Introduction & Show Overview
Intro/Outro (00:03)
Welcome to the Red Light Therapy Podcast, brought to you by Platinum LED Therapy Lights, the pioneers who spent 15 years building the world's most powerful red light technology. In each episode, we show you how to use that power to heal your body, save time with shorter sessions, and get the professional grade results you deserve. This is the science of the light, simplified for you. And now, your host, Mike Vulcan.
Mike (00:37)
our co-host today is longevity and sports performance specialist from West Texas, Dr. Alan Inman. Welcome to the show, Dr. Inman.
Alan (00:47)
Hey, it's great to be back and I think we're going to be talking about some topics that are very important to everybody.
Mike (00:54)
That's right, we are. ⁓ For those of you who didn't listen to the first couple episodes, Dr. Inman has two clinics in Costa Rica and is a medical director of a stem cell clinic as well. And he's a red light therapy expert. So he's gonna be sharing his wisdom so he can make the most or so you can make the most out of your red light therapy devices. Each episode is designed to be no more than 15 minutes, bite-sized chunks. So you can listen on your way to work or to the gym or even during, hey, one of your red light therapy sessions. Today, we're going to
focus on the foundations and performance series. The same thing we did in the last two episodes. We're just continuing on with different line of questioning. We're gonna focus on the science of strength this time, building muscle with light. By the way, for all you listeners out there, if you want to ask a question, go to redlighttherapypodcast.com, submit your question to us, and we will answer it in future episodes. All right, Dr. Inman, let's dive in. What do you say? Sound pretty good?
Alan (01:51)
Let's go for it.
How Red Light Therapy Improves Strength
Mike (01:52)
All right, so regarding the science of strength, building muscle with red light, my first question to you is, how does red light therapy help me get physically stronger?
Alan (02:04)
Okay, well it's gonna help with the muscle to perform better. So red light therapy or photobiomodulation is gonna improve mitochondrial function. So what we are gonna know is that there is red light therapy, which we know is 630 to 660 nanometers, which is that wavelength that we'll find. And then there is the near infrared, which is 810 to 880.
And we know what it's going to do is work on the mitochondria. Specifically in this case that we're speaking the muscle. And what it's going to do is allow that muscle to be able to produce more energy. Why? Because cytochrome C oxidase, which is an enzyme that is found in the process of producing ATP, which is energy will be blocked by nitric oxide. And so therefore.
By having more energy, we're going to have muscle contraction that becomes more efficient. know it's going to help us to have fatigue. That's going to be, you know, this fatigue resistance going to improve, which is very important for anybody who's doing sports. The recovery between workouts is faster. And on top of that, we're going to find out that cellular repair processes accelerate. These are the things that we're looking for. So it's not that, you know,
Red light is going to replace exercise. That's not the idea. It optimizes the cellular environment so that it allows the muscle to be able to become stronger through training.
Mike (03:41)
That's a good point you made. Well, you made lots of good points, but this does not replace working out. It supplements it. It helps you with it ⁓ on many aspects of it, but this doesn't replace a workout. So can Red Light help prevent muscle loss as well as we get older, especially?
Preventing Muscle Loss (Sarcopenia)
Alan (03:58)
Yeah. And this is one of the most exciting components of research because there's something that's called sarcopenia. So it's the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength that goes on as we age. And so it's really important that we find out what is the driver that is, you know, causing this. And it's called mitochondrial dysfunction. That means our mitochondria, that workhorse in where we're producing this energy.
is not functioning the way that it should. And there's also the fact that there's chronic inflammation. And so when we have this, we need to reach it with photobiomodulation. And when we do this, we're going to help increase the efficiency of the mitochondria. We're going to reduce oxidative stress. We're going to reduce inflammation and we're going to enhance the regeneration of muscle, which is so very important.
And that's going to help maintain muscle quality and function, which is what we really need. And this is going to be coupled with resistance training and the appropriate nutrition that we need.
Mike (05:10)
I appreciate you keeping that in layman's terms, because I know that could have been a very complicated answer. I will tell you, I just did, I have a BioMax Pro. I love it. The panels are amazing. But what is the workout mode on the BioMax Pro? Is it like a series of wavelength spectrums that's preset? Do you know?
Using Red Light Before vs After Workouts
Alan (05:32)
Well,
what it's going to do is improve our workouts and we got to look at it. If we want to use it before or after that's the most important question. So for trying to use it before, obviously we're going to increase this mitochondrial activity, which means we're going to have more energy for those workouts. On top of that, we're going to have better blood flow. Obviously we've all been learning the fact that we have better blood flow, which everybody's trying to, you know,
find nitric oxide supplements and ways to increase your nitric oxide. And so that allows more blood flow, which means more nutrients, more oxygen that's reaching those muscles. And on top of that, it's going to enhance our neural muscular readiness, which is in layman's terms, better power output and delayed fatigue. That's if you want to use it before you exercise.
Now, if we want to use it after we exercise, it's important to know that it's going to reduce inflammation. It's going to help us accelerate muscle repair. It's going to improve recovery time and it's going to reduce the delayed onset of muscle soreness. Nobody likes muscle soreness. That's not fun. And so if we can reduce that, that's incredible. So the goal is to use this so we can, you know, if we're strategically timing it before or after.
to be able to enhanced performance or enhanced recovery.
Mike (07:05)
Would you recommend splitting before and after, is it just one or the other?
Alan (07:10)
I, I would look at it like, if you're, if you're about to go have like, ⁓ you know, if you're going to go play a sport and you're like, okay, I need to be at my best. Then I need to be able to do this before. And then in other terms, I would rather say, look, it's better that you're using it after for recovery because recovery is the most important component in any sports athlete's life.
Because if you recover appropriately, that means the next day you'll have a closer chance to having a hundred percent output in your performance than having less, which means you can advance faster. So I would say that this is more, ⁓ leaning towards what are you trying to accomplish? If you're, if you, if you've got to go do this, you know, you've got a basketball game or a football game or soccer game or whatever sport you're into.
then if you got this important match, then you need to do it previous. And then the rest of the time you do it afterwards.
Mike (08:15)
That makes sense. So does red light therapy actually stimulate the production of new muscle cells?
Muscle Growth and Satellite Cells
Alan (08:21)
Well, indirectly, yes. So we need to look at one component. Muscle regeneration occurs whenever there are satellite cells. So what are satellite cells? Well, if we want to look at it, essentially they're the stem cells of the muscle that repair and rebuild muscle fibers that, you know, we need after training. So as you well know, because Mike, you've, you've placed stem cells in your body.
You know that it's very important because as long as you have stem cells that are functioning, you're always going to have better functioning tissues. So that's how we can look at it in this context is as long as we're using red light therapy and we're stimulating these satellite cells that are so important, then what we're going to do is increase these satellite cells and have more growth factors and better repair and recovery. And so at the end of the day, we're going to have more
production of muscle or, you know, therefore, you know, indirectly,
Mike (09:27)
Sure, indirectly, yeah. And for those of you who are listening, I did get some stem cell therapy for a back injury at Dr. Inman's clinic and he is the real deal. So if that is something you're considering, reach out to Dr. Inman in Costa Rica. ⁓ What are your thoughts? I don't want to say it's kind of diverging from what we're talking about, but it's kind of a, I don't want to say silly question either, but what are your thoughts on staring at the sun? Is it beneficial? hear like that as a strategy for some people for getting benefits.
Sunlight and Eye Safety
Alan (09:54)
Okay. Sun
exists so we can receive that light and it is important for us. And we obviously are we getting, we're getting indirect rays that are reaching our eyes. We're not sitting there staring at it. And anybody who's out there and you know, they're following, you know, different reels or different biohackers and they're saying, Hey, ⁓ you know, staring at the sun is really good for you. We need to understand that the retina.
which is very important back of the eye that has, you know, all these neurons that connect with the brain. So if, if in any context that is the external part of the brain, because as we know, all of the rest of it is covered by bone. We don't want to ruin that. Cause if we do, we'll lose the capacity to see. And so what happens while we're staring at the sun directly, it burns the retina.
And, ⁓ many times, let's just say majority of times, I don't know of anybody really, ⁓ capable of repairing it if you've had severe damage. So the idea is that yes, we need sunlight. It is very important to get a certain amount, but please don't stare at the sun. Not a good idea.
Mike (11:15)
2026 now as we're filming this and you cannot unburn a retina. Technology will not let you do that. Um, so can I use, I'm a tennis player as you know, and one of the things I struggle with in the gym is, know, as I'm, as I'm doing my workouts for tennis, I lose grip strength after a while. Cause my grip is always tired from gripping my racket from like a three hour match the day before or something. Can I use light therapy to actually improve my grip strength or my endurance of the grip?
Grip Strength and Endurance
Alan (11:21)
No
Yes, it will improve muscle, ⁓ endurance and strength. And it it's because we're going to be doing exactly what we spoke of before is the fact that we're going to be able to grab these satellite cells that are so important. These stem cells that will actually help. And so we need to look at it by doing this. A lot of us are always looking at markers in which we can say, okay, we're healthier.
We're living longer. Well, grip strength is one of those. And so if we're using photobiomodulation and we're getting greater ⁓ grip strength, we know that it's going to improve our overall longevity and functional health, which is what a lot of us are looking for. So we're doing this by increasing that mitochondrial function and having more, you know, improved protein synthesis.
And we're going to have reduced muscle damage markers, which is what we all want in this context. Okay. So yes, improve gypsum.
Mike (12:50)
Yeah, I mean, just read an article on longevity and grip strength was one of the key indicators on how you age and how well you can keep up with your grip strength. It's a big indicator of longevity. ⁓ Pretty cool correlation there. We get a lot of biohackers asking about oxygen levels here at Platinum Therapy Lights. How does red light therapy impact the oxygen levels in our muscles specifically?
Oxygen Utilization and Performance
Alan (13:13)
Well, red and near infrared light, what it's going to do is improves oxygen utilization, ⁓ rather than simply increasing oxygen delivery. So we need to look at it like this, the mitochondria in which has different components leading up to the production of ATP, which is energy that last, you know, those last steps, we're to look at cytochrome C oxidase, this enzyme that I spoke of before, and it gets blocked.
because of toxins, inflammation, aging by nitric oxide, which is very important for our health. But instead of having nitric oxide there, we need oxygen. And so when you use red light therapy, displaces this nitric oxide, it allows oxygen to come in. So it improves oxygen utilization. And we're going to have improved blood flow because of this.
displacement of nitric oxide. And so then it can go and be used in the appropriate way. We're going to have better oxygen delivery to the tissues and more efficient cellular respiration, which if we put in that context, the mitochondria is doing that cellular respiration. So the result is muscles that can use more oxygen and use it more efficiently during exercise, which, you know, in the end improves endurance and recovery.
Mike (14:37)
That's incredible. guess my last question for the episode is, is there too much of a good thing? Like, is there too much when it comes to light therapy?
Dosage, Hormesis, and Optimal Use
Alan (14:47)
Yes. And I think this is in a context that can exist in almost everything that the human body, ⁓ can have is there can be too much of anything with, with the red light therapy, need to know that there is this sweet spot called hormesis. Hormesis is that with stress, your body is capable of adapting, which is what we all want. That's why all these different
therapies exists is you got to find that sweet spot. Anytime you go overboard, then instead of helping, you're going to have like this negative effect. And so what we're doing is trying to follow the Art Schultz law, which means the exact same thing that when there is moderate doses, you'll reach that stimulation of biological activity. But when there's an excess amount dosed, it can reduce
the effect, is what we don't want, right? In practical terms, we'll have the right dose, which improves ⁓ cellular function. We're going to have too little has minimal effect, and we know that too much can temporarily inhibit the response. So.
Mike (16:03)
I was going to say it's preset to 20 minutes to platinum lights.
Alan (16:06)
Right.
And at the end, if we look at these lights that you were talking about, which is these bio, these bio max pros, we know that we need to do between 10 and 20 minutes each side. And depending on what we're trying to ⁓ achieve, whether it be deep or whether it be, you know, superficial, then that will be different in the distance, which would be, you know, if we're looking for something that's superficial, ⁓
We know that it needs to be 16 to 24 inches away from the skin. And if we're looking for something that goes deeper, then we need to know that it needs to be between eight and 14 inches.
Mike (16:44)
Excellent. Dr. Inman, always a pleasure. Thank you for joining us. We're going to have you on again as a future guest, no doubt. ⁓ Thank you. I hope everybody here enjoyed our Science of Strength, Building Muscle with Light episode. As always, go to redlighttherapypodcast.com to submit your question. Thank you very much.
Closing Outro
Intro/Outro (17:04)
Thank you for joining us on the Red Light Therapy Podcast. While others imitate, Platinum innovates. For over 15 years, Platinum Therapy Lights remains the pioneers and global leader in the red light therapy industry. Access the same technology trusted by medical professionals, researchers, and peak performers worldwide. Now it is your turn to experience the Platinum LED Differ.
Visit PlatinumTherapyLights.com to secure your professional grade results today.
