How Light Therapy Helps by Producing Stem Cells
What are Stem Cells?
The body can be envisioned as a large machine, comprised of small biological parts called cells6. Cells are slightly different for each part of the body6. Like all machines, parts wear down and need to be replaced. Cells get old and worn down and require new cells to replace them. However, each cell needs to be specific to each part of the body. That’s where stem cells come in. They serve a special purpose to replace old cells and add more cells to existing parts of the body9. Stem cells are special because they can, generally, become part of any organ5, 9, 13.
Why are Stem Cells used in Medicine?
Stem cells are used in medicine because of their regenerative properties8,10. Stem cells can be used to treat diseases where cells need to be regenerated but there are not enough of them in the body. Diseases that can be treated include diabetes, heart disease, macular degeneration in the eye, brain damage from stroke and neurological disorders where more healthy tissue is needed7,8,10. Sometimes doctors transplant stem cells from other healthy donors, but these can be rejected due to an immune response, and be ineffective for treatment11. The safest ways to receive stem cell treatment are from transplanting stem cells from one’s own body, or from stimulating stem cell production. Light Therapy has been proven to stimulate stem cell production. It can do this safely, non-invasively, and without side effects.
Renew and Repair: How Light Therapy Increases Cell Regeneration from Stem Cells
Light Therapy is a science-first treatment that maximizes benefits and reduces risks to increase stem cell regeneration. Compared to most stem-cell therapies that are unreliable and not guaranteed to be safe, Light Therapy, or photobiomodulation, stimulates stem cell growth from one’s own body, reducing the risks of immune responses1. Studies have shown that Light Therapy can be used to selectively stimulate stem cell generation in heart attack patients, increasing the speed and health of their recovery1. Epithelial cells, or cells that make up the surfaces of many organs and be damaged from age and disease, can grow from stem cells under Light Therapy treatment2. Any sort of blood blockage due to aging or disease can cause cellular damage that can be treated with Light Therapy by helping generate and direct stem cells to the damaged part of the heart or vessels4. Light Therapy can help dental health as well because it can increase dental stem cell proliferation14. Traditional stem cell therapy is slowed by inflammation, but Light Therapy can both reduce inflammation and increase stem cell growth resulting in a dually-effective medical treatment of damaged body parts12. Light Therapy facilitates stem cell growth, healing of damaged tissue, and allows for effective treatments without the dangers and failures of traditional stem cell therapy.
How Can Light Therapy and Stem Cell Generation Help Me even if I am Healthy?
Everyone has cellular damage due to aging and from daily activities, regardless of whether they have a disease or not3. Light Therapy reduces inflammation and oxidative stress and, critically, repairs damaged tissue, giving the body the best chance to be healthy and to stay young. By using Light Therapy regularly, we can take proactive steps to prevent the build-up of small damages that are common with aging and daily activities, even for healthy folks!
- Elbaz‐Greener, G., Sud, M., Tzuman, O., Leitman, M., Vered, Z., Ben‐Dov, N., … Blatt, A. (2018). Adjunctive laser-stimulated stem-cells therapy to primary reperfusion in acute myocardial infarction in humans: Safety and feasibility study. Journal of Interventional Cardiology, 31(6), 711–716. https://doi.org/10.1111/joic.12539
- Khan, I., & Arany, P. R. (2016). Photobiomodulation Therapy Promotes Expansion of Epithelial Colony Forming Units. Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, 34(11), 550–555. https://doi.org/10.1089/pho.2015.4054
- Liguori, I., Russo, G., Curcio, F., Bulli, G., Aran, L., Della-Morte, D., … Abete, P. (2018). Oxidative stress, aging, and diseases. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 13, 757. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S158513
- Mirahmadi, M., Ahmadiankia, N., Naderi-Meshkin, H., Heirani-Tabasi, A., Bidkhori, H. R., Afsharian, P., & Bahrami, A. R. (2016). Hypoxia and laser enhance expression of SDF-1 in muscles cells. Cellular and Molecular Biology (Noisy-Le-Grand, France), 62(5), 31–37.
- Mitalipov, S., & Wolf, D. (2009). Totipotency, Pluripotency and Nuclear Reprogramming. Engineering of Stem Cells, Advances in Biochemical Engineering / Biotechnology, 114, 185. https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2008_45
- See More Sources
- NIH. (2019). What is a cell? Retrieved October 7, 2019, from Genetics Home Reference website: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/cell
- Nine Things To Know About Stem Cell Treatments – A Closer Look at Stem Cells. (2019). Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.closerlookatstemcells.org/stem-cells-medicine/nine-things-to-know-about-stem-cell-treatments/
- Ray, P., De, A., Yaghoubi, S., & Khanna, A. (2015). Application of Adult Stem Cells in Medicine. Stem Cells International, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/258313
- Stem Cell Basics I. | stemcells.nih.gov. (2016). Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/1.htm
- Stem Cells & Medicine – A Closer Look at Stem Cells. (2019). Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.closerlookatstemcells.org/stem-cells-medicine/
- Taylor, C. J., Bolton, E. M., & Bradley, J. A. (2011). Immunological considerations for embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell banking. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 366(1575), 2312–2322. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2011.0030
- Wu, J.-Y., Chen, C.-H., Wang, C.-Z., Ho, M.-L., Yeh, M.-L., & Wang, Y.-H. (2013). Low-power laser irradiation suppresses inflammatory response of human adipose-derived stem cells by modulating intracellular cyclic AMP level and NF-κB activity. PloS One, 8(1), e54067. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0054067
- Ying, Q.-L., Wray, J., Nichols, J., Batlle-Morera, L., Doble, B., Woodgett, J., … Smith, A. (2008). The ground state of embryonic stem cell self-renewal. Nature, 453(7194), 519–523. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06968
- Zaccara, I. M., Ginani, F., Mota-Filho, H. G., Henriques, Á. C. G., & Barboza, C. A. G. (2015). Effect of low-level laser irradiation on proliferation and viability of human dental pulp stem cells. Lasers in Medical Science, 30(9), 2259–2264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-015-1803-9
