How effective is the “Infrared Red Light Therapy Belt – VINATO 660nm Red Light 850nm Near Infrared Light,” in helping something like back pain, compared to other pads delivering infrared energy alone? Does the red light therapy and infrared both work, perhaps via different mechanisms, and is one superior to the other in level of relief, duration of relief, or effectiveness for a wider range of bodily issues?

We see the two as being wholly different mechanistically, as well as in the nature of the benefits and applicability. The red light frequencies are perceived by cells in the body as an energetic input that will trigger a kind of re-equilibration of settings; primarily, ongoing flux of gene expression relating to self-regulation. This is particularly noted with effects on nerve cells transmitting pain signals that will be translated by the brain into feeling the pain locally. The infrared pads work through warming and thus have a quite different mode of action altogether. This has a soothing effect and that allows a response by the body to begin to stand down and that, too, will begin to shift set-points and give a re-equilibration, even of gene expression in flux, to some extent. But it will not be as effective as the red light frequencies, and that is why they have been seized on and studied, and backed by the launching of a product to deliver this to the body. This is the same idea as incorporated in the therapeutic LED device you had a hand in. While the latter was designed to be applied around the face routinely, this pad has the greater flexibility to be put anywhere in the body that is needed, to have the most concentrated local delivery of the signal. So we would vote for the red light therapy, and that can also be coupled always with a conventional heating pad, perhaps alternating with one another for the additional soothing effects. That will work on nerves and muscles, both. And, of course, people will vary in the sensitivity and responsiveness to either of these approaches, depending on the area of the body, what is truly happening, and its origins. So it is difficult to give sweeping categorizations about applications because there are always multiple variables involved, not just what is perceived by the client in having a bad knee or a bad back, so to speak. But as a rule of thumb, the order of priority is best applied as we have indicated here, that the red light treatment gives the greatest likelihood of benefit that will persist for a longer period of time than using infrared alone, at least in a majority of circumstances. But whether the infrared is needed or not, if it can provide some relaxation and soothing, so much the better. As you know, many times there is a combination of problems going on, not only adverse nerve stimulation but muscle tension. That, too, will aggravate nerves by sending the wrong signals of distress. But if the nerves of the nerve plexus in a region supporting chronic pain get an additional impulse of negativity, as from muscles in distress through excessive tension or inadequate oxygenation, for example, this will add to the pain signal because that is how the body works. Pain is a readout for distress. Many different kinds of distress are sensed, and that bodily detection mechanism translates into biochemical influences on the nerves centers, in order to perceive a biochemical problem building locally. That is how the body can speak to the mind and get your conscious awareness of a problem. So this device you identified should be a good choice in terms of size for the area needing coverage being larger than the original device you read about.