How do you define wellness? Can you be “well” if you refrain from unhealthy activities, maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly, all while struggling with chronic pain? According to The World Health Organization, “Wellness is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Since chronic pain often has a negative impact in one or more of these areas—physical, mental and social—we can conclude that many sufferers are not, in fact, well.
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How do you define wellness? Can you be “well” if you refrain from unhealthy activities, maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly, all while struggling with chronic pain? According to The World Health Organization, “Wellness is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Since chronic pain often has a negative impact in one or more of these areas—physical, mental and social—we can conclude that many sufferers are not, in fact, well.
Related: Light Therapy for Wellness & Beauty
Chronic pain is also quite prevalent. Estimates vary, but recent research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Mass Eye and Ear report that 50.2 million adults in the US (or 20.5%) experience chronic pain. The annual cost due to lost productivity is estimated to be nearly $300 billion.
The personal cost is also high. Chronic pain can lead to prolonged sleep deprivation, which in turn contributes to physical, emotional and behavioral complications. Conversely, research has shown that sleep deprivation can impair pain inhibition pathways that normally help control pain, thereby leading to the proverbial vicious cycle: pain contributes to sleeplessness, and sleeplessness contributes to more pain. Studies have also shown that sleep deprivation can lead to systemic inflammation that can amplify pain.
Finally, pain is limiting. It can keep us from seeing friends and doing things we love, which can have a profound impact on the quality of our lives and our health overall.
Holistic Light Therapy
In terms of pain management, there are multiple medical options that may or may not be effective, are only effective for the short term, or pose significant risks (as we have seen with opioid use). While many medical solutions such as steroid injections, stem cell therapy and surgery can provide meaningful and sustainable relief, a holistic approach is often recommended for best results.
This approach may include spa treatments that relieve muscle tension, promote relaxation, and are easily incorporated into an overall plan to support medical strategies and important lifestyle changes. Spa treatments that help promote these supportive benefits include but are not limited to massage, hydrotherapy, acupuncture and light therapy.
Studies have shown that light therapy signals responses in the body that help relieve pain. There are two general paths through which this occurs:
- Addresses the source: In studies, light therapy has repeatedly been shown to increase the body’s production and availability of nitric oxide, an important vasodilator. Resulting increases in microcirculation help deliver oxygen and nutrients to damaged tissues for healing and repair. Light therapy has also been shown to enhance proliferation of fibroblasts, keratinocytes, endothelial cells and growth factors to assist in the healing of both acute and chronic wounds. Another important consideration in pain relief is reduction of inflammation, something that light therapy is very well known for. Inflammation control can help tissues heal, and can also reduce tissue distention, a common source of pain.
- Addresses the sensation: Apart from eliminating the source of the pain, light therapy has also been shown to influence the perception of pain by releasing endorphins, which are naturally produced by the body and act as painkillers. Endorphins are neurotransmitters (messengers in the body) that play a role in pain signaling and sensation. Light therapy has been shown to release local neurotransmitters such as serotonin, as well as opioid-containing immune cells that migrate to inflamed sites and release endorphins to inhibit pain.
Light Therapy in the Spa
In addition to its many documented benefits, there are a number of reasons why light therapy makes sense in a spa setting.
Depending upon the device being used, light therapy can be a touchless and even self-administered treatment. This, of course, can increase profit margin by minimizing cost per service with regard to therapist hours. Since full body light therapy is generally done on clean dry skin, there is also no ongoing cost for consumable products.
If you do your due diligence when purchasing, you can easily find a device that has demonstrated long-term durability and is almost effortless to maintain, extending your ROI for extended profitability.
Light therapy can be offered as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with other spa treatments to enhance benefits, making it one of the most versatile modalities on the spa menu. Because it helps relax tight muscles, relieve pain and stiffness, and promote healthy blood flow, it can even be offered as an alternative to massage or as massage overflow during times when therapists are not available.
Depending upon the device being used, light therapy can be a soothing, relaxing, and restorative experience in addition to promoting such a wide variety of health-related benefits.
Choosing a Light Therapy Device
There is much to consider when exploring the best fit for your spa. Because light therapy has become so well known and understood for its efficacy in the past several years, many companies now offer devices that promise to deliver extraordinary results, but provide little to no evidence that they can do so.
Some things to inquire about include FDA Clearance; in-house manufacturing (for quality control); verification of adherence to manufacturing standards; manufacturer experience or number of years spent designing, engineering and building light therapy devices; widespread reputation for positive results and client support; and of course, how maintenance and repair issues will be addressed.
There is also the question of full body versus smaller stand-alone devices. For the ultimate spa experience and greater efficacy (the greater the surface area of treatment, the more profound the effects), full body devices are without question the way to go. If this is not in your budget, there are devices—specifically designed to address pain—that can deliver localized treatments. These devices can be used prior to hands-on massage to warm up tissues, making them more compliant, and can assist the therapist in performing a better service.
Clearly, there are many well known facts to support the idea of bringing light therapy into the spa. The takeaway here is that light therapy helps relieve pain, pain relief promotes peace, and peace is essential to restoration and wellness—something that holds considerable value for spa-goers.
