57: Illuminating the Path to Happiness: The Transformative Impact of Red Light Therapy on Wellness and Cognitive Health

From the depths of personal challenges to the pinnacle of well-being, I, Jeffrey Mort, invite you to discover the transformative power of red light therapy—your potential beacon to happiness.  In today's episode, we unravel the layers of red light therapy, showcasing its incredible ability to not only rejuvenate skin and aid in muscle recovery but also to significantly enhance mood and cognitive function. 

In a world brimming with health innovations, red light therapy emerges as a compelling ally for brain wellness, with research suggesting its potential in preventing neurodegenerative diseases. Today, we delve into the science behind specific wavelengths that enrich cognitive function and the production of serotonin, the "happiness hormone." I offer you a blueprint to integrate red light therapy into your life seamlessly, emphasizing the critical role of device selection, consistent use, and a holistic approach to health. Together, we'll explore how monitoring serotonin levels could amplify the mood-lifting effects of this natural therapy. Welcome to an enlightening conversation where we illuminate the path to your next level of success by harmonizing red light therapy with integrative health strategies.
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Chapters

• 0:01 Illuminating Happiness
• 7:29 Red Light Therapy for Brain Wellness

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome boundary breakers and seekers of wellness to a truly illuminating episode of Breaking Boundaries with Integrative Health. Let me ask you are you happy? In the hustle and bustle of modern life, stress and anxiety have become unwelcome companions for so many. The incessant demands of work and family and social responsibilities. They often leave us feeling drained, both mentally and emotionally. But what if there was a simple natural solution to brighten our days and enhance our overall well-being, a beacon of hope in the realm of integrative health that not only illuminates our surroundings but promises to light up the pathways to happiness? By influencing serotonin levels in the brain, you're about to discover a secret to illuminating happiness the radiant impact of red light therapy on brain function and your happy hormones. Hello, I'm Jeffrey Mort. If you're like most entrepreneurs, you're busy taking care of business. Yet who's taking care of you? If you're ready to take your energy and performance to the next level in your life and your business, then this podcast is for you. Because today you're going to start breaking boundaries of your mind, body and business with integrative health, and when you do that, your possibilities are limitless. I'm grateful you're here. Yes, always grateful, my friends. Welcome to another Mind. Your Monday episode of the Breaking Boundaries podcast for purpose driven entrepreneurs. This is episode 57. And, of course, you'll want to stay to the end when we bring it all together on avoiding failure, reaching your next level of success with integrative health. And for all those show notes and the links for today's episode, visit JeffreyMortcom and click on the podcast button. Okay, so the fact that you're listening today means that you're a seeker of wellness, a seeker of energy, a seeker of performance and of your higher, happier self. And today you're going to discover the benefits of red light therapy on brain function and your happiness. Now, there's so many entrepreneurs that have this boundary of being unhappy. To get to the root of that being unhappy, that is the difference between working from circumstance and working from possibility. But that's really not where we're going here. Today we're going.

Speaker 1: 2:38

I'd like to share a story with you on my journey with happiness, and I wasn't always a happy go lucky person, and my happy reserves were up and down throughout my life, let's say. And when I was a teenager, it was a little less happy when I was in my 20s. Well, there was some happiness there, but there was also a lot of drugs and alcohol going on, and that's a story for another day. And then, happy again, met somebody, got married, had children, built a home, had a family. It was wonderful, career was going fantastic, and then bottomed back out in 2013, say so, that was right around when I was 40.

Speaker 1: 3:28

And I wasn't happy with anything. I wasn't happy with my career, I wasn't happy with my finances, I wasn't happy with my relationship and it really came down to not being happy with myself. I wasn't happy with who I was being. I wasn't happy and that affected all those other things that affected my career, my finances, my relationships. It affected my health, but I wasn't happy with my health. I wasn't happy with my level of fitness. What it really came down to is I was living in my circumstances and it came down to my interpretation of those circumstances and again, that's a topic for another day.

Speaker 1: 4:07

I just wanted to share a story about myself that I wasn't doing the work. I wasn't doing the internal work, I wasn't doing the external work and I wasn't doing the work to live from possibility. And that work really started that next year because I bottomed out and I needed to start making a choice. And around 2014, I started delving into entrepreneurship. Now I was a business owner prior to that, but I never really knew about even the word entrepreneur and how that is different than just owning a business or having a job, because I didn't have really I didn't have a business back in, you know, 1997 through 2008. I did, but it was more like I had a job and entrepreneurship is a little bit different than that. Entrepreneurship is more about the systems and the processes and the identity. And then in 2015, well, I want to give a shout out to some of my influencers back then because they started giving me a sense of purpose. Danielle, danny Whitestone she was absolutely, you know, my entry point into entrepreneurship. She taught me so much and led me into learning from other people like Robert Kiyosaki and Tony Robbins and other influencers like that. But then in 2015, that's when I started doing the work of health and mental fortitude through traditional Chinese medicine practices such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong You've heard me mention those. Before 2019, I started doing some inner work when I met Jim Fortin, his Transform your Life from the Inside Out podcast and his Transformational Coaching Program. 2019, I met my mentor, dr Stephen Cabral, got introduced to IHP and you know the rest is history. But then, you know, I really started doing the work and living by what was possible instead of living by my circumstances.

Speaker 1: 6:07

But today, today, I'm going to guide you through the understanding of happiness when it comes to improving brain function, improving your happy hormone, serotonin, when it comes to red light therapy. So, before we delve into the profound effects of red light therapy on brain function and serotonin, let's shed some light on the different types of red light and their unique benefits. Red light therapy utilizes low level wavelengths of red light, typically in the range of 630 to 660 nanometers, to penetrate the skin and stimulate cellular activity. This therapy can be delivered through various devices, including LEDs, lasers and lamps. When I go to see my acupuncturist, after they prepare me and insert the needles into the different meridian points, meridian lines on my body and the acupuncture points, then they hover a red light lamp over me and I tell you that just feels so nice when they do that, and they usually ask if I want that added benefit and I always say yes because it just makes me feel fantastic. It's a nice, warm feeling. They actually put one over the back of me and then they put one over my feet, so that warms the feet as well.

Speaker 1: 7:29

Now, types of red light and their benefits. Red light, as I said, 630 to about 700 nanometers. This will boost circulation and promotes wound healing. It also enhances skin health and collagen production, so that red light is amazing for the circulatory system, for wound healing, for skin health. And then we have near infrared light, and this comes in the spectrum of 700 to 1100 nanometers, so a little bit higher than red light. Near infrared light penetrates deeper into the tissues and this helps with aiding muscle recovery, and it also supports joint health and reduces inflammation.

Speaker 1: 8:16

Now, enough about the tech. Let's talk about the results and the illuminating effects on brain function, because that's what we're here to talk about today. Numerous, numerous studies have highlighted the remarkable impact of red light therapy on brain function. Now a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that exposure increased cerebral oxygenation and improved cognitive function in healthy young adults, and that was done by Dawson and others in 2018. This increased oxygenation may contribute to enhanced serotonin production, crucial for regulating mood and happiness. Now you might be wondering what about the happiness factor? I want more happy, while elevating serotonin levels and boosting mood is where we're going. Next, serotonin, often referred to as the feel-good neurotransmitter, that plays a vital, pivotal role in regulating mood and emotional well-being. Now research suggests that red light therapy can stimulate the production of serotonin in the brain, potentially alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety, and this study was done in 2018.

Speaker 1: 9:36

The therapeutic effects of red lights extend beyond mere illumination, offering a holistic approach to mental health. Of course, now you're interested in how red light therapy can also help with guarding against neurodegenerative diseases. In 2020, it was estimated that more than 50 million people worldwide had Alzheimer's, and being 2024 now, I'm sure that statistic is well increased. Now, as we age, the risk of neurodegenerative diseases looms large. The neuroprotective properties of red light therapy have been explored in research, indicating its potential to mitigate the progression of conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and that study was done in 2013. The ability of red light to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain provides a very promising avenue for preventative health care.

Speaker 1: 10:42

Now, how do we implement red light therapy for those optimum results? Great question To harness the benefits of red light therapy and brighten the pathways to happiness, you might want to consider the following plan. Number one choose the right device. You want to select a high quality red light therapy device with the appropriate wavelengths for optimum results, and I'm going to link up my favorite one in the show notes today, so check that out. And I've been using this for over a year now and I actually just expanded the way that I use this over the last couple of days and I'm seeing some great results with the red light therapy.

Speaker 1: 11:24

Number two consistency is key. You want to incorporate red light therapy into your routine consistently. It's not just a one and done deal here, my friends. This is something that you need to create a healthy habit around and put that red light therapy into your routine consistently, preferably on a daily basis, to maintain its positive effects. What about the duration and the distance? Well, that's number three. You want to follow the recommended duration and distance guidelines for your chosen device to ensure safe and effective therapy. Number four you wanna combine with healthy lifestyle choices. You wanna compliment that red light therapy with, of course, a balanced diet and regular exercise and sufficient sleep to maximize its impact on overall wellbeing.

Speaker 1: 12:14

So how do you monitor where you stand? How do you know your beginning point, your baseline? You can use something like the mood and mind neurotransmitter test to test your optimal serotonin levels, optimal range for serotonin, on this neurotransmitter test and this is a simple urine based test that measures many more neurotransmitters than just serotonin, but I wanted to highlight serotonin. Today. The optimal range for serotonin on this particular functional medicine lab that can be done right at home is between 69 and 103, that's the optimal range, and then, with this lab, you can see if your serotonin levels are lower, which would indicate low mood, low libido, low energy, things like that. And then, of course, if serotonin is in excess of the optimal range of the high point of 103, then we wanna look into some other things as well.

Speaker 1: 13:09

So, to avoid disappointment and maximize the benefits of red light therapy, it is crucial to adhere to the recommended guidelines and stay committed to your routine. It's all about commitment. Are you the type of person who can stay committed to your routine? Consistency, again, is the key. I'm gonna be repetitive here, because repetition is the mother of all learning and consistency is the key to success, and integrating red light therapy into your holistic health plan can lead to a brighter yes, brighter, upon intended happier you. So to wrap things up here today, the radiant effects of red light therapy on brain function and serotonin levels offer a beacon of hope in the pursuit of happiness and as we illuminate our way through the realm of integrative health, that gentle glow of red light may just be the missing piece to brightening our days and enhancing our overall wellbeing. So why not let the warm embrace of that red light be your guide on the journey to a happier, healthier life? Your three key takeaways here today there's always a reason why you feel the way you do. Number two there's always a way to transform your mind, your body and your happiness with integrative health. And number three, as your guide, I am 100% committed to illuminate your path to a happier, healthier you. Thanks for being here today.

Speaker 1: 14:33

Stay tuned for the next episode of the Breaking Boundaries podcast, where we're gonna be talking about World Hypnotism Day. That's right, it's one day that's dedicated all around the world to hypnosis and busting those myths about it. I'm great for a few listening. If this show is helpful, please share it. Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. That only takes a minute. If you're here week after week, just take a minute and leave a review, and a good one at that, so that we can help more people, and we'll see you next time to help you with Breaking Boundaries. Bye-bye, everybody.