Light Is Life: The Healing Power of Phototherapy

“Light is life.” It’s a phrase I often find myself repeating—not just because it sounds poetic, but because it holds scientific, spiritual, and healing truth.

At its core, phototherapy—or light therapy—is the application of specific wavelengths of light to improve health and bodily function. It may sound like a 21st-century innovation, but the roots of this practice stretch back thousands of years. The ancient Greeks constructed solariums to explore how different colors of sunlight affected the human body. Egyptian healers used colored glass to filter sunlight onto patients, recognizing, in their own way, that light could catalyze healing. They didn’t use modern scientific terms, but their intuition was luminous.

Fast forward to today: phototherapy is not just a wellness trend—it’s a respected clinical intervention. Ever seen a newborn in the NICU being treated for jaundice under a blue light? That’s phototherapy—specifically, blue light breaking down excess bilirubin. Dermatologists rely on light-based therapies for eczema, psoriasis, acne, and even certain skin cancers like mycosis fungoides. Red and near-infrared light have been used to accelerate healing in chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers, and post-surgical scars. And mood disorders such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are now commonly treated with full-spectrum light lamps, mimicking the sun to lift the gloom.

In each of these cases, the light isn’t just metaphorical—it’s medicinal.

And yet, light has always been our life source. Sunlight powers the natural world, regulates our circadian rhythms, helps synthesize vitamin D, and even boosts our immune system. Spiritually, too, light has long symbolized knowledge, renewal, and divine guidance. I often reflect that just as the sun lights our path, so too does God guide our way—offering clarity in darkness and energy for the journey ahead.

Phototherapy takes this life-giving force and channels it with precision. By using devices—from full-body light beds to tiny, wearable patches—we can deliver targeted light frequencies to specific tissues. And remarkably, no drugs or injections are needed. Just light. Just photons.

Inside our cells are “chromophores”—think of them as tiny solar panels. When these structures absorb light, they trigger a biological response. Red and infrared light, for instance, stimulate mitochondrial activity, which enhances energy production and tissue repair. Blue light kills bacteria. Ultraviolet light modifies immune function. In a way, it’s like playing different musical notes to elicit different responses. Light in, wellness out.

In this blog series, you’ll discover how light—especially through innovations like LifeWave’s wearable phototherapy patches—can transform health in profound, often surprising ways.

Because healing doesn’t always come in a pill. Sometimes, it comes in a beam of light.

About the Author

Dr Timothy Low is a medical doctor with more than 30 years tenure in both public and private healthcare institutions. He was the former CEO of Gleneagles Hospital (Singapore), CEO and Board Director of Farrer Park Hospital (Singapore), Head of Healthcare Investment at Pavilion Capital (Temasek Holdings, Singapore), and held senior executive roles in bio-pharmaceutical, medical device and clinical research organisations at Shire/Takeda, Covidien/Medtronic, Schering Plough/MSD, Covance,and Glaxo Wellcome (now GSK). His professional recognition includes “Best CEO of the Year in 2017”, “Most Media Savvy Personality in 2019”, “LinkedIn’s Top Motivational Speaking Voice in 2023”, Singapore’s Public Service Medal (Covid-19) PBM in 2023, and “LinkedIn’s Top Hospital Sales Voice in 2024”.