Red light therapy with Regenerative Therapies
Managing discomfort and injury has centered around pharmaceuticals and surgeries for decades. However, as modern research develops, new and exciting therapies backed by science and clinical outcomes are showing incredible healing benefits with the right approach.
“It takes the batteries out of the smoke detector, but the fire in the kitchen is still burning.”
“NSAIDs and steroids block pain but accelerate tissue degradation.” - Dr. Clement Lee
As regenerative medicine evolves, cutting-edge therapies once limited to high-end settings are now becoming more readily accessible to those looking for natural, non-invasive recovery tools. Red light therapy (RLT) has gained significant traction, with thousands of scientific studies supporting its effectiveness. When combined with complementary regenerative therapies such as peptides, methylene blue, PRP, stem cells, and oxygen-based therapies, the result can be astonishing.
In our recent webinar with Dr. Clement Lee and Kineon co-founder Forrest Smith, we discussed the amazing synergy between red light therapy and regenerative therapies. One thing seems clear: when these therapies are combined, their beneficial effects are enhanced.
Whether you’re seeking anti-aging benefits or managing chronic joint pain, understanding how these therapies can be combined is the key to unlocking faster recovery. Here’s our detailed breakdown from our recent webinar.
What is Red Light Therapy?
Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, uses low-level wavelengths of red and near-infrared light to stimulate natural cellular healing processes. The mitochondria, known as the energy powerhouses of our cells, are at the center.
As light is absorbed by our cells, the increase in cytochrome c oxidase, a key enzyme in the electron transport chain, boosts the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This energy-containing molecule fuels most cellular processes, including cell growth, repair, and the inflammatory responses.
Dr. Clement Lee explains:
“Red light therapy enhances mitochondrial function by stimulating the electron transport chain. You’re essentially giving the cells an energetic kickstart that helps accelerate recovery at the tissue level.”
Some of the science-backed benefits of RLT include:
- Improved blood flow
- Enhanced tissue repair and regeneration
- Reduced swelling and discomfort in the target area
- Enhanced joint strength and mobility
- Better exercise performance
As a non-invasive, drug-free recovery tool, RLT provides an ideal complementary aid for regenerative therapies.
What are Regenerative Therapies?
Regenerative therapies are treatments designed to stimulate our body’s natural healing processes. They work by delivering biologically active substances to the affected tissues, including tendons, joints, ligaments, and cartilage. The primary aim is to repair, regenerate, and strengthen damaged tissues alongside reducing symptoms.
These are some of the therapies we discussed in our recent webinar:
- Peptides — Short-chain amino acid injections that signal tissue repair, angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels), and modulate swelling and discomfort. Common ones include BPC and TB-500.
- Methylene Blue — A salt that acts on the cell’s mitochondria to improve energy production. It may be taken orally, sublingually, or injected.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections — Take biological material from the body and inject it at the site of injury to stimulate natural regeneration processes.
- Ozone therapy — Applies ozone gas directly into tissues and joints to enhance oxygenation and improve immune system responses.
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) — Exposes the body to 100% oxygen at high pressure to saturate tissues and stimulate healing processes.
Some of the potential ways of using regenerative therapies include:
- Joint discomfort
- Ligament and tendon injuries
- Anti-aging
- Enhancing performance
- Degenerative diseases (arthritis)
- Post-surgical healing
Regenerative therapies are certainly powerful in their own right. However, red light therapy can be used to enhance their effects.
Combining red light therapy with Regenerative Therapies
There’s no doubt that both RLT and regenerative therapies are powerful recovery tools. However, the true potential seems to be in their combined effects. Dr. Clement Lee, a leading integrative medicine practitioner, had this to say about the powerful synergy:
“We're seeing it clinically. Patients do get noticeable improvements in terms of their pain and the amount of treatments that they'll need and they just heal faster”
Stacking targeted RLT with regenerative therapies like peptides and methylene blue allows practitioners to dramatically accelerate natural healing repair and recovery processes. The overlap in biological pathways, particularly in the mitochondria, helps the body tissue to regenerate and recover faster, reducing discomfort and optimizing function.
Table 1 – Regenerative Therapies And How Red Light Therapy Can Enhance Them
|
Regenerative Therapy |
What It Does |
How Red Light Therapy Can Help |
|
Peptides (BPC, TB-500) |
Injects short-chain amino acids that stimulate tissue repair, angiogenesis, and modulate discomfort |
Supports tissue-specific healing and improves mitochondrial activity to enhance peptide activity |
|
Methylene blue |
Stimulates the cell’s mitochondria to improve energy production |
Further boosts mitochondrial activity by increasing ATP energy production |
|
PRP and Stem cell injections |
Injects your biological material into the affected areas to stimulate natural repair processes |
|
|
Ozone therapy |
Applies ozone gas to tissues and joints to enhance oxygenation |
Enhances mitochondrial activity and boosts oxygen utilization |
|
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) |
Exposes the body to 100% oxygen at a high pressure to saturate tissues and stimulate healing |
Works alongside HBOT to oxygenate and energize mitochondria |
Enhanced Cellular Energy Production
Red light therapy boosts mitochondrial ATP energy production. This creates the ideal healing environment, particularly when using regenerative peptide therapies and PRP. Both of these work by stimulating cellular repair. With RLT increasing cellular energy and oxygen levels, the affected cells can carry out their repair and regeneration processes more efficiently.
“You're hyperoxidizing your tissues... and in the presence of oxygen, your mitochondria work more efficiently. So you're able to get better pain reduction, better stem cell activation.” - Dr Clement Lee
“PRP... it does its job. But the cool thing about it is if you add in light, it does it even better.” - Dr. Clement Lee
Reduced Swelling and Discomfort
Red light therapy modulates cytokine production seen during injury, helping to reduce the swelling and discomfort following injury. While regenerative injections promote direct healing, swelling and discomfort may slow down the process.
Combining these treatments can help create a better environment at and around the injury site, helping to reduce discomfort while speeding up the body's natural healing responses. This can also reduce the subsequent recovery time, minimizing the need for NSAID medications.
“There’s no one magic pill for your ill.” – Dr. Clement Lee
Targeted Needle-free Healing
Some regenerative therapies, for example, peptides and PRP, require needles for systemic or localized delivery. However, RLT provides a needle-free way to ‘direct traffic.’
“Rather than putting a needle in there, you can do something that's non-invasive that directs traffic to that region.” - Dr. Clement Lee
Using red light therapy at the affected area can help clinicians to localize systemic therapies like peptides and methylene blue. This helps to enhance patient comfort and improve the precision and effectiveness of these regenerative tools.
Improved Synergistic Actions
Red light therapy works at the surface-level tissue and in deeper-level cells in the affected area. This effect on cellular signalling pathways overlaps with those activated by regenerative therapies. Combining tools that enhance circulation and mitochondrial activity, such as methylene blue, provides a powerful synergistic effect.
“There’s a really powerful synergistic effect if you can plan it properly… what we're doing with each of these is trying to remove a bottleneck for mitochondrial production of energy.” - Forrest Smith (Kineon co-founder)
What we’re saying is that red light therapy allows regenerative therapies to reach their full potential, especially when used together correctly. We’ll talk about this more in the next section.
A practical guide to using red light therapy with Regenerative Therapies
Combining red light therapy with regenerative therapies may sound daunting, but it's surprisingly easy with the right approach. Whether you’re using it at home or in a clinical setting, here’s how to correctly integrate them to maximize their effectiveness and improve recovery.
Red light therapy timing and positioning
Red light therapy stimulates the surface and surrounding tissues to improve blood flow and enhance natural healing processes. Regenerative injections work from the inside out, directly targeting the affected area.
- Red light therapy can be applied 30-60 minutes before regenerative injections to improve oxygenation and blood flow. This can help prepare the area and improve the treatment response.
- Red light therapy can be used after regenerative therapies to aid the natural healing response and reduce the potential swelling and discomfort. This should be done daily when using the Move+ to maximize results.
Ensure that the RLT device is positioned directly against the skin at the affected area without barriers such as clothing.
Stacking Red Light Therapy with Regenerative Therapies
The correct way to stack RLT with regenerative therapies depends on the specific one used. One of the biggest advantages of using them is the ease with which they fit together.
“If you already have a hyperbaric chamber and don’t have access to ozone, that’ll work just as well… Just have the patient wear the [Kineon device] while they’re in the hyperbaric. Why not?” - Dr. Clement Lee
When using methylene blue, Dr Lee advised that dosing should start low and be adjusted based on tolerance.
“Methylene blue can go anywhere from 1mg to 10mg… Around 10 milligrams is pretty reasonable… Every person will have their sweet spot.”
Safety and ease of use are vital when using red light therapy at home. While not formally tested, Kineon released an official statement regarding the use of the MOVE+ device with hyperbaric chambers.
“The Move+ has not been formally tested for use in hyperbaric chambers. However, there are no known product components that would be at risk in a chamber up to 1.5 ATA. Many users, including our CEO, have successfully used the Move+ in hyperbaric chambers without issue.”
If you’re unsure about how to stack RLT with regenerative therapies, it's always best to consult a qualified healthcare specialist. They’ll be able to discuss your treatment plan in detail and how RLT can be successfully integrated based on your condition.
