BENEFITS + USAGE INFORMATION

SHOULD I WEAR SUN PROTECTION?

While it is not necessary, if it makes you comfortable to do so, go right ahead. In fact, red light therapy is shown in multiple clinical trials to improve eyesight/health. So if you are looking for a boost in vision, we suggest you slowly allow your eyes to adjust to your device. You can safely remove your contact lenses and glasses as well. Please note that the LEDs are in fact very bright, and staring into any bright light can prove problematic for you eyes. So do not stare directly into the light. If you have any pre existing eye condition, or have just undergone LASIK surgery, you may experience more sensitivity which we would recommend eye protection for.

WHAT TYPE OF CLOTHES SHOULD I WEAR?

The answer is… None! The less the better, most people use red light therapy in the nude. Remember that coverage is an important factor, and the more the better. Obviously, if you are in a situation that requires you to keep your clothes on, please do so. You will still get the benefits from what skin is exposed.


If you have any further questions, please refer to our RESOURCES guide, if you want to look at more studies regarding specific topics. You may also reach out to us via EMAIL at info@myatapa.com


The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only. ATaPa makes no representation and assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained on or available through this web site, and such information is subject to change without notice. You are encouraged to confirm any information obtained from or through this web site with other sources, and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician. NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE. 


ATaPa does not recommend, endorse or make any representation about the efficacy, appropriateness or suitability of any specific tests, products, procedures, treatments, services, opinions, health care providers or other information that may be contained on or available through this web site. ATaPa IS NOT RESPONSIBLE NOR LIABLE FOR ANY ADVICE, COURSE OF TREATMENT, DIAGNOSIS OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION, SERVICES OR PRODUCTS THAT YOU OBTAIN THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.



HOW DOES LIGHT AFFECT YOUR LIFE?

If you did a quick search on the studies done on the effects of different wavelengths of light and the impact it had on our biology, you would be amazed by the thousands of different references ranging from good to bad. The field of Light as a form of therapeutic treatment is called photobiomodulation, or, Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT).


Photobiomodulation has been used for many years on sports injuries, arthritic joints, neuropathic pain syndromes, back and neck pain, and autoimmune disorders. Over 700 randomised clinical trials have been published on Photobiomodulation alone, over half of which are on pain.


Would it surprise you to know that Light plays an important role in your health? Would it also surprise you to know that americans are spending up to 93% of their life indoors? Could this be the reason why americans are becoming more and more sick?Could this be why we feel better at the beach? After we go for a walk outside?What is it about getting a tan that drives people to sacrifice their time, money, and energy just to spend a few hours under that great nuclear reactor in the sky we call our sun? 


But not just any light will do that. In fact, most of the light that we are surrounded by on a daily basis does more harm than good. A Google search will give you hundreds of different resources on the damaging effects of fluorescent lights and the negative impact it has on our biology. And it doesn’t stop there, what about the constant source of blue light that we get from LED screens. You know… your mobile phone, laptop, tablet, and T.V.But this is only one aspect of the equation. It’s not just about what kind of light you’re exposing yourself to, but also when. 


You see, humans have evolved throughout millions of years to be in sync with our environment. It wasn’t until the early 2,000’s that everyone had cell phones, and only by the late 1990s did almost 98 percent of U.S. homes have at least one television set, and those sets were on for an average of more than seven hours a day.


And almost 30 against millions of years of evolution is no more than a blink of an eye. Our biology is not equipped, or able to handle the drastic, and dangerous effects of excessive “Junk Light” from Blue lit LED screens at all hours of the day. 


Excessive blue light disrupts are circadian rhythm, which has been linked to things like alzheimer's disease [1], and cancer [2]. Which are among the top 5 killers in the U.S. Not only that, but with mental illness becoming a bigger problem every single day, it also isn't shocking that circadian rhythm disturbances are shown to create mood disorders [3]. So the more we stare into our mobile devices, T.V’s, tablets, and computers at night, the more we play with fire and run the risk of disrupting our biological clock (circadian rhythm). 



WHAT CAN YOU DO?

BLOCK THE BLUE

The first thing we can do is limit all blue light exposure after sunset or at least 2 hours before bed. This will ensure that you're not hindering the natural process of melatonin secretion. This is one for the reasons why blue blockers, or, if you're really serious, red tinted glasses are becoming more and more popular because they block the junk light. You should also consider wearing blue blockers anytime you're indoors under artificial light even before sunset. 


INFRARED LIGHT THERAPY 

Another action you can take in order to upgrade your Light game would be to invest in a Red Light Therapy device. Red Light Therapy devices work great because they increase cellular energy by giving your mitochondria a boost in ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) production. For those of you who don't know, your Mitochondria are what produce cellular energy, and consider ATP to be something like energy currency for your cells; the more the merrier. While mitochondria are efficient in taking the food we eat and converting it into ATP, not everyone knows that your mitochondria also run on Infrared light. So it can be said that your body is fueled by both food and sunlight. Let's summarize this by saying, the more healthy your mitochondria are, the slower you age and the easier it is for your body to run in an optimal state. This of course, is a MAJOR game changer. This provides a whole list of benefits which you can find on our blog post about “How does Red Light Therapy work?” Here. 


MORE SUNLIGHT!

Another action you can take is finding time to get more sunlight! Duh! As stated earlier, getting enough sunlight is critical in terms of overhealth. Sunlight is what helps trigger vitamin D production, which almost 42% of the population is deficient in. A study posted in the national library of medicine states


 “Vitamin D3 deficiency can result in obesity, diabetes, hypertension, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoporosis and neuro-degenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin D deficiency may even contribute to the development of cancers, especially breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Current research indicates vitamin D deficiency plays a role in causing seventeen varieties of different cancers as well as heart disease, stroke, autoimmune diseases, birth defects, and periodontal disease”[4]. 


Some people will tell you that you can just take vitamin D in supplement form and that everything will be squared away, however, this isn't the case. Only sunlight can activate vitamin D within you to give you Vitamin D sulfate. So you can only get the full spectrum of benefits from Vitamin D with direct sunlight. Some people also shy away from the sun because of the fear of skin cancer, which is understandable because there is in fact a direct correlation between UV rays and cancer [5]; but we have to understand that getting the perfect amount of sunshine for ourselves is like taking the right dose of medicine. It's also important to note hear that unexposed skin that rarely sees the sun is at a higher risk of skin cancer. So the more you take time to expose your skin to sunlight, the less at risk you are. So what's a healthy dose of sunshine? Between 10-20 minutes on as much exposed skin as possible; every day. You can experience benefits like a greater mood thanks to the release of endorphins, better blood flow from greater Nitric Oxide levels, greater testosterone levels, + a lot more.


SUN IN THE AM/DARKNESS

Another quick and easy way to sync your circadian rhythm is to make sure that when you wake up in the morning, that you allow your eyes to receive sunlight. This means waking up, stepping outside, and looking up into the sky for a while. This doesn't mean that you should be staring directly into the sun, but allowing your eyes to absorb light early in the day/afternoon will help increase melanin production which will help protect your skin from the sun and give you more energy.


In contrast to making sure you expose your eyes to sunlight during the morning/afternoon, allow your eyes to embrace complete and total darkness at night. These will effect tiny receptors in your eyes called melanopsin, which act as circadian rhythm controllers. Here is why this is crazy cool… Photoreception refers to mechanisms of light detection that lead to vision which depend on specialized light-sensitive cells called photoreceptors; which are located in the eye. It is well established that the photoreceptors (The cells in our eyes that respond to light), are not required for circadian photoreception [6]. This is why you can be blind and still have a healthy circadian rhythm, because it has nothing to do with visual sight. Its these tiny receptors called melanopsin which act as circadian controllers which become more healthy when we embrace total darkness at night. This is another major reason to avoid all “junk light” at night if we want to maintain eye health. 


So those are some simple yet profound ways that Light can affect your life. If you're interested in taking your Light game to the next level, check out our store for high quality, safe, and effective Infrared Light Therapy panels. Not only are they powerful, and come in many different sizes depending upon your goals, but they're also the most reasonably priced LED infrared light therapy panels in the market. 

THIS IS WHY WE CHOOSE ATAPA'S


[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5015754/ 
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5694588/ 
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068797/ 
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6209927/ 
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14500998

HOW DOES RED LIGHT THERAPY WORK?


Red Light Therapy is gaining more and more popularity these days and for good reason. There are thousands of different studies that have been done on the therapeutic applications of Infrared light, and we have only just scratched the surface. What is it about Infrared light that provides us with so many benefits? How could something as simple as sitting in front of a Red Light change our lives for the better?

The answer lies within your cells, your mitochondria to be exact. Your mitochondria are tiny structures within your cells that have evolved to be the powerhouse, or energy factories of the cell. They are almost like a cellular digestive system that takes in nutrients from the food we eat, breaks them down, and produces energy for your cells. This process of energy creation is called cellular respiration. Not only do our cells produce energy from the food we eat, but also from the light we absorb. The energy we produce from this act of cellular respiration is called ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate), this has also been referred to as the “energy currency” of life. Only certain wavelengths of light have been proven to be effective at producing more ATP. These wavelengths of light happens to be red light at 660nm, and near infrared light at 850nm (which happens to be invisible to the human eye, and also the wavelengths your ATaPa device are calibrated too). So as you absorb these specific wavelengths of light, you're creating more power for your cells to thrive. 

Remember, your cells run on ATP. without ATP your cells lose their energy source and begin to degenerate. This is where the Red and Near infrared plays a huge role. 
Not all light is created equal. (This gets heavy for a second, hang with us)

However, there is more to this game of ATP production. Researchers in photobiomodulation have found that In the 4th phase of cellular respiration, certain wavelengths of red and near infrared light have an amazing ability at activating an enzyme called Cytochrome C- Oxidase (CCO). What does this mean?

Our cells will produce excessive Nitric Oxide (N.O) as a byproduct of cellular stress, which will bind to CCO and ultimately halt the normal production of ATP. This is NOT good. In short, cellular stress produces too much N.O which binds to C.C.O and stops ATP production. No ATP, no energy. This is where red light and near infrared light comes in. Those specific wavelengths of light mentioned earlier (Red 660nm and Near infrared 850nm) do an amazing job at breaking that bond between N.O and C.C.O during that last phase of cellular respiration. This allows oxygen to bond with NADH, restoring the normal pathway for hydrogen ions to create the potential for ATP. This is how light charges your cellular batteries. This is why light is an important and powerful signal, just as important as food, and in today's modern world were getting just as much junk light as were are getting junk food. 

 This act of cellular respiration is the most important job the mitochondria have, and in each cell there could be anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand mitochondria within your cells. It is shown that by weight, up to 10% of the human body is mitochondria, from this point of view; you could say there is indeed power in numbers.

There is also a medical theory called the “mitochondrial Theory of Aging”, which argues that aging and any of the diseases that are associated with it, is caused by a slow degeneration in the quality of our mitochondria. This theory exists because during the period of cellular respiration where the mitochondria burn up the food we eat using the oxygen we breathe, free radicals are created which attack adjacent structures including the DNA within the nucleus. This happens daily and the repair happens quickly without us feeling the true effects of it. However, when the quality of our mitochondria become compromised, and we produce less energy (ATP), the damage from free radicals reaches a threshold and cells begin to die. This process is what's said to be the process of aging, and the cause of many degenerative diseases. This is but one more reason why Red and Near infrared light are amazing for anti-aging purposes. 

So now that you know the important role your mitochondria play in your life, how do our ATaPa Red Light Therapy devices work? 

Our devices work by using medical grade LEDs to deliver red and near infrared light at clinically proven wavelengths to your cells. These natural wavelengths of light penetrate your skin without the excess heat or dangerous UV rays. We offer multiple models for both targeted use and full body light therapy. Obviously, the more coverage the better, but regardless of size, its where the light hits and your reason for pointing it there that matters. 

The Red Light sweet spot.

As mentioned earlier, not just any light will prove beneficial to your cells. In this case, its red light at 660nm, and near infrared light at 850nm (which also accounts for up to 40% of all sunlight) that come with all the benefits. This is why we suggest light therapy as opposed to infrared heat lamps which are becoming more and more popular. Heat lamps have their place, but don't come anywhere near the amount of benefits that come from light itself. You can read more about heat lamps HERE. 

Red light at 660nm helps add more electrons to your body and is more readily absorbed by your skin; leading to better skin health and greater collagen production. Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body and assists in keeping your hair, skin, nails, and fascia healthy. Red light at 660nm has also been shown to increase the healing time of wounds, improve mental clarity, improve the appearance of scar tissue, improving oral care, and even the reversal of hair loss. 

Near infrared light at 850nm which is outside the visible light spectrum, penetrates much deeper within your body; as much as 4 inches! This makes near infrared light perfect at reducing joint pain and increasing muscle recovery times after intense workouts. It also helps with detoxification, structuring the water in your cells, DNA repair, cellular regeneration, reduces body fat, improves circulation, reduces inflammation, and increases energy. In short, Near infrared activates the mitochondrial healing systems. 

This is what makes the combination of red and near infrared light absolutely amazing, protecting you from early onset mitochondrial dysfunction. Let us also not fail to mention that red and near infrared light can improve sexual performance in both men and women. It has also shown to improve testosterone protection, improve mood disorders, autoimmune dysfunctions + so much more!

This makes Red Light Therapy an absolute no brainer for most. Getting the benefits is as easy as turning your ATaPa red light therapy device on, doing whatever you wish in front of it, and to begin enjoying the benefits. Remember to keep as much as your skin exposed as possible. If you already have your red light therapy device, you can find out how to get the best use out of it HERE. Whole body light therapy is ideal because everything in your body requires energy which is produced by your mitochondria in order to work. So by directly affecting our mitochondria, we increase our energy production and everything improves as a result. You will also find that the warm red lights give you a relaxing sensation, and act as the perfect light the do work in front of, exercise with, shower, or even sit in front of the T.V with. Simply put, these Red Light Therapy devices are the best way to take your life to the next level in every way.