Red light therapy penetration depth and more… With Tom Kerber
Dec 7, 2024
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Tom Kerber, founder of SunPowerLED and an innovator in photobiomodulation, shares his journey from electronics to light therapy. He discusses the fascinating science of red and near-infrared light, detailing how different devices penetrate the body and affect healing. Tom highlights the critical need for research in this area and shares compelling case studies showcasing light therapy's effectiveness for severe injuries and chronic health issues. Listeners will gain insights into the mechanisms behind light therapy and its promising future in medical applications.
Tom Kerber's experiments reveal critical insights into the penetration depth of red and near-infrared light therapy, influencing treatment choices.
Personal experiences with light therapy transformed Tom's skepticism into a commitment to develop effective devices for pain relief and healing.
The podcast highlights the need for further research and robust clinical trials to validate the efficacy of photobiomodulation in medical practice.
Deep dives
Understanding Photobiomodulation
Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a field exploring how specific wavelengths of light, particularly red and near-infrared light, affect biological processes. This technology has gained attention due to its potential therapeutic benefits, including pain relief and accelerated healing. However, critical discussions arise regarding the penetration depth of different light sources, such as lasers and LEDs, which can yield vastly different outcomes in treatment efficacy. The need for thorough scientific investigation into how various light intensities and angles impact tissue penetration is essential for advancing our understanding of PBM.
Tom Kerber's Innovative Research
Tom Kerber, founder of SunPowerLED, has conducted extensive experiments on the penetration depths of various light devices and wavelengths. His work stands out for its rigor, utilizing sophisticated equipment to gather accurate data that fills gaps left by previous studies. Through these experiments, Tom aims to clarify longstanding controversies in the field, such as the effectiveness of LEDs versus lasers in penetrating skin and tissue. His findings seek to establish a more scientific foundation for the claims made in the world of light therapy.
From Personal Experience to Practical Application
Tom's journey into photobiomodulation began when he sought treatment for his wife's health issues, leading him to devise innovative light therapy devices. His initial skepticism surrounding the efficacy of red light therapy changed dramatically after he experienced significant relief from chronic pain using these treatments himself. Such personal experiences, which demonstrated marked improvements in pain management and recovery times, inspired him to pursue further research and development in this area. This passion has translated into building effective and accessible light therapy devices for broader use in clinical and home settings.
Clinical Applications and Case Studies
Real-world applications of PBM have shown promising results in various conditions, including muscle spasms, cancer treatment, and healing from injuries. Tom recounts numerous success stories, such as a police officer whose hand healed without surgical intervention and a patient with an infected foot who avoided amputation through light therapy. These anecdotal cases are supported by a growing body of clinical evidence indicating that PBM speeds up recovery while being generally safe with minimal side effects. However, the need for additional clinical studies continues to underscore the potential of photobiomodulation in mainstream medicine.
Challenges and Future Directions
Despite the exciting potential of PBM, there are challenges facing its adoption in clinical practice, including skepticism from parts of the medical community and the need for more robust research. Current scientific literature often lacks comprehensive experiments that compare treatment methods effectively, complicating the argument for PBM's efficacy. Tom emphasizes the importance of continued research into the specific mechanisms of action, optimally configuring devices, and understanding varied patient responses. As the field evolves, it is crucial for innovators like Tom and researchers to collaboratively address these barriers and disseminate credible data that highlights the benefits of light therapy.
In this episode, I’m speaking with Tom Kerber, a fascinating entrepreneur with a great deal of knowledge and experience (particularly on the engineering side) in the field of photobiomodulation, (aka modifying biology with light).
Approximately 20 years ago, a series of professional and personal events led Tom to shift his career from electronic development to LED device development (like the small blue light device your dentist uses to cure fillings…yes, Tom invented that!).
In part 1 of this two-part series, Tom and I discuss some of the most pressing questions about red and near-infrared light therapy with a focus on how different devices penetrate the body and affect deeper tissues, along with light therapy applications and case studies.
Tom has been developing tools and equipment to do a lot of sophisticated experimentation on penetration depth of red and near-infrared light (which is a much-needed contribution to the field), so I invited him onto the show to discuss his work, which evolved into a 2-part conversation.
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