How to Boost Your Immune System

Last updated: April 2025

Much like a plant, the human body reacts positively to light. When the skin comes into contact with light, it absorbs energy, providing your body with a variety of benefits. Red light at specific wavelengths can provide supplementary deep tissue benefits as a result of stimulating the mitochondria. The trick to taking advantage of light exposure is to isolate the most helpful, but least harmful wavelengths, which is where red light therapy comes into play.

Red light therapy uses high-power LEDs to saturate your body with specific wavelengths of light between 630 and 700 nanometers. LLLT (Low-Level Laser Therapy) penetrates the skin to a depth of 8-10 millimeters (⅓”), where it interacts with mitochondria to create a chain reaction including: • Stimulation of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) production: Allows cells to function more optimally and fight infections. • Increase in new capillaries: Improves blood flow to bring nutrients to cells and remove toxic waste. • Reduction of cell apoptosis: More cells are available to educate immune cells in the thymus and bone marrow. • Improvement of thyroid health: Restoring normal thyroid activity positively affects immune cell activity. • Liver regeneration: Helps the liver process nutrients and toxins. • Stimulation of the lymphatic system. • Activation of stem cells. • Decreased inflammation. • Increased melatonin production. • Better moods.

The immune system’s job is to keep you healthy by preventing or limiting infection by identifying and destroying harmful pathogens like viruses and bacteria. When harmful cells are identified, the body dispatches white blood cells to destroy them.

White blood cells are the warriors of the immune system. Key types include: • NK cells: Target tumor cells and viruses. • B cells: Create antibodies to signal for destruction. • T cells: Destroy foreign or damaged cells. • Neutrophils: Engulf and digest pathogens and debris. • Macrophages: Attack foreign substances, cancer cells, and infectious microbes.

Creating a healthy lifestyle starts with diet, exercise, and sleep. It is also recommended to avoid smoking, watch alcohol consumption, and wash your hands often. Once you have this solid base, consider giving your immune system a boost using red light therapy.

Red light therapy becomes especially potent when aided by near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths (above 780nm). While red light provides benefits to the skin and muscle, NIR rays penetrate deeper to reach inner organs, providing additional benefits for the liver, spleen, kidneys, and more.

All bodily systems are interrelated. Daily exposure to red light helps these interconnected systems by supporting your body on a cellular level, allowing your body to fight disease more effectively.

LLLT is becoming a go-to for skin conditions like wrinkles, acne, rosacea, and psoriasis. It also helps minimize scars, accelerates wound healing, and aids athletes in recovery from chronic pain, arthritis, and muscle soreness.

Combining red light and NIR is arguably the best approach for immune function, as it facilitates systemic healing throughout the body.