I’ve been hearing about red light therapy for a while now. I first heard about red light therapy being used as a therapy for improving thyroid health. Since 70% of women I consult with have some kind of a thyroid issue, I thought I should do a little more research. I found this great blog article about red or near infrared light with a promising section on how this light therapy may help hypothyroidism. Now, we’re not talking about curing it, but we are talking about some people even being able to get off their meds – hmmm, this got me wanting to check the whole thing out even more. I have hypothyroidism! So, I decided to research further.
About this same time, I injured a pectoral muscle by doing a really silly move in a dance class (which I knew I shouldn’t be doing as I was doing it). It was a really tricky injury because the strain/tear was literally underneath my right breast, so it was hard to treat. I went to see my brilliant chiropractor and he suggested a red light therapy session. Fortunately he had a device in his office, so I lay there while the red light was targeted at my hurting pectoral muscle. I had a couple more sessions and it healed extremely quickly.
So, by this time, I kind of wanted my own home device. If it could help my thyroid and heal muscle strains, what else could it do? I began to study all the evidence-based science I could find, and to my delight found that it can also make you look younger! Seriously – It was found that daily sessions of red light therapy over a 8- 12 week time frame could significantly rejuvenate skin and smooth wrinkles. Sold!!! But, wait a minute, where would I find a device that I could use at home, and one that really worked. Moreover, I needed a device that was big enough to treat my chest, neck and face area all in one (the one at the chiropractor was tiny and only targeted one small area at a time). But, even more importantly, I needed one that I could stash away in a closet because my husband would literally move out if I bought in one new gizmo or device into our home. I already have a personal infrared sauna (the kind you sit in) in my office. BTW – red light or near infrared is completely different from an infrared sauna, which is actually FAR infrared. Far infrared is great for circulation and relaxation, but doesn’t offer the same extraordinary benefits of red or near infrared light.
Just as I was asking around about different devices, I happened upon a podcast (cannot remember which one), where a girl was chatting about a red light therapy device called Joovv, and how she’d seen a massive improvement in her skin after a few weeks. She said it was sitting on the desk in front of her at the that moment. I literally pulled the car over, and scrolled down on my phone to find the show notes. I didn’t want to forget the name, “Joovv.”.
As soon as I got home, I started researching Joovv, and it was only a matter of days before I had made my decision: I was going to have to own a Joovv device, and sooner rather than later. And now, I’m the proud owner of a Joovv mini. I’m obsessed, and here’s why:
- Joovv is one of the few devices that emits strong enough rays that you only need a 10-12 minute session to get results.
- My mini is about the size of my MacBook Pro. It stands on my desk on it’s study stand.
- I switch it on for 12 minutes a day and allow the rays to get to my facial skin, my thyroid, and my decollete. I pull it close (6 inches away from me), close my eyes (you don’t need goggles), and use this time to mediate. It’s brilliant because you can’t read or look at a computer, so may as well meditate, right?
- I find my sessions to be soothing and relaxing.
- I love the fact that it’s doing triple-duty: helping my thyroid, healing pulled and tight muscles, and making my skin look young and gorgeous!
Time will tell whether the clock winds back 10 years (wrinkle wise), but I honestly don’t care. It just feels good and healing, and if my skin plumps up too, what a bonus!
You can get all kinds of different sized machines, but the mini is very practical, and is one of the cheapest – speaking of which, the Joovv is a big investment. The mini is $695.00 Ouch!!!! However, if I count up all those laser and chiropractor visits I’ve had over the past 2 years, we’re talking well over that amount (see how good I am at justifying a purchase?) Yes, it’s pricey, but I happen to think that it’s a gift that keeps on giving.