One observational study of 3,236 women aged 50–59 found that diets high in fruit and vegetables may lead to less bone breakdown.

On the other hand, avoid trigger food. Certain foods may trigger hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. They may be even more likely to trigger you when you eat them at night. Common triggers include caffeine, alcohol and foods that are sugary or spicy. Keep a symptom diary. If you feel that particular foods trigger your menopause symptoms, try to reduce your consumption or avoid them completely.

A diet high in refined carbs and sugar can cause sharp rises and dips in blood sugar, making you feel tired and irritable. In fact, one study found that diets high in refined carbs may increase the risk of depression in postmenopausal women. Additionally, a large observational study found that among women aged 50–59 years, diets high in processed and snack foods were associated with poor bone quality.

Going through menopause can be quite the experience for anyone who goes through it, but the side effects of menopause can be lessened when using the right tools and techniques. Use these natural menopause relief tips to make this chapter in your life a little more enjoyable!

Healthy Mother’s Day Activities & Things to do for Your Mom

With Mother’s Day on May 10, the holiday is coming up soon and it’s crunch time to make sure the day is as special as possible for your mother. This holiday is the perfect time to go all-out and spoil your mom and thank her for all she has done to raise and support you. In the few weeks, use this guide to find Mother’s Day activities to do with and for your mom to make her day happy and healthy, from cooking her a meal to giving her the gift of relaxation in an infrared sauna.

Mother-and-Son-Exploring-City-for-Mother’s-Day

6 Things to do with Your Mom for Mother’s Day

Explore the City

Take your mom out on the town this Mother’s Day! Whether it’s your town or a city nearby, exploring the city with your mom gives you a great opportunity to spend quality time together. This activity is secretly healthy, as it gets you outside and walking around. Take advantage of the nice spring weather and plan a day of things to do in the city – shopping, lunch, coffee, or just sightseeing.

Change it up a little by changing your mode of transportation. If available, ride some bikes around to see the city in a whole new way. If walking or biking is too strenuous, try out the scooters available in many major cities.

Get Outside

Along the same lines as exploring your city, an outdoor adventure is one of the best things to do with your mom. There are plenty of outdoor Mother’s Day activities that range in skill level. Also, going outdoors is an activity that all family members can enjoy, no matter what age. Either plan a small outing, or invite a large group of your mother’s loved ones to make it a special day to remember.

If you’re looking for a more leisurely experience, take a nice walk through nature, set up a picnic in the park, or ride a bike. If your mom is a true outdoor fanatic, step it up with some more adventurous activities like hiking or kayaking.

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Go on a Trip

Want to venture outside of where you live? Make this Mother’s Day special by doing one of the most incredible things for your mom – treat her to a vacation. Whether you take a trip on Mother’s day or gift the experience for a later date, research dream destinations for your mom. Traveling to a new place gives your mom the opportunity to stretch her legs in a new setting and explore things that may not be available in her everyday life.

It doesn’t have to be an extravagant destination to make it special. Go on a road trip to see some sights in a nearby city, or book an international trip. Either way, you are sure to create special memories along the way.

Have a Spa Day

There’s nothing quite like saying “Happy Mother’s Day!” like a spa day. Thank your mother for all the hard work and time she put in to raising you by giving her a bit of an escape and some pampering. Book her a day at the spa so she can fully relax this Mother’s day. While being a parent is amazing, it can also be stressful. A day of massages, facials, and infrared sauna use can help reduce the stresses of parenthood.

If you want to win Child of the Year, go the extra mile and buy your mom her very own infrared sauna. Then, your mom gets the gift of relaxation (and a number of other sauna health benefits) year-round.

Host a Brunch

After years of having your parents provide meals, it’s time to repay the favor this Mother’s Day. Brunch is a great way to honor your mom while getting family and friends together. Plan a delicious brunch for your mom and invite her loved ones to spend the day with her. Decorate with beautiful flowers, elegant accessories, and sentimental photos. Choose a few of your mom’s favorite breakfast and lunch options to make it an especially special meal.

There are plenty of healthy brunch recipes that are good for your health and your tastebuds. Set up stations like a DIY parfait bar, oatmeal bar, or even a mimosa bar if you want to throw in a touch of unhealthiness this Mother’s Day.

Take a Class

Classes are a great way to bond with your mother while picking up a new skill. From cooking classes and exercise classes to pottery classes and art classes, choose a new skill that your mom would be interested in learning. This is a great healthy activity either physically or mentally. This gift is especially nice if your mom is looking for more reasons to get out of the house and socialize.

Try one or multiple things to do with your mom that you can try, and who knows, maybe you’ll find a new hobby to start with each other! Once the class is over, take your new skills home and expand upon them.

This Mother’s Day, think outside of the box to provide your mom a day she’ll never forget with these special things to do for your mom. From a relaxing spa day to adventuring in nature, there is a wide range of healthy Mother’s Day activities that will show your appreciation for all she’s done to raise you. Happy Mother’s Day!

20 Natural Hangover Cures & Home Remedies

Unfortunately, hangovers aren’t an uncommon occurrence. After a day or night out, the effects of alcohol can set in and leave you feeling dehydrated, achy, nauseated, sluggish, and in pain. Having a hangover is never an enjoyable experience and it often leaves you searching for relief. Luckily, there are many natural remedies you can try to cure a hangover, from sweating it out in an infrared sauna to eating pickles.

5 S’s of Natural Hangover Home Remedies

Sauna

One of the biggest infrared sauna health benefits is its ability to increase your blood circulation and stimulate the sweat glands, releasing built-up toxins in the body. Sweating in a sauna for a hangover can help detoxify your body as it rids itself of accumulated toxins from a night of drinking alcohol, thus helping you recover quickly.

Shower

Take a shower to help you feel refreshed. Some swear by cool showers only to help awaken the senses, while others recommend switching between hot and cold water. Switching temperatures increases circulation and toxin elimination. Hot water may make you sweat, so make sure to stay hydrated before and after.

Sleep

The National Sleep Foundation reports that alcohol consumption interrupts the circadian rhythm and prevents REM sleep, which means you probably didn’t get a great night’s sleep after drinking. If you’re feeling hungover, take a nap to try to catch up on good sleep. Also, sleep helps pass the time to hopefully help you feel better faster.

Sun

Going outside and getting some fresh air can help wake up your body and get some more oxygen. Oxygen increases the rate that alcohol toxins are broken down. Vitamin D from the sun is ideal for boosting the immune system in the body and helps with the absorption of minerals such as magnesium, which are crucial to recover from a hangover.

Sweat

While moving probably doesn’t sound great with a hangover, exercise can help you get back to normal. Don’t necessarily go on a run or hit the gym, just take a nice walk to increase circulation and bring more oxygen to your brain and muscles, which helps with the aches and pains. Just like using a sauna for hangovers, sweating this way will help you detoxify.

Food & Supplements to Cure a Hangover Naturally

Vitamins

Vitamin B and C will help your body recover from the ingested toxins as it speeds up metabolism of alcohol by the liver. Even though drinking depletes these vitamins in body tissues, they can be easily replenished by taking supplements such as Emergen-C or a multivitamin, or by eating fruits and vegetables high in the vitamins.

Water

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning you pass more urine when consumed. This can lead to fluid loss, which is usually the cause for the infamous hangover headache. Drink water to decrease the effects of dehydration and replenish your body of much-needed hydration. Added tip: Water before and during alcohol consumption decreases the risk of hangover.

Tomato Juice

Like a bloody Mary, but without the alcohol! Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, and the antioxidant lycopene. They also contain glutathione, which aids the body’s natural production to help counteract hangover-inducing toxins. Studies show that tomato juice can also boost liver function to speed up alcohol digestion.

Spinach

Spinach is a superfood for hangovers, as they are full of folic acid, sulfur, and vitamin C, which are all essential vitamins and minerals for fighting a hangover. Vitamin C accelerates your liver’s ability to detoxify, allowing the alcohol to purge of your system quickly. Easily incorporate this into your meals or blend it into a smoothie to reap all the benefits.

Pickles

As mentioned earlier, too much alcohol leaves the body depleted of vitamins and minerals. Pickled are rich in many nutrients, including vitamin A, iron, potassium, vitamin K, calcium, and manganese. The brine may even help soothe your hangover nausea due to the vinegar content that helps restore stomach acidity to a healthy level.

Ginger

Doctors and nutritionists tend to agree that ginger is one of the best natural hangover cures for soothing nausea, which is often a common symptom of a hangover. Alcohol irritates the lining of the stomach, and chemical compounds in ginger such as gingerol and shogaols are believed to help ease stomach pain and aid digestion by reducing inflammation

Fiber

Studies show that high-fiber foods, like vegetables, help break down alcohol and absorb it, keeping it from reaching the bloodstream as quickly. Additionally, fiber can help with some of the digestive issues that heavy drinking can cause, which also aids in helping remove toxins from the body.

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi, and miso soup are known for their hangover relieving or curing qualities due to their ability to help restore your good gut bacteria. These foods also help provide your body with vitamin B, probiotics, and organic acids that get your body feeling back to normal faster.

Eggs

Having breakfast (or, more likely, brunch) with a serving of eggs can help cure your hangover naturally. Eggs contain cysteine, an amino acid, that helps your body produce glutathione. Increased glutathione allows your body to more efficiently break down toxic byproducts of alcohol metabolism such as acetaldehyde.

Electrolytes

Research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that drinking electrolytes after long periods of dehydration can significantly help restore important minerals, like sodium, potassium, and calcium. Look for things like sports drinks and bone broth to help restore lost electrolytes from drinking.

Chamomile

Have you ever experienced “hangxiety”, or the feeling of anxiousness when hungover? Research supports using chamomile to help soothe anxiety. On top of that, chamomile can help you sleep more soundly and relieve an upset stomach, which can be difficult to achieve otherwise when hungover. Brew a mug of tea to help you relax and recover.

Cayenne Pepper

Don’t be fooled by food that could potentially cause your mouth some spicy discomfort – hot cayenne pepper is actually a natural pain reliever, so incorporating some of the spice can help cure your hangover naturally – especially if you’re tending to a headache. Hot foods boost the metabolism, too, which enhances your body’s natural detoxification process.

Bananas

Low levels of potassium caused by drinking can leave you feeling weak, and can cause muscle cramps and soreness. Bananas are packed with potassium, which should help replace the minerals and electrolytes lost from consuming alcohol. Bananas are also part of the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Apples, and Toast) which is recommended for nausea.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Start your morning with 1 or 2 ounces of apple cider vinegar, diluted with 6 to 8 ounces of warm water. The vinegar has a natural diuretic effect that can help combat morning-after fluid retention, which also helps with toxin elimination. It can also help balance stomach acid levels and stabilize blood sugar levels, which can be shaky after a night of drinking.

Antioxidants

Alcohol can cause oxidative stress, leading the body to produce free radicals. Research has linked oxidative stress to many health conditions, including heart disease and cancers. Antioxidants are compounds that help eliminate these free radicals. People may benefit from eating foods high in antioxidants to cure a hangover naturally.

Going out can be great fun, but the morning after may leave you regretting the night before. Try these natural hangover cures and home remedies to help alleviate some of the side effects of alcohol consumption and get back to feeling normal and fully-functioning!

CBD Effects, Uses, and Benefits for Holistic Health

CBD, or cannabidiol, products have been taking the holistic health scene by storm, and it’s easy to see why. From reduced stress to pain relief, there is a wide range of CBD benefits that can help almost anyone in need. See below how incorporating various CBD products into your life can be beneficial and how you can combine it with other therapies for maximized effects.

CBD Effects

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of many active compounds found in the Cannabis plant. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is another active compound and the most well-known, as its psychoactive properties are the ones that induce the “high” feeling. CBD is non-psychoactive but still has a number of the same medical benefits as THC. This allows you to take advantage of the therapeutic benefits without leaving you with the impaired feeling that often goes hand in hand with THC.

Is CBD Legal?

Hemp-derived CBD products (with less than 0.3 percent THC) are legal on the federal level, but are still illegal under some state laws. Marijuana-derived CBD products are illegal on the federal level, but are legal under some state laws. Check your state’s laws and those of anywhere you travel.

Marijuana-derived CBD products, or CBD products that contain THC, may be more effective than fiber hemp. But if you live in a state that hasn’t yet legalized medical marijuana or these strains are unavailable, you can still benefit from products containing industrial hemp-derived CBD. Keep in mind that nonprescription CBD products are not FDA-approved, and may be inaccurately labeled.

Benefits of CBD

Research on CBD is still in its early phases and , but the results of what has been studied are promising. Some studies have found CBD may be effective in providing relief from various mental health conditions, including:

Acne	Depression	Epilepsy
Alzheimer’s Disease	Diabetes	Muscular Disorders
Anxiety	General Pain	Nerve Pain
Arthritis	Inflammation	Psoriasis
Cancer-Related Symptoms	Insomnia	PTSD
Cardiovascular Issues	Eczema	Substance Abuse

CBD Products & Uses

Edibles and Drinks

These products are created by adding an extract or an isolate into a wide variety of food and drink products. The main benefit of a CBD in an edible or drinkable form is the ease of use and masking taste. However, these forms of CBD products span a wide range of effectiveness depending on the contents. Low effectiveness can be caused by liver processing and low-quality full spectrum extract found in common CBD isolate.

Oils and Tinctures

Often referred to simply as CBD oil, a tincture is an oil-carried form of CBD that is consumed orally by placing it under the tongue. This liquid product usually comes in a small bottle with a dropper and is comprised of several components including CBD extract or CBD isolate base, a carrier oil, and other additives such as sweeteners, flavors, and terpenes. Though more expensive when purchasing, the quantity of CBD oil lasts much longer than other products available.

Patches

For users with chronic issues, patches have the benefit of providing long-lasting relief when compared to a traditional balm or salve. These stick-on patches feature CBD infused strips that are placed onto venous areas of the body like the wrist. These patches are designed to provide slow-release, long-lasting effects for the user. These patches are effective because they hold the cannabinoid against the skin for such a long period of time when compared to a rub-on topical.

Pills and Capsules

CBD capsules are simply a pill-form of CBD extract that is swallowed like any other supplement. These capsules come in either softgels or in a two-piece capsule and often either contain a liquid oil or a powder form of CBD. Taking oil-based capsules orally is actually one of the least bioavailable methods of taking CBD – meaning that a small amount of the compound actually makes it into the bloodstream when compared to other methods of ingestion.

Topicals

There are endocannabinoid receptors in the brain, throughout the nervous system, and in the skin. Skin-based receptors mean that applying topicals directly to a sore or irritated area can provide localized relief. CBD topicals come in a wide range of products, including balms and salves. These products are designed to help in a variety of specialized ways, from massage oil to treatments for muscle soreness and skin conditions.

Vapes

Vaping CBD is similar to any other type of vaping – a CBD extract or isolate is vaporized via a traditional vape pen and inhaled. Of all the methods of taking CBD, inhaling has the quickest onset due to the high bioavailability of inhaling the molecule. There are a variety of CBD vape products available on the market including disposable vape pens, vape cartridges, and vape oil.

Wellness Products

Cannabidiol is becoming an increasingly popular ingredient in existing and new beauty products. These products offer additional benefits to traditional products that help users reduce swelling, aches, and provide other relaxing properties. Simple items such as shampoos and conditioners are now starting to incorporate CBD, along with facial cleansers, bath bombs, lip balm, and even beard oil.

How to Boost CBD Benefits

Combining CBD benefits with other therapies can help enhance your results. As mentioned earlier, CBD can help reduce pain, inflammation, arthritis, insomnia, skin conditions, and much more. Boost these healing properties by incorporating infrared sauna therapy in with your CBD use. Sauna infrared therapy has its own collection of health benefits that pair nicely with CBD therapy. Apply a topical cannabidiol product before or after your sauna session to experience even more relief from your ailments.

The popularization of cannabidiol has led to a number of great products and applications to make the product more accessible and easy to use. With so many health benefits, CBD is a great treatment that can help a number of health concerns. If you have questions regarding whether or not CBD is right for you, speak with your doctor to determine which products to use and how often to take them.

Biohacking Guide to Upgrading Your Body and Mind

What is biohacking? And does it work? From simple to extreme measures, learning how to read your body and boost its performance is certainly an appealing practice. Luckily, you don’t have to go to extreme measures to reap the benefits of biohacking at home. Biohacking can be as simple as getting enough sleep and drinking coffee – things you are likely already doing but can enhance to benefit you even further. Discover more about the trend that allows you to tap into your mind and body to boost physical and cognitive performance below.

What is Biohacking?

Biohacking, sometimes also referred to as do-it-yourself biology, is the practice of making small changes to your lifestyle to create incremental improvements to your overall well-being. From enhanced brain function and increased energy to weight loss and allergy control, biohacking can help accomplish a multitude of health goals. The term “biohacking” is a broad one and can range from something as simple as tracking fitness to something as extreme as genetic engineering.

Of course, the more extreme approach is riskier and should only be done with the guidance and supervision of a medical professional. However, there are plenty of biohacking products and techniques you can practice at home safely. The main goal of biohacking is to listen to your body and figure out what works best for it to perform optimally. Once you find what works for you, there are plenty of biohacking benefits that will follow.

Biohacking Products & Techniques to Try at Home

Sleep

Read any health advice, and sleep is usually right there at the top of the list – and for good reason. A great night of sleep can help you maintain a healthy weight, improve your mood, boost your productivity, and much more. Because of this, sleep is one of the easiest biohacking techniques to try. Start off by tracking your sleep with an app to assess the quality of your sleep. Once you find your baseline, figure out how you can improve your sleep. Reducing blue light exposure, having a bedtime ritual, using a weighted blanket, and sleeping in a cool room are easy ways to improve sleep.

Red Light Therapy

The body responds incredibly well to red and near-infrared wavelengths, which are easily absorbed by the skin. It’s a good thing for that, too, as red light therapy provides a host of benefits perfect for biohacking. Red light technology affects mitochondrial function, which improves cellular energy and activates the nervous system and metabolic processes. This activity has been shown to relieve pain, rejuvenate skin, regenerate tissue, recover muscles, boost testosterone, reduce inflammation, and much more. Red light technologies are the ultimate biohacking products.

Meditation

One of the main goals of biohacking is creating awareness for your body and how to better yourself from within. Meditation is one of the best and easiest biohacking techniques, because you can practice it anywhere and at any time. When you meditate, you allow yourself to reconnect with your mind and body, which can help with concentration, mood management, productivity, and even heart rate. Incorporating daily meditation sessions into your routine can train you to be more mindful and aware of your state of mind, which affects your overall health.

Inversion Therapy

How’s it hanging? Inversion tables are wonderful biohacking products to try. Hanging upside down is a wonderful biohack for enhancing brain function by strengthening brain capillaries and delivering more oxygen to your brain. When you practice inversion regularly, your body also improves how it regulates blood pressure. Inversion tables are a quick and easy way to not only jumpstart your brain, they also bring relief to any lower back tension your body builds up during the day by relieving spinal disk compression.

Intermittent Fasting

This is one diet that isn’t just a fad and has real benefits behind it. Intermittent fasting is the practice of setting periods of fasted and non-fasted times. For example, one might have an 8-hour window to eat between 10am to 6pm with a 16-hour fasting period the remaining hours of the day. Or, one might alternate full days between eating and fasting. Intermittent fasting helps you manage daily calorie intake, lower insulin levels, burn fat more efficiently, repair damaged tissue, and more. Use a fasting tracker to make things easier, and consult a doctor if doing more extreme fasting.

Functional Music

Brain activity can be measured in a wave-like pattern and determines if you feel alert, sleepy, relaxed or stressed. One of the most reliable ways to change your brainwaves is through a consistent sound wave. Audio entrainment, a form of musical biohacking, uses binaural beats and tones to synchronize with your brain waves and induce a meditative, relaxed state. You can access programs developed specifically for your own brain and the activities you want to accomplish, or simply queue up your favorite playlist and listening while you work out, cook breakfast, or commute to work.

Elimination Diet

An elimination diet is exactly what it sounds like. With an elimination diet, you’ll get rid of something from your diet and then slowly reintroduce it to see how it affects your body. This is a popular option if you think you’re allergic to a food or are concerned that a food may be causing inflammation, such as dairy, red meat, or processed sugar. After eliminating a food item, wait about two weeks then reintroduce the eliminated foods slowly back into your diet. During the second, or reintroduction, phase, keep a close eye on any symptoms that appear that may indicate an allergy to a food source.

Man-Drinking-Coffee-for-Biohacking-Benefits

Caffeine

Caffeine is well-known as a productivity booster. If you don’t use it already, start with an 8-ounce serving of black coffee, green tea, or caffeinated foods like dark chocolate. Have your caffeine at the same time every day and keep a journal of how it makes you feel in the minutes or hours afterward. Try experimenting with the dose of caffeine until you find the amount that works best for your goal. There’s even a coffee with biohacking in mind known as bulletproof coffee. The coffee contains compounds like medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil, known as an energy booster and weight-loss tool.

Biohacking Supplements

Nootropics, or “smart drugs,” are substances used to increase your brain’s performance to help you remember more, learn better, concentrate more fully, stay productive, and function more efficiently. You can also always boost your mental performance with simple biohacking supplements and nutrients, such as magnesium for improved cognitive function, vitamin D for protection from free radicals, krill oil for improved nervous system performance, turmeric for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and vitamin B to decrease brain shrinkage.

If you are interested in trying biohacking on your own, be sure to consult with your doctor if you have any existing health concerns. Biohacking is a wonderful way to get to know your body and mind so you can optimize your health.

Smart Home Tech to Upgrade Your Wellness at Home

From smart refrigerators to mirrors that assist with workouts, there are plenty of health and wellness gadgets you can add to your home. Everything is becoming more and more connected, so why not connect the comfort of your home with the importance of your health? Find some of our favorite smart home tech below to transform your house into a true wellness sanctuary.

Home Health and Wellness Gadgets

Air Purifier

One thing you may not think about often, but plays a huge role in your health and wellness at home, is the quality of air in your house. Smart air purifiers have been upgraded to not only clean your air more thoroughly and efficiently, but they now connect easily to your WiFi as well. This connectivity allows you to use voice assistants for easy voice commands. It also allows you to monitor air quality stats from your phone, check filter status, and adjust timers, fan speeds, and more.

Bluetooth Scale

Weighing yourself at home has never been so engaging. A bluetooth scale is a great smart home tech addition for anyone looking for a more comprehensive look into their health, especially if you are tracking multiple measurements. Smart scales connect to your phone via Bluetooth to automatically track stats such as weight BMI, bone mass density, body water percentage, and body fat percentage in an app. Some apps also allow you to set and track goals.

Electric Toothbrush

A toothbrush might not be the most exciting of the health and wellness gadgets on this list, but it is definitely a good one to have. Regular toothbrushes aren’t as efficient as electric ones, and electric toothbrushes only get better when you add in smart tech. Along with a 2-minute timer, smart toothbrushes also include apps that guide you on where to brush and for how long based on the cleanliness of your mouth for a more efficient and effective cleaning.

Source: Mirror

Fitness Mirror

With so much fitness tech on the market, it’s always refreshing to see something a little out of the ordinary. A fitness mirror is a full-length mirror with a built-in display to watch your form while watching workouts on the mirror itself. The screen is controlled by an app on your phone to access classes from the class membership that comes at an extra cost. While the tech is on the pricey side, it’s a perfect smart home piece for those looking for enhanced workouts at home.

Float Tank

This item certainly tops the list in terms of price and extravagance, but if you have the budget and space, a personal float tank is the way to go. Float tanks have been one of the biggest health and wellness trends in the last couple of years. Having this technology in your home will allow you to feel the benefits of floating in a sensory deprivation tank – such as stress relief, increased healing, and improved mental state – whenever you please.

Food Analyzer

Whether you have a food allergy or are just looking to track how your body reacts to certain foods, smart food analyzers are becoming more prevalent on the market. These health and wellness gadgets are helpful both in and out of the house. By using gases in your breath after eating, food analyzers can detect if a recently-eaten food contains peanuts or gluten, if it affects your keto diet, and if it will be easily digested or not.

Source: Elephant Journal

Infrared Sauna

One of the best ways to practice wellness at home is with an infrared sauna. When a daily 20-minute session brings health benefits like reduced stress, detoxification, weight loss, and pain relief, infrared sauna use is an easy and effective way to improve your health. On top of the regular health benefits, you can boost your infrared experience with enhancements such as chromotherapy, halotherapy, and LEDlight therapy to make your house a true sanctuary.

Programmable Shower

Taking the perfect shower can be one of the most amazing feelings. Programmable showers allow you to perfect your shower experience. From setting the ideal temperature to getting a warning that you are getting close to a shower time limit, these showers are great for both the user and the environment. Some smart shower systems even allow you to control the shower vian an app to ensure the water is just right before you step in.

Sleep Sensor

Chances are, you aren’t getting enough sleep. Even if you’re getting the hours in, many people suffer from irregular or interrupted sleep patterns that lead to low-quality sleep. If you’re looking for a more restful sleep, a sensor might be what you need. Sleep sensors are placed on or under your bed to track the movement and sound that take place in your sleep. Data is then recorded in an app to track sleep quality and indicate factors that may be contributing to sleep issues.

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Source: Samsung

Smart Refrigerator

Many people spend a good amount of time in the kitchen, from cooking to spending time together. With so much time spent in this room of your house, it only makes sense to have some of your smart home tech in the kitchen as well. New smart refrigerators hitting the market have been upgraded to become a hub for home life. You can now control voice assistants, check the doorbell, and even see what’s inside your fridge at any time to easily take inventory.

Touchscreen Treadmill

As mentioned above, smart fitness tech has been on the rise. Many people are starting to build up their home gym filled with smart home tech that allows them to have personalized classes in the comfort of their home. From stationary bikes to treadmills, there are plenty of options on the market. Smart treadmills take indoor running to the next level, changing the stationary run into a more exciting one with programmable training routes such as running the Boston Marathon.

Voice Assistant

Voice assistants are the classic smart home tech. So many different devices connect to voice assistants, from your air purifier to your programmable shower. Because of this, voice assistants are one of the most important gadgets for health and wellness. On top of creating a connected household, the automation from these devices gives us time back into our days, and even just a little time back means for less stress and increased happiness.

Start creating the house of your dreams that allows you to improve your wellness at home with smart home tech. Not only does it simplify your life, it also helps you create a happier and healthier lifestyle. Investing in your health means investing in your future, and these health and wellness gadgets are a great way to start.

20 Best Health and Wellness Podcasts and Blogs for 2020

Listening to podcasts and reading blogs are both wonderful ways to explore and learn new information on the go. There are plenty of publications out there, but finding the right one for you doesn’t have to be difficult. Whether you’re looking for workout motivation, meditation, or facts about health, these podcasts will keep you happy, healthy, and refreshed going into the new year.

Best Health and Wellness Podcasts

10% Happier with Dan Harris

Dan Harris, an ABC newsman who had a panic attack on Good Morning America, used his experience to take up the practice of meditation in search of becoming 10% happier. This podcast interviews guests and aims to answer the question: Can you be an ambitious person and still strive for enlightenment (whatever that means)?

Ben Greenfield Fitness

This podcast covers fitness, nutrition, biohacking, fat loss, anti-aging and cutting-edge health advice from America’s top personal trainer, Ben Greenfield. This podcast features the latest research on health and wellness topics, how to optimize mind-body-spirit, and interviews with exercise, diet, and medical professionals to give a full picture of health.

Bulletproof Radio

The Bulletproof Radio podcast was started by Dave Asprey, the founder of Bulletproof Coffee. His podcast distills the knowledge of world-class MDs, biochemists, Olympic nutritionists, meditation experts in order to help listeners learn how to take control and improve your biochemistry, your body, and your mind so they work in unison.

The Doctor’s Kitchen Podcast

Covering a range of topics from the principles of healthy eating to how to prevent and treat illness, Dr. Rupy and his panel of experts draw on the latest research to give listeners actionable tips to help supercharge their health. This podcast is great for those wanting to learn more about how diet affects overall health.

Feel Better, Live More

Hosted by Dr. Chatterjee, this podcast aims to inspire, empower and transform the way we feel. Tune in to hear stories from leading health experts and exciting personalities who offer easy health life-hacks, give expert advice, and debunk common health myths giving listeners the tools needed to revolutionize how to eat, sleep, move, and relax.

The Goop Podcast

Gwyneth Paltrow and goop’s Chief Content Officer Elise Loehnen chat with a wide range of special guests – from doctors to creatives, CEOs to spiritual healers – about shifting old paradigms and starting new conversations. Listen to this podcast to learn about holistic and alternative approaches to medicine, fitness, nutrition, spirituality, and more.

The Rich Roll Podcast

Ultra-athlete, wellness evangelist, and world’s fittest vegan Rich Roll uses his master-class skills in personal and professional development to educate, inspire and empower listeners to unleash their best, most authentic self. Interviews with guests include topics in fitness, veganism, cooking, nutrition, and everything in between.

Sleep With Me: The Podcast

Sleep is integral to overall health, and this podcast aims to bore you to it. These bedtime stories for adults progressively becoming more boring to help calm the mind and wander off to sleep. Expect to find boring renditions of some of your favorite pop culture events, such as slow recaps of the recent episodes of current shows.

TEDTalks Health

From medical breakthroughs in cancer treatments and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to tips on what to ask your doctor and how to make healthy decisions, doctors and researchers share their discoveries about medicine and well-being. These podcast episodes are pulled from onstage TED conferences, TEDx events, and other global events.

Yogaland

Host Andrea Ferretti talks to insightful guests about yoga and the path of self-awareness. Her topics include how yoga is used in schools, how it rewires our brains, the nitty-gritty anatomy advice, the simple ways yoga helps us navigate emotions, and more. Yogaland provides weekly inspiration focusing on creating a happy, healthy, and meaningful life.

Best Health and Wellness Blogs

The Art of Healthy Living

Author Becky Stafferton provides a great resource for all things food, health, fitness, and beauty. From natural hair care to learning how to use water sustainably, Becky’s blog dives deeply into how to better your life from the inside out. Be sure to check out her food and product reviews to get real, honest takes on her experiences.

Clearlight Infrared Saunas Blog

From natural remedies to mental wellness tips, along with some helpful information on how infrared sauna use can improve your health. Backed by research and expert advice, our blogs aim to educate and entertain readers to a happier, healthier, and more natural life. Check in twice a month to find new health and wellness topics for the season.

Everyday Health

This blog is one of the most comprehensive and well-trusted sites for medical information. Helpful tools such as meal planners, symptom checkers, and calorie counters are offered alongside expert review of medical news and industry insights from writers who are in active clinical practice. Articles range from flu reports to healthy recipes.

Fit Foodie Finds

While the title of this blog may seem like it’s all about food, this site offers much more than that. CEO and founder Lee Funke has created an impressive catalogue of healthy recipes and has supplemented her message of balance with workout tips, travel and style guides, and wellness trends for a well-rounded and engaging health blog.

Healthline

Search for something health-related online, and you’re likely to see a Healthline blog show up in the results. Over 125 million visitors visit this blog every month for tips on medication, lifestyle, and general health news. Everything is written by health experts, meaning readers can feel confident in the information they are receiving.

Beautiful caucasian elegant businesswoman sitting in cafe, holding eyeglasses and using laptop.

MindBodyGreen

The founders of MindBodyGreen, Jason and Colleen Wachob, started this health and wellness blog as a way to document their journey toward living an organic and healthy life. After over a decade of producing content and building their brand, MindBodyGreen is a hub for all things related to holistic health, from natural beauty products to spirituality tips.

Mommypotamus

Traditional wisdom and modern research for smart, naturally-minded mamas – that’s the mantra of Mommypotamus. Heather Dessinger is behind this blog, and she makes sure to make her content applicable to both mamas and non-mamas. Stick around for her tips on beauty, health, natural home products, and more for a healthier life.

Naturally Savvy

This health and wellness blog focuses on how nutrition impacts many aspects in your life. From education on what you eat and which supplements you take to how to use natural ingredients as remedies for illness, Naturally Savvy stresses the importance of knowing how outside elements affect your body, and what you can do to counteract the negatives.

Well+Good

Well+Good does just as the blog name implies, it gives tips on wellness and how to experience good sweat, good looks, good advice, good food, good travel, and a good home. Writers Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula continue to grow their site to provide readers with tips and insights into recent health and wellness trends.

Wellness Mama

Similarly to Mommypotamus, Wellness Mama is geared toward mothers and families looking to live a life of health and wellness. Of course, these blogs can be used by anyone – mama or not. Founder Katie Wells aims to educate readers about the importance of natural living through the support of a team of researchers and medical advisors.

Be sure to download and subscribe to these health and wellness podcasts and blogs to stay up-to-date with trends, tips, and other exciting content. The wellness space is constantly growing and evolving, so having a list of the best health and wellness blogs and podcasts to follow will help keep you informed throughout the year to help you stay on top of your wellbeing.

How Infrared Saunas Help with Healthy New Year’s Resolutions

It’s no secret that infrared saunas have plenty of health benefits. It’s also no secret that New Year’s resolutions are easy to make but difficult to keep. This year, learn how to stick to your resolutions and kick off a healthier year! Read on to see how using an infrared sauna can help you achieve your healthy New Year’s resolutions, whether your goals are to “practice self care” or “lose weight.”

How to Keep New Year’s Resolutions with an Infrared Sauna

Lose Weight

The Benefit: Holiday dinners and sitting inside to avoid the cold are both contributors to feeling a little sluggish at the start of the new year. Having a goal to lose weight should be a long-term goal to ensure success and avoid disappointment from fad dieting. When you keep that mindset, you can begin to have healthy relationships with food and exercise to kick off your year of health and weight loss.

How an Infrared Sauna Helps: According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, regular use of a sauna imparts a similar boost on the cardiovascular system as running. As you relax in the gentle infrared heat, your body is hard at work producing sweat, pumping blood and burning calories. As your body increases sweat production to cool itself, your heart works harder to pump blood at a greater rate to boost circulation. This increase in your metabolism will burn calories.

Get in Shape

The Benefit: Getting in shape is one of the most popular healthy New Year’s resolutions, right after losing weight. This resolution is a great motivator, especially after a season of indulging. To keep up with this resolution, be sure to ease yourself into fitness and avoid burning out. Slowly increasing your activity will ensure you have a long-lasting resolution that you can actually stick to.

How an Infrared Sauna Helps: Using a sauna enhances the muscle recovery process after working out by increasing blood circulation and carrying oxygen-rich blood to oxygen-depleted muscle. Heat also allows muscles to relax better, thus relieving muscle tension. Saunas boost your cardiovascular, immune, and lymphatic systems to help detox the body for a better workout and speed up the process for getting in shape.

Person-Meditation-to-Practice-Health-in-the-New-Year

Meditate

The Benefit: Meditating is like your brain’s virus checker, detecting toxic stress and blocking its effects on your physical and emotional health. A 2013 study found that adults who were taught the basics of mindful meditation had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Meditation also allows you to connect more deeply with yourself emotionally.

How an Infrared Sauna Helps: The extreme heat that saunas promote relax your body. Making your sore muscles feel better. The sauna also gives you a moment in time where you can relax and do nothing. You just sit there and let your mind go off into whatever direction you want it to go. Since this naturally happens when you’re in a sauna, it makes it really easy to meditate.

Practice Self Care

The Benefit: When not making time for yourself, it is easier to become stressed and lose yourself. The importance of self care is focusing on bettering yourself from within by reducing stress, avoiding burnout, refocusing on tasks, boosting energy, decreasing physical ailments, recharging your mind, and balancing your emotions.

How an Infrared Sauna Helps: If you have an infrared sauna at home, have a 20-minute session to decompress. While going to a spa may be more expensive, the act of leaving the house feels like you are making time for yourself more than if you were to stay home. Spas offer services like massages and facials along with amenities such as saunas and steam rooms for the ultimate day of relaxation.

Couple-Keeping-New-Years-Resolutions-in-Sauna

Detoxify

The Benefit: If you feel like you may have indulged a little too much over the holidays, detoxification is a great, healthy New Year’s resolution to set for yourself. Whether you are detoxifying from a large meal, want to cut back on drinking, or are looking to quit smoking, detoxification can help your body be better suited for a lifetime of health.

How an Infrared Sauna Helps: Daily sauna sweating can help detoxify your body as it rids itself of accumulated highly toxic metals (lead, mercury, nickel, and cadmium) as well as alcohol, nicotine, sulfuric acid, and other organic and inorganic compounds.

Reduce Stress

The Benefit: A little pressure now and again won’t kill us; in fact, short bouts of stress give us an energy boost. But if stress is chronic, it can increase your risk of—or worsen— insomnia, depression, obesity, heart disease, and more. Reducing stress not only makes you happier in the short term, it also makes you healthier in the long term.

How an Infrared Sauna Helps: Just a few minutes in the gentle warmth of an infrared sauna will help you feel relaxed, rejuvenated, and renewed. Infrared Saunas have also been shown to affect the autonomic nervous system putting you in the parasympathetic (rest and digest) state allowing your body to heal and relax.

Get More Sleep

The Benefit: Getting an appropriate amount of sleep every night can help you in a variety of ways, such as reducing anxiety and depression, improving cognitive function, increasing motor functions, and preventing mood swings. It also aids in weight management.

How an Infrared Sauna Helps: The ability of your body to maintain and regulate its temperature is crucial to our daily life and the biological processes we depend on. From a sleep perspective, thermoregulation is affected when our melatonin production kicks in and plays a key role in regulating our sleep/wake cycles. By warming up in a sauna then exiting, the resulting cooling-off process tricks your brain into producing more melatonin and puts your body into sleep mode.

Keeping your healthy New Year’s resolutions won’t be difficult with these tips. All it takes for success is setting small and attainable goals that won’t burn you out – and adding in an infrared sauna to make the results just that much better! At the very least, resolutions or not, these tips will help keep you on your path toward a happier and healthier year.

Seasonal Affective Disorder Symptoms & Treatment

As winter settles in, many people unfortunately feel the winter blues settle in as well. If the cold weather and longer nights seem to be giving you the winter blues, you may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD. Learn more about SAD symptoms and remedies below.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons, typically starting in the late fall and early winter and going away during the spring and summer. Depressive episodes linked to the summer can occur, but are much less common than winter episodes of SAD.

Some researchers point to the fact that we may be hard-wired to experience the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder due to early human’s need to conserve energy during the food-scarce winter months. A lack of food and substantially colder temperatures may have caused our ancient relatives to go into a sort of hibernation mode, where a low mood and lack of desire to complete tasks may have been a life-saving temperament.

Other researchers talk about the depression that comes from the amount of serotonin in our systems. Melatonin production is essentially regulated by our circadian clocks, but it can be affected by exposure to bright light. Seasonal Affective Disorder is, by most accounts, a direct correlation to the amount of light we’re exposed to, and at what specific duration.

Seasonal Affective Disorder Statistics

SAD is diagnosed four times more often in women than men.
SAD is more frequent in people who live far north or south of the equator. For example, one percent of those who live in Florida and 9 percent of those who live in New England or Alaska suffer from SAD.
People with a family history of other types of depression are more likely to develop SAD than people who do not have a family history of depression.
The symptoms of depression may worsen with the seasons if you have one of these depression or bipolar disorder (but SAD is diagnosed only if seasonal depressions are the most common).
Younger adults have a higher risk of SAD than older adults. SAD has been reported even in children and teens.

Seasonal Affective Disorder Symptoms

Do the winter months get you down more than you think they should? If so, you might have seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is not considered as a separate disorder, instead it is a type of depression displaying a recurring seasonal pattern. People with SAD have many of the normal warning signs of major depression.

Symptoms of Major Depression

Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
Feeling hopeless or worthless
Having low energy
Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
Having problems with sleep
Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
Feeling sluggish or agitated
Having difficulty concentrating
Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide.

Symptoms of Winter-Pattern SAD

Low energy
Hypersomnia
Overeating
Weight gain
Craving for carbohydrates
Social withdrawal (feel like “hibernating”)

Symptoms of Summer-Pattern SAD

Poor appetite with associated weight loss
Insomnia
Agitation
Restlessness
Anxiety
Episodes of violent behavior

Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment

Infrared Sauna Use

Many of today’s better saunas come equipped with built-in lights that are designed to deliver a calming and therapeutic effect. This process of light therapy for SAD is called chromotherapy, and refers to the use of lights to create changes in mood in the person using the sauna. If you find that Seasonal Affective Disorder is a reality for you or a loved one, try to find time to get in an infrared sauna with LED color lights that can help in a variety of ways.

Light Therapy

Light therapy has been a mainstay of treatment for SAD since the 1980s. The idea behind light therapy is to replace the diminished sunshine of the fall and winter months using daily exposure to bright, artificial light. Symptoms of SAD may be relieved by sitting in front of a light box first thing in the morning, on a daily basis from the early fall until spring. Most typically, light boxes filter out the ultraviolet rays and require 20-60 minutes of exposure to 10,000 lux of cool-white fluorescent light, an amount that is about 20 times greater than ordinary indoor lighting.

Medication

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are used to treat SAD. The FDA has also approved the use of bupropion, another type of antidepressant, for treating SAD. As with other medications, there are side effects to SSRIs. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition. You may need to try several different antidepressant medications before finding the one that improves your symptoms without causing problematic side effects. Speak to a doctor if you believe you need medication for SAD treatment to find the right prescription for you.

Psychotherapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that is effective for SAD. Traditional cognitive behavioral therapy has been adapted for use with SAD (CBT-SAD). CBT-SAD relies on basic techniques of CBT such as identifying negative thoughts and replacing them with more positive thoughts along with a technique called behavioral activation. Behavioral activation seeks to help the person identify activities that are engaging and pleasurable, whether indoors or outdoors, to improve coping with winter.

Vitamin D

At present, vitamin D supplementation by itself is not regarded as an effective SAD treatment. The reason behind its use is that low blood levels of vitamin D were found in people with SAD. The low levels are usually due to insufficient dietary intake or insufficient exposure to sunshine. However, the evidence for its use has been mixed. While some studies suggest vitamin D supplementation may be as effective as light therapy, others found vitamin D had no effect.

If you feel you are suffering from seasonal affective disorder, speak with a doctor. While you can try infrared sauna use, light therapy, and increasing vitamin D levels on your own, a proper diagnosis and potential further SAD treatment may be necessary. Don’t suffer through the seasons!

What is Red Light Therapy? Benefits, Uses & More

What is red light therapy, and how is it beneficial to your health? Learn more about why you should include the practices of red light therapy and infrared light therapy into your regimen. From benefits and risks to the best way to use it, we have all your red light therapy tips and information here!

What is Red Light Therapy?

Beginning in the early 1990s as a tool to help grow plants in space, red light therapy, or RLT, is a technique used to help promote healthy cell growth and regeneration. Today’s practice of red light therapy extends to humans and can be used in the treatment of a wide range of issues such as skin conditions and wound healing. There are many ways to utilize this therapy by simply placing red light technology near your body, from light towers and saunas to handheld devices and face masks. Red light therapy can also be used to activate photosensitizing medications for photodynamic therapy.

Red light therapy works by using red low-level wavelengths of light to produce a biochemical effect in cells by penetrating approximately 5 millimeters below the skin’s surface. This effect helps strengthen the mitochondria and increase cell energy to improve performance of cells. Stronger cells increases productivity and effectiveness for proper rejuvenation and damage repair. Overall, the body uses these boosted cells to increase healing time and improve the condition of ailments caused by degenerative cells.

Risks of Red Light Therapy

No severe side effects are associated with RLT, and it is considered a safe and pain-free treatment. In the case of minor red light therapy side effects, some have reported headaches, irritability, and eye strain. The main cause of these red light therapy risks is the intense color or brightness of the light, which can be avoided by protecting your eyes during your RLT session and avoiding staring directly into the light.

If you suffer from bipolar disorder, consult with your doctor before pursuing red light therapy, as there have been a few, rare cases of RLT causing mania in bipolar patients.

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Red Light Therapy Benefits

Research on red light therapy benefits is still in the early phases, but current studies and anecdotal evidence show promise for the effectiveness of the treatment. Red light therapy can be used to help treat many conditions and improve overall health. Some of the main benefits of red light therapy include:

athletic performance	eyesight	mood
autoimmune diseases	hair growth	pain
brain disorders	healing	relaxation
cancer therapy side effects	heating	skin conditions
cellulite	hormone production	sleep
cognitive function	inflammation	tissue regeneration
detoxification	libido	weight loss

The use of red light therapy is especially popular amongst athletes seeking help for joint pain and inflammation, physical performance, and skin health. While many people begin RLT to target one symptom, they often find many other red light therapy benefits that make it worthwhile to add to their regular routine.

Clearlight-Red-Light-Therapy-Combines-Red-Light-and-Near-Infrared

Combining the Powers of Red Light and Infrared Therapies

Full spectrum infrared therapy involves using infrared waves to penetrate into the body. These waves promote healthy function of the body’s cells and in turn improve healing, circulation, and detoxification. Infrared heat therapy penetrates nearly 5 centimeters into the skin, making it a perfect therapy to use in conjunction with red light therapy that penetrates 5 millimeters. By combining the therapies, you allow multiple levels of your body to heal and rejuvenate.

Red light therapy and infrared therapy can easily be done together by including a red light device into an infrared sauna session for a comprehensive light therapy treatment. Simply turn on your red light therapy device as you enjoy a 15-20 minute infrared sauna session.

How to Use Red Light Therapy

For cosmetic applications, you can likely find RLT treatments at local gyms, spas, and tanning salons. For more targeted and thorough applications of red light therapy, it is recommended to visit a dermatologist. To treat serious medical conditions such as cancer, arthritis, and psoriasis, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your options.

You can also find FDA-approved devices for red light therapy at home, such as light wands, infrared saunas, masks, light therapy towers, and helmets. When doing red light therapy at home, make sure you follow your devices instructions carefully for optimal results and safe use. Whether you are trying RLT at home or with a professional, expect it to take a few sessions before seeing results.

Using red light therapy can be an incredible benefit in your life, and is an easy way to find relief for many ailments. With virtually no risk and high reward, using the powers of red light therapy and infrared therapy might be the right therapeutic path for you. If you have any concerns or more severe health issues, be sure to consult with your doctor for the right approach and treatment plan.