College for
Photomedicine
Photomedicine
The term "light" initially refers to what humans can see as light. This is a section of the entire electromagnetic radiation range. Our "light" can be divided up, the light then appears in its component colors from violet, blue, etc. to red. There are a number of physical laws for light. The smaller the wavelength (given in nanometers nm), the more energy it has. This is the case with ultraviolet light, for example.
As the name suggests, red light devices emit red light. We can see the light, it appears red. A characteristic from a human point of view ? it warms. This is why it is used therapeutically where warmth helps, for warming. Examples: for relaxation, tension, arthrosis, winter cold draws everything together, people like to warm themselves. The devices emit red light that is visible to our eyes. The limit wavelength up to which humans can see light, i.e. the eye can create images from it, is around 780 nm.
Humans can only see certain parts of the "red" light range, while animals can have other and broader ranges of perception.
The human eye can no longer see infrared light, IR light. The wavelength of this type of light starts at around 800 nm. The wavelength becomes increasingly longer. NIR, MIR, FIR are subcategories that further subdivide the wavelength of the light and stand for near IR light, mid-IR light and far IR light. There are also therapeutic applications and devices that use IR light. But notice ? You cannot see INFRArot.
If you are looking for a device for yourself or your pet, then you now know:
I can see red light, but not infrared light. Devices for 'red light therapy' often have light ranges that humans can still see, the red light. Some also have an infrared component. The manufacturers usually specify the light spectrum, e.g. 650 nm to 850 nm wavelength. Here you have red light and infrared light together. With better devices, you can select the wavelength. Simpler devices sometimes also emit violet to ultraviolet light components. This damages the eyes and also the skin. Protective goggles are then a must.
An incandescent lamp is an incandescent lamp. Due to poor energy efficiency, it is now justifiably disappearing. Its successor is the LED, the light-emitting diode. The light-emitting diode is a specific electronic component, nothing more. The term LED says nothing about the wavelength, power and the like.
So the LED is a laser? NO
An LED is a modern electronic component that is being used more and more today for all kinds of lighting. It can also be used for therapeutic purposes if it emits red light or IR light. The LED red light or LED ? IR therapy and these can be purchased. The price is reasonable.
Yay, I'm a laser therapist, some people might think after buying one. But STOP, no you're not. I am now an LED laser therapist? No, not that either.
So:
A mess –I was much smarter than my therapist, who wants to tell me that his laser was so expensive and doesn't want to rent or lend it to me.
What's finally going on with this laser?
A laser also emits light. It also contains a diode as a component. A very special laser diode, however. These are much more expensive than LED diodes.
Laser means: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation or 'light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation'. A laser is not just a light source, it is a light amplifier.
Lasers emit light of a very specific wavelength, exactly and only. This is called monochromatic, single color. The light of an LED diode is not quite that.
Light, whether from the sun, an incandescent lamp or an LED, is pretty much buzzing through the room, there is no particular order to it. Just like people in a pedestrian zone. They could even all be dressed the same, monochromatically. Nevertheless, they all go their own way. Coherence means that all the people in the pedestrian zone line up, everyone waits for each other and they all walk at the same pace. It's not so easy to translate this for the crowd. Especially not for light. So it's not surprising that it's not so easy to achieve. That's why a laser is so special. If passers-by were to walk in a coherent march, all in step, on an unstable bridge, it could start to sway because everyone would transmit the same beat to the bridge.
If the pedestrian zone were also hilly, for example, or if there were floors or a landscape of hills and valleys, then people would walk at different levels. If they were now polarized, everyone would only walk on one level. With lasers, the monochromatic and coherently tuned light is also polarized. With light, you can imagine it like a kind of 'keyhole': beforehand, the light is somehow whizzing around in disorder, after the polarization keyhole there would only be light that has adapted exactly to the contour of the light keyhole, which is the only way to get to the other side. From then on it stays that way.
The light that is laser is special. Beams of high-power and precision lasers sent from the earth can easily reach the moon. Because the properties are technically not so easy to achieve, a higher class laser is not cheap either. Lasers can also be used to cut materials precisely, take measurements or influence biochemical processes in cells, depending on how much power they have. For high-tech lasers, even more must be taken into account. One criterion is the power. One laser cuts through metal, another can support healing. Standards* classify lasers from 'non-hazardous', Class I to IV. Above a certain output power, safety goggles must be used.
Got it?
Genuine low-level therapy devices have a different, more specific effectiveness and are unfortunately also more expensive. They belong in the hands of trained professionals.
For therapeutic purposes, lasers with a low basic light output of class 3B, maximum IV, are used. With these types of laser, however, laser light can be harmful or dangerous, especially to the eyes, if used incorrectly. Safety goggles are therefore mandatory. Therapeutic lasers often work with light from the NIR spectrum, e.g. 808 nm.
What does this mean? Your eye cannot see the light. Indicator lights are often installed to check whether the device is on. Because you cannot check whether the laser diodes are working after a while, high-quality devices are regularly inspected. Devices for use on humans must be so-called medical products in Germany. This means that the manufacturer has a high obligation to provide evidence. Why use less quality for an animal?
Chatterers sell red light, IR red light or LED light therapy as low level laser therapy, LLLT, very questionable. Some large and very large online stores offer laser therapy devices, or what are supposed to be laser therapy devices, to consumers. If you read on, it may say safe and without side effects: Infrared light therapy adopts the principle of modern treatment with infrared light In plain language, it is not a laser. You are quickly misled. Pictures flash with red or colored beams of light illuminating a face or an animal. We understand that lasers can be used above a certain power, which is required for therapeutic applications, protective goggles and would you laser your pet's eyes? And there are also black sheep in specialist shops who sell LED light therapy devices under the category of low-level laser therapy. Unbelievable really, but that's how it is.
Perhaps the dealer doesn't know the difference?
Therefore – Keep an eye out for therapy devices ? or ask experts
Remember: Red light – IR LED ? Laser is not the same thing