How Red Light Therapy Influenced My Cancer Journey
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Cancer is a BEAST.
It doesn’t take having cancer and then going through chemo to know that it wreaks havoc on the body, which ends up wreaking havoc on the whole person, then their family, and all those around them.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with AML (acute myeloid leukemia). I went through roughly 6 months of treatment. All looked just as it should and I was cancer free! Then 3 short months later, my cancer mutation showed up once again, and by January of this year, I was back in the hospital, ready to have an allogeneic bone marrow transplant (cells received from a donor). The chemo leading up to this was gruesome. I didn’t necessarily feel the full effects of what my high-intensity chemo did to me until after I was discharged. I lost several layers of skin from head to toe (even my toenails), severe mouth sores made it very difficult to eat, neuropathy made it nearly impossible to walk for 3 weeks, and my gut churned and churned every single morning. And oh so much more. Not to mention, losing every single hair on my head.
I arrived home with a broken body. Those first few months were a fight. A hard fight; wondering if I made the right decision. How in the world was I ever going to get back on my feet again? Literally?
While in the hospital, everyday a nurse walked in pushing a little cart with what looked like a shower head attached to it. I was informed that it was a red light therapy machine and that it helps decrease and prevent mouth sores. Mind you, they were EVERYWHERE in my throat. A red light therapy machine? Seemed odd, especially when I put it close to the skin by my throat. Hmmm. Whatever, I’ll do what I’m told. So there I sat for 6 minutes, for each spot, holding this “shower head” gizmo up to my skin, each and every day.
And wouldn’t you know, they were getting better. Huh.
A few days after arriving home, I started to have INTENSE pain in my fingers and toes, to the point where I was in tears. I went to bed with ice packs and cold-soaked towels to tie around my feet, so that I could sleep. A dear dear friend, who was walking with me through all the ups and downs, asked if I wanted to borrow her red light therapy machine? Um, well, even though I was still a bit skeptical, I was willing to do whatever to make the pain go away. It became so intense that it actually landed me back in the hospital for a few days. Diagnosis? Severe neuropathy of the hands and feet. Saw that one coming!
She kindly dropped it off and for the next few weeks, I used this handheld RLT machine 2-3 times a day. I was put on all sorts of meds and creams to try and help with the neuropathy, but because it was chemo induced, nothing helped. But there was one thing that did: RED LIGHT THERAPY. As the days went by, I noticed that I was able to start walking without severe pain. The pain in my fingers started to only be in a finger or two. Then it went to just the sides of my feet. Then one day, I woke up with ZERO pain.
So how do I know that it was the RLT? Because up until then, nothing else had worked. Maybe there was something behind using a RLT machine in the hospital? The more I read, the more I learned, and the more I realized that this gift from my friend was life-altering and LIFE-CHANGING.
I’m not one to necessarily jump on bandwagons, but I sure have learned an overwhelming amount of information since being diagnosed with cancer (which I’m excited to share all I’ve learned, changed, added to our life in the future). And having learned more about RLT, I can’t help but share it’s benefits with you too because I think it is that effective.
So first off, what is RLT?
RLT improve the function of the mitochondria (the powerhouses of your cells). It delivers a low-level laser to help regenerate (or grow) cells, restore cells, and increase blood flow, which as a result, relieves pain, heals muscles, skin, and other parts of the body.
What are the benefits?
Google search: benefits of red light therapy. Seriously, try it! You’ll be blown away at all of the ways it can impact the body for the better.
- Skin
- Anti-aging
- Sickness
- Muscle recovery
- Pain
- Inflammation
- Neck pain
- Hair growth
- Organ Support
- Mood
- Sleep
- Would Healing
And for me personally? RLT has significantly aided in healing my neuropathy, helped restore my gut health, and most noticeably, my hair. I have received countless comments on how thick my hair is coming back, especially in the back. Well, that is exactly where I used my RLT machine. I did have thick hair before, but as any chemo patient knows, it kills EVERYTHING, so for my hair to come back like it is, RLT works.
There are MANY different types of RLT options out there. From full-body to hand held. In fact, some doctor’s offices offer RLT for treatment! But I recommend doing your research. I didn’t know it at the time, but the RLT machine from my friend is one of the best handheld ones out there. I have the LUMEBOX and after doing research myself, I would choose this one all over again. It is handheld, powerful, a class II medical device, FDA approved, is independently certified, and now accepts HSA/FSA!
The idea of RLT was brand new to me, and maybe it is for you too. I’m sure you have LOTS of questions or maybe are skeptical. I totally get it – that was me; until I started to use it.
**But I do have to share a disclaimer – NOTHING OVERRIDES THE POWER OF OUR GOD. In the end, HE is our ultimate Healer, Deliverer, and Great Physician. I don’t ever want a device, procedure, or medicine to be viewed as “THE” solution because nothing stands above God’s sovereignty. I do think though that God has opened my eyes to an all-natural way to heal some parts of me that were quite broken. Much like a medication or other method could. Thanks to my friend who so generously opened up my eyes to RLT and changed the course of my healing journey.
I’ll be sharing more about my experience with RLT in the future, but if you’re like “THIS IS FOR ME”, right now you can get $260 OFF the Lumebox!
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT WHAT THE LUMEBOX RLT IS ALL ABOUT!
If you click “ORDER NOW“, you will see the price drop from $629.99 to $369, which is just over a 40% SAVINGS!
It may seem like a lot of money, but when you think about how much you spend on other remedies and appointments, those will soon add up to this amount! Trust me, been there. Whether you are dealing with the effects from chemo, gut issues, neck pain, muscle tension, hair loss, neuropathy, wrinkles, scarring, sickness, or sleep issues, check into the Lumebox! It will just take 12 minutes of your time a couple times a day (or less) – much less time than sitting in a medical office!
Again, I’m sure you have LOTS of questions…please comment below with any question you may have! I’d also love to hear if you’ve used red light therapy before? What did you use it for? Do you know someone else who has used it?
The Temu shopping site sells a wide variety of red light therapy devices at a fraction of the cost of your example. I personally have a small, inexpensive one for hair growth, and it has actually improved the thickness of my hair. I am unaware of any differences in quality between Temu’s products and the one you recommend, all I know is that Temu’s are way less expensive.
That’s great that you’ve seen growth! The only thing that I would caution with buying one from Temu is that it is probably not FDA approved or has standards or certifications that it needs to meet. As beneficial as RLT is, it can also be used incorrectly and if the standards aren’t monitored, I’m not sure it’s 100% safe to use. I would check to see if it has low EMF, if it has been tested, what it’s irradiance is, etc. There are MANY different devices out there for RLT, I guess for me personally, when I’m putting something on my body, I want to ensure it’s safe to use and if a product isn’t tested, isn’t FDA approved, or has high EMF, I would be very hesitant. But I’m not sure of the product you have. I would research “does quality of rlt device matter” etc. and that’ll give you some info to think about. But again, your device might meet all of that criteria too. Hope this is helpful!
Kristin, you are quite right in that I do not know about the details of my red light hair gizmo. I do know that most (?) of our electronics come from China, so I dared to try this product. It LOOKS like other red light products. ha ha I will let someone else do the research while I lay my gizmo aside.
P.S. I love your blogs!
Kerry, I think you’re spot on that most of our electronics do come from China :). And I dare bet that if we went through our house, many of ours would be! I think it is very fair to want to try it, especially for such a cost difference! And like you said, it LOOKS legit too, and that I would so agree with! But as with anything, how a product comes about does matter, especially when it comes to something that we are using to improve our bodies. I know with some of the unregulated devices, the amount of electro magnetic fields aren’t regulated. I’m not saying they are like microwaves, but I think waiting for more research to come out wouldn’t be a bad thing either. As the ole saying goes, rather be safe than sorry, right :)? Please let me know though if you have any more questions! I’ve been working on a post about why the Lumebox versus other brands, and so that might be helpful too b/c that will hit on the very things we are talking about. I appreciate your encouragement, Kerry, and please keep in touch!