What is Phototherapy (photobiomodulation) Photobiomodulation can be broken into three parts: photo, bio, and modulation. Photo refers to light, bio means life, and modulation refers to change. Photobiomodulation, then, is the use of light to initiate a change.
Photobiomodulation refers to the use of light, at specific and varying wavelengths to target the chromophores at the mitochondrial cell level. Mitochondria are cellular organelles often called the “powerhouse of the cell” because of their role in energy production. These structures break down nutrients and turn them into energy, called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
When mitochondria absorb light, they produce more ATP, which boosts energy transportation within cells and causes increased cell proliferation. Cell proliferation is the process whereby cells divide and replace damaged or dead cells. In damaged tissue, photobiomodulation helps increase the body’s natural healing process. At the beginning and end of life, a light burst of light has been observed at the time of conception, as well as a flicker of light going out when cells have been observed dying. The body is always in an on-going cycles/processes of cell death as well as making and producing new cells. The goal of maintaining or restoring health is then to assist the body to produce new healthy cells - or another way to word the goal is for the body to be able to HOLD LIGHT.