What does your morning routine look like? Do you wake up and immediately reach for the coffee? Do you start your day with a warm shower? Do you head to the medicine cabinet and take a few painkillers to help with those morning aches?
The unfortunate fact is that many people start their day off with pain. For some, the pain might be due to going a little too hard in the gym the day before. For others, it might be from arthritis or another chronic condition.
Whatever the cause, there’s no denying that taking NSAIDs (or Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can help to manage the pain. But did you know that there’s another option out there that can be just as effective, without any of the risks?
You guessed it, we’re talking about red light therapy. So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at NSAIDs vs red light therapy and see the key differences between the two.
What are NSAIDs?
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (or NSAIDs) are a type of medication that can be used to relieve pain, inflammation, and fever. But how exactly do they work?
There are several types of NSAIDs, including Ibuprofen (Advil), Naproxen (Aleve), and Aspirin. They inhibit certain chemical reactions in the body that cause inflammation and pain, which we’ll discuss in further detail later…
It’s thought that NSAIDs are one of the most common medications taken worldwide, and it’s estimated that around 15% of the American population regularly takes NSAIDs (including those that are available over the counter and prescription strength).
Not only that, but a recent Harvard Medical School article states that approximately 30 billion doses are consumed annually. (1)
The Dark Side Of NSAIDs
While there is no doubt that NSAIDs can be very effective in managing pain, there are some dark sides to them as well. First of all, they can cause some unpleasant side effects, such as:
- Upset stomach
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Allergic reactions
Aside from the ongoing opioid crisis, another major concern with pain medications is the risk of serious, and even fatal, side effects.
In fact, it may shock you to discover that NSAIDs are responsible for more deaths than road traffic accidents and twice as many deaths as from asthma or cervical cancer. (2)
Aside from fatalities, an in-depth report by the British Journal of General Practice looked at the risks associated with taking NSAIDs and found some pretty alarming results including the fact that all NSAIDs increase the risk of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, heart attacks, and strokes from the first day of use.
Another study from the European Journal of Rheumatology found that NSAIDs, while able to alleviate inflammation, may damage the articular cartilage of the knee. (3)
The other problem with NSAIDs, as we mentioned, is the fact that they inhibit the chemicals responsible for pain and inflammation. Whilst this sounds like a good thing, these are actually important molecules that help your body to heal.
So, when you take an NSAID, you’re actually prolonging the time it takes for your injured tissues to heal, as these chemicals are no longer able to do their job.
The bottom line is that although NSAIDs can alleviate pain, regular use can result in more harm than good.
Pain Relief Without The Side Effects?
So, what can you do for pain relief if NSAIDs are off the table? Luckily for you, we’ve got you covered!
Red light therapy is an alternative pain relief method that can not only reduce the pain that you’re in, but it can promote real healing and strengthen damaged tissue at the same time!
Unlike NSAIDs, red light therapy is non-invasive, drug-free, and doesn’t come with any side effects.
What it does do, however, is stimulate the mitochondria (the energy powerhouses) in your cells to increase energy production, allowing your body to heal itself.
We know that sounds too good to be true, but red light therapy has been clinically proven to be effective for treating a wide variety of conditions, including:
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Joint pain
- Sports injuries
How Exactly Does Red Light Therapy Work?
Red light therapy works by using natural and harmless red light wavelengths to permeate deep into the skin’s layers, where it’s then absorbed by the mitochondria.
This process then triggers a series of reactions that leads to the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and a boost in collagen production. The ATP then becomes the fuel that your cells need to repair themselves naturally.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body and provides support to your bones and cartilage. In other words, when collagen production is increased it can aid in the healing of damaged tissue such as bones and cartilage!
So whereas NSAIDs can cause the breakdown of cartilage, red light therapy is able to not only relieve the pain that you’re experiencing, but it can also help the cartilage to heal!
And in case you wanted to know more about the science behind how red light therapy works, we’ve got you covered there too! Check out our article ‘Red Light Therapy For Pain Relief: What You Need To Know‘ for a more in-depth look at the process, and as always, we’ll link to all the scientific studies for you there as well!
The Takeaway
So what’s the takeaway from all of this? Well, we’re not telling you to ditch your pain medication entirely (it’s better to consult with your medical practitioner on this), but we are saying that red light therapy is a safe and effective way to find pain relief, and it comes with little to no side effects!
And whilst red light therapy has been shown to be effective for treating pain, it can be extremely costly if you’re having to go in for multiple treatments at a physical therapist’s office every week.
That is, until now…
Here at Kineon (formerly Reviiv Light), we have spent the last few years bringing the healing power of red light therapy to the comfort of your own home, in an affordable way.
We have carefully engineered our red light therapy devices to ensure that they can deliver exactly the right dose of pain-relieving, healing light wavelengths that you need, without the 5-figure price tag.
We use a combination of red (660 nm) and near-infrared (808nm) light wavelengths, which have been scientifically proven to be the most effective for pain relief.
