Light heals. People have been reporting mood benefits from being exposed to sun lamps that simulate sunlight during winter for years now. Groundbreaking scientific researches have been carried out and have revealed that exposure to light of the visible spectrum offers other benefits as well. For instance, nowadays, patients are using green light therapy to treat migraines and certain skin conditions that they suffer from. But is green light therapy truly effective and safe?
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Migraine Prevention
According to the scientific research conducted by the University of Arizona Health Sciences research team, green light therapy has the potential to prevent migraines. The UA researchers worked with 29 people who achieved no success with traditional migraine therapies. To derive benefits from the green light therapy, the green light that you are exposed to has to be emitted at a certain intensity, and frequency, and you have to receive the proper amount of exposure according to the research. So, not just any green light will do.
The study found that on average, there was a 60% reduction in headaches in patients on a monthly basis as a result of green light therapy. Participants also reported no side effects, the results of the study showed. However, there is more to discover, according to Dr. Mohab Ibrahim, who led the UA study, and who stated that this is a starting point. He is looking to further research the possibilities of reducing pain in patients who have other neurological conditions. Dr. Ibrahim has hopes that green light therapy will help HIV and fibromyalgia patients in relieving their chronic pain.
Green light is not the only light therapy that helps in reducing pain. Red light has also been found to reduce pain. Read more in the article about using light therapy for pain. What Is Yellow Light Therapy Used For? Click to learn more.
Hyperpigmentation Treatment
Hyperpigmentation is a skin condition that causes light and dark spots on your skin. The most common types of hyperpigmentation are age spots and freckles. Green light can be effectively used in the treatment of hyperpigmentation and has proven benefits according to the professionals from the Heliotherapy Research Institute. The green light that is used removes the melanin in the selected areas without damaging other tissue in the area. This treatment’s effectiveness has been confirmed by several studies and the green light therapy has also demonstrated its efficiency in curing rosacea.
Dermatologists are using light to mitigate an array of skin problems. Both red and blue light have been found to be effective in reducing acne, for example. See Our Good Living Formula (OGLF) article on red light therapy benefits in acne treatment.
Does Green Light Reduce Stress?
There seem to be mixed reviews on whether green light induces or disrupts sleep, or whether it has calming effects. The Time magazine’s article entitled ”The Healing Power of Nature” reveals that the color green evokes a feeling of natural connection and is associated with nature. Japanese researchers found that spending time in nature has clinically therapeutic effects on people. The benefits that people experience from being in nature are minimized levels of stress, lower blood pressure, and reduced depression and anxiety. These benefits, however, arise from being in nature rather than being exposed to green light.
Science Daily reported that exposure to green light caused mice to fall asleep faster than their exposure to blue or violet light. Furthermore, another study found a possible tie between the response to green light and the level of melanopsin, a photopigment in the eyes. Mice with lower levels of melanopsin fell asleep faster when exposed to the blue light, according to the research.
Current research does not conclusively prove that green light calms the mind or that it promotes sleep.
Risks
While the green light therapy devices do not generate heat and the study mentioned earlier did not report any side effects, there are possible risks.
According to the specialists’ findings in Heliotherapy Research, green light therapy involves certain levels of risk. Green light therapy could have adverse effects on the following groups of people:
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Epileptics
- People with photo allergies
- People who take drugs that cause photosensitivity
- Skin cancer patients
There is also a possibility of retinal damage, depending on light intensity. For this reason, a patient who is undergoing green light therapy should wear tinted glasses.
That being said, there are fewer side effects of green light overall than red light. Red light therapy can cause headaches, eyestrain, and irritability. Read more about the Red Light Therapy Side Effects here. Red light produces heat, so there are more risks of damage to your eyes and skin while receiving red light therapy.
Conclusion
To sum up, many studies have shown that green light therapy reduces migraine pain, hyperpigmentation, and rosacea. Green light therapy treatment is becoming more common as it is non-invasive and reduces the need for pain medication, which are some of its major benefits. Additionally, green light therapy is a safe and effective treatment that can be done at home using light therapy lamps and masks.
