Light Therapy as a Complement to Other Therapy Modalities

For healing, regeneration, and rejuvenation you do not need to limit yourself to just one treatment modality. Many people find that combining complementary modalities works well. Light therapy, specifically infrared light therapy, can be combined with other modalities, and can enhance these other therapies. These other modalities include transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, and neurofeedback.

At a high-level, here are brief explanations of these complementary modalities:

• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive form of brain stimulation in which a changing magnetic field is used to cause an electric current at a specific area of the brain through electromagnetic induction (source Wikipedia)
• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is another non-invasive brain stimulation treatment. This therapy uses direct electrical currents to stimulate specific parts of the brain. Here, a constant, low-intensity current is passed through two electrodes placed over the head which modulates neuronal activity (source Johns Hopkins Medicine)
• Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) is another non-invasive treatment using electromagnetic fields. This is often used for pain relief and for treating depression (source NLM)
• Neurofeedback (NFB) is a type of biofeedback that presents real-time feedback from brain activity in order to reinforce healthy brain function through operant conditioning. Typically, electrical activity from the brain is collected via sensors placed on the scalp using electroencephalography (EEG), with feedback presented using video displays or sound. There is significant evidence supporting neurotherapy for the generalized treatment of mental disorders. (source Wikipedia)

Photobiomodulation (PBM) or infrared light therapy, improves mitochondrial function in cells and helps generate ATP. Photobiomodulation can enhance the results of TMS, tDCS, PEMF, and neurofeedback because the ATP generation by light therapy can provide the abundance of energy those therapies need in order to work effectively. So, PBM plus a complementary therapy (e.g. PBM plus TMS) often gives better results than solo therapy (e.g. TMS).