Thank you for this article. I will share it in my Sunday column-The Sunday Snewz. For well over a decade I have been encouraging people to walk throughout the day, but most importantly early morning and at sundown. This lends more insight to what I already know and teach. Thank you.
Heather, this is one of your best! For years I have been fascinated by perception. As a sufferer of red/green color blindness the differences between what I see and what other people see has always been a question. This post made me doubly distressed. Not only is my color vision imperfect by human standards, I lack the fourth cone that would allow me to see UV. I agree that sunlight is important to us. Fresh air freak that I am, the indoor spaces have always been necessary to keep my bed and possessions out of the rain but the outdoors is where I feel comfortable. The past two warm, wet winters were a mixed bag. I liked not having a bitterly cold bed, of course. But not getting a chance to use my cold weather gear for more than a week or two before warm weather returns is a bit of a drag. 30° N is good for me. One month a year I wish I had A/C, one month a year I wish I had heat.
Kelly, curious- what color do you ultimately see when you look at red? Does red appear greener? Black? Brownish-yellow? How about green, does it appear more beige or more red? I know that blue light from our screens can spike/ultimately deplete dopamine, and this will also lead to melatonin dysregulation, and ocular melatonin regenerates our eyes/ dopamine keeps them sharp.
Like the majority with red/green color blindness, reds look pretty normal but greens tend towards brown. Coyote tan blends into a wooded background more for me than people with normal color vision, and I prefer yellow for illuminated riflescope reticles over red or green.
Ok thanks Kelly - good to know. I'm no expert but am a student of how light affects our metabolism. Here's a link I found, not sure if it would help you, it discusses color-blindness from a hereditary perspective:
Heather I’m curious as to your thoughts on infrared sauna? I’m a regular user of sauna and cold plunge and would love to hear your thoughts on the efficacy of using the infrared sauna as another tool for absorbing NIR. My sauna claims to have 3 waves - near, mid and far.
At the personal, somatic level, I love infrared sauna. It *feels* like it goes deeper than traditional sauna (although I have recently become enamored of traditional sauna (and cold plunge) as well). I have not looked deeply into the health risks and benefits of IR sauna, except when considering whether we could manage to get one for ourselves, at which point it became clear that IR saunas have the potential to be dangerous in ways that aren't necessarily immediately obvious, largely in the form of unintended EMF radiation, and that because this won't be obvious to most consumers, it's hard to know if what you're buying--or using, if at a spa, for instance--is safe. This is not a concern with a traditional sauna. It's also true that traditional saunas get hotter, which, so long as it's done carefully, potentially brings greater health benefits. There is a ton of published research on the health benefits of traditional sauna, less so on the benefits of IR sauna, although this is a decent review from 2009: https://www.cfp.ca/content/55/7/691.
In short, I wish that we could be confident in the safety claims of brands of IR sauna. If safe, then they are a definite positive, while not necessarily offering all of the benefits of traditional sauna.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful response. I have and use a traditional sauna as well but primarily use it for hot-cold contrast work. My Sunlighten IR has a “detox” setting that feels so good. I feel “dampened” after using it but not sure whether that’s psychosomatic or not. The differences between increasing core body temp in IR versus the body actually having to work to lower core temp in traditional sauna is also something new to me which Huberman discusses. A bit out of my scientific knowledge base though;)
Speaking of sunshine: I've seen some posts on Bret's Twitter briefly touching on sunscreen. I would be very interested in a more fleshed out take on it, as despite being a product of the 90s when sunscreen culture seemed to really become huge, I myself hardly ever put it on and don't make a huge fuss over my kid having it on either. I've rarely been sun burnt and am not convinced that it greatly reduces the risk of skin cancer as we have been told.
We wrote about this a bit in Hunter-Gatherer's Guide, and have talked about it some on DarkHorse. There's substantial research suggesting that the benefits of sun exposure, absent sunscreen, outweigh the risks from skin cancer. This is one of the studies I find particularly compelling: Lindqvist et al 2016: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26992108/
Love it, Heather! Been curious about this topic ever since that medcram video a year or two ago. Shared with my mom. (She always asks me what I’m learning on the Darkhorse podcast lately haha.) Sending love from Kirkland.
I will embrace my tractor time this growing season even more than before. I always felt I was out getting fresh air, making Vitamin D and now can add subcellular melatonin to the benefits list!
The piece you've linked here is so full of useful information--thank you for sharing it! I did not know what you write there about the risks of melatonin supplements. I have long had vague misgivings about them, but never looked into what precisely the risks might be. Again, thank you.
Roman and Heather, just one question. Can infrared light be reflected into our living space from water. We live on a small lake and the huge picture windows face north to the lake. My husband is very ill with interstitial lung disease and is not going out but is sitting near the window. Our home is 20 years old and the windows are not reflective to keep out the sun. thanks in advance.
I am so sorry to hear about the health of your husband. It sounds like he is seeking health by sitting by the window. I suspect that it is doing him good.
The closer to the visible spectrum, and the older (and thinner and less high tech) the glass, the more likely IR will pass through your windows. Middle and far infrared don't go through glass, but near infrared does, more so the "nearer" to red it is. And the slightly older age of your home helps here--newer homes almost always have "low-E" glass, with double or tripled paned windows, and coatings that reflect the sun's rays back out. This helps with energy costs, but is bad for letting NIR through.
Thanks for the reply. Partially he sits by the window because he can watch all of the activity of birds etc at our feeders and on the lake. We recently had a yellow head black bird here which is rare as they are normally seen east of the cascades. I am trying to get him outside but due to weather and cold etc it hasn't worked yet. But, as he gets stronger we should be able to move around with the O2 outside.
Yes - low E and many modern window panes are designed to block NIR, sorry for the confusion. Another thing you may want to consider is that we need UV to make tryptophan, which then makes serotonin and melatonin. The best time to get tryptophan is in the morning, if you husband can get out then, or at the very least if you can have a window cracked:
Infrared is reflected off many surfaces, even grass. However it's a good question on the window. Windows will block out much of the spectrum, however when it comes to Near infrared that's a good question - I'm not sure and would have to check. Guessing you can't open the window at all? I do know that windows made of quartz glass will let in the full spectrum.
Another fine piece, thank you. I'm puzzled at the thought that NIR photons are somehow moved around the body and into the brain by cerebrospinal fluid, possibly in a manner similar to oxygen or nutrient transport in blood. As I read it these photons are captured and transported? Surely not? Would love to hear more. Is Zimmerman and Reiter available online?
As I understand it, it's not that photons are moved by CSF, but rather, the CSF has optical qualities that reflect and bounce NIR photons deep into the brain, rather as bezels and faceplates with highly reflective paint can direct and focus light to. I am right there with you in puzzlement, though, having considered these issues over the last several days, and frequently coming back to the idea that we use the metaphor (maybe a metaphor?) that photons are not particles per se, nor waves, but somehow both.
Zimmerman & Reiter 2019 is indeed available online (https://melatonin-research.net/index.php/MR/article/view/19), but I will say that it is not the best written scientific paper I read this week, even, by a lot. It was one of the two most useful (the other being Tan et al 2023, also cited herein), but could have used a lot of editing to add clarity. I'll be interested if you come up with anything I haven't said here upon reading it (especially if you think I've got something wrong).
Thanks! Will read and revert. So the analogy is to fiber optic cables through which light travels by bouncing off the walls. Also, are you familiar with this device and its claims for resetting body clocks with intra-aural light?: https://humancharger.com/global/
John, good questions you ask - I like to think of our cerebrospinal fluid like a diamond/crystal that is able to send infrared beams throughout our skull like a burgler alarm of a museum, so our regenerative treasures aren't compromised by toxins:
So, my impulse is to fetish-ize my exposure to NIR (and now it comes from this scholarly post!). It fits perfectly into my post-60yo, 3-pillar approach to continued health: improve nutrition, activity, and sleep.
Then I remember I am better off improving my total life structure and resources, at any level--granular or macro. Should I only eat seasonal food...produced within what radius? Should I practice sun salutations at latitude 49? Should I clean my mouth with turmeric because...fluoride? Should I grow my own chicken feed?
Currently (because I am slow commit), I am making my responsibilities such that it is HARD TO GET INSIDE!!
Love this: Create incentives in your own life that make it more difficult to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Having to remind yourself that you must go inside to clean up and sleep after a long day working outside, is a far better situation to be in that having to remind yourself to get off your ass and your laptop and go outside for a few minutes!
I knew there was a reason I’ve always preferred incandescents!! I know the others use less electricity, but I just tend to use them when I really need to see and then otherwise get by with the ambiance of my salt lamp… there’s something about low level lighting I adore. And let the sun or the moonlight do it’s magical thing… our eyes can accommodate/acclimate to low level lighting fairly easily I’ve found
Perhaps our move toward overhead fluorescent lighting has been a great part of our undoing/unraveling in the modern landscape… I’ve always abhorred them
Same here- combine the hormone disrupting blue light with emf (many fluorescents give off dirty electricity) and it's a sh*tstorm for our eyes and brain.
I remember being a teen and taking hallucinogens with an excellent group of friends who intuitively headed toward the woods and as far from any space with flourescents or even neon… ah, the wisdom of the babes.
Answering my own question, the only Goliath article I could find says , "NIR imagery has been predominately used through remote sensing...Dry sand reflects infrared radiation given off by the sun and wet sand absorbs IR radiation."
Which means that warm comforting feeling sitting on the sand is healing.
One connection I didn't make in this week's post is to the concept of albedo. Albedo, quite simply, is the fraction of electromagnetic radiation that is reflected off a surface. I have run into the concept of albedo most frequently in environmental contexts, such as when thinking about how deforestation can become desertification: dark forests absorb sunlight, and keep the air cool --> dark forests interspersed with wet dark ground absorb less sunlight, which means the air above and around the forest is hotter, making a less hospitable environment for trees --> the forest fails, which means ever fewer trees, and therefore means dry ground. Dry ground is lighter colored ground, which absorbs even less sunlight, which perpetuates the raising of ambient temperature. (I could have just said: positive feedback is a bitch.)
In environmental contexts, where we tend to prefer living, verdant ecosystems, we hope for low albedo. But for somatic health, on sand, we prefer high albedo, so that we get NIR not just directly from the sun, but reflected off the sand itself.
Ha! Good stuff! For some reason this essay mused me to think of the great controversy over HIV being the cause of AIDS. The broad implications of what you have outlined here are staggering....in my humble opinion anyway. Thanks Heather!
Have you had a chance to read Celia Farber's book "Serious Adverse Events" that Heather wrote about a couple of weeks ago? I hadn't realized that the HIV/AIDS link is as thin as it is. 50% of the prostitutes in NYC are HIV+ but only the IV drug users among them have progressed to AIDS.
Reading it now. Maybe on your recommendation? Very very interesting as I happen to know a person that is very high in the hierarchy of large corporate medicine. Always been a fan of Mullins. All ringing true at halfway thru. :-)
Now I know why I love being outdoors!
Thank you!
Thank you for this article. I will share it in my Sunday column-The Sunday Snewz. For well over a decade I have been encouraging people to walk throughout the day, but most importantly early morning and at sundown. This lends more insight to what I already know and teach. Thank you.
The amazing thing is that a fetus and young children will absorb 100% of NIR (near infrared) as opposed to adults who only absorb 60%: https://romanshapoval.substack.com/i/113533387/why-pregnant-mothers-need-sunlight
Heather, this is one of your best! For years I have been fascinated by perception. As a sufferer of red/green color blindness the differences between what I see and what other people see has always been a question. This post made me doubly distressed. Not only is my color vision imperfect by human standards, I lack the fourth cone that would allow me to see UV. I agree that sunlight is important to us. Fresh air freak that I am, the indoor spaces have always been necessary to keep my bed and possessions out of the rain but the outdoors is where I feel comfortable. The past two warm, wet winters were a mixed bag. I liked not having a bitterly cold bed, of course. But not getting a chance to use my cold weather gear for more than a week or two before warm weather returns is a bit of a drag. 30° N is good for me. One month a year I wish I had A/C, one month a year I wish I had heat.
Kelly, curious- what color do you ultimately see when you look at red? Does red appear greener? Black? Brownish-yellow? How about green, does it appear more beige or more red? I know that blue light from our screens can spike/ultimately deplete dopamine, and this will also lead to melatonin dysregulation, and ocular melatonin regenerates our eyes/ dopamine keeps them sharp.
FYI: https://romanshapoval.substack.com/i/113533387/why-you-want-to-ditch-the-melatonin-pills
Like the majority with red/green color blindness, reds look pretty normal but greens tend towards brown. Coyote tan blends into a wooded background more for me than people with normal color vision, and I prefer yellow for illuminated riflescope reticles over red or green.
Ok thanks Kelly - good to know. I'm no expert but am a student of how light affects our metabolism. Here's a link I found, not sure if it would help you, it discusses color-blindness from a hereditary perspective:
https://forum.jackkruse.com/index.php?threads/has-jack-written-about-the-color-blind.17304/
Heather I’m curious as to your thoughts on infrared sauna? I’m a regular user of sauna and cold plunge and would love to hear your thoughts on the efficacy of using the infrared sauna as another tool for absorbing NIR. My sauna claims to have 3 waves - near, mid and far.
At the personal, somatic level, I love infrared sauna. It *feels* like it goes deeper than traditional sauna (although I have recently become enamored of traditional sauna (and cold plunge) as well). I have not looked deeply into the health risks and benefits of IR sauna, except when considering whether we could manage to get one for ourselves, at which point it became clear that IR saunas have the potential to be dangerous in ways that aren't necessarily immediately obvious, largely in the form of unintended EMF radiation, and that because this won't be obvious to most consumers, it's hard to know if what you're buying--or using, if at a spa, for instance--is safe. This is not a concern with a traditional sauna. It's also true that traditional saunas get hotter, which, so long as it's done carefully, potentially brings greater health benefits. There is a ton of published research on the health benefits of traditional sauna, less so on the benefits of IR sauna, although this is a decent review from 2009: https://www.cfp.ca/content/55/7/691.
In short, I wish that we could be confident in the safety claims of brands of IR sauna. If safe, then they are a definite positive, while not necessarily offering all of the benefits of traditional sauna.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful response. I have and use a traditional sauna as well but primarily use it for hot-cold contrast work. My Sunlighten IR has a “detox” setting that feels so good. I feel “dampened” after using it but not sure whether that’s psychosomatic or not. The differences between increasing core body temp in IR versus the body actually having to work to lower core temp in traditional sauna is also something new to me which Huberman discusses. A bit out of my scientific knowledge base though;)
Just be careful as some can give off massive amounts of unbalanced EMF (electromagnetic freuquencies)
Speaking of sunshine: I've seen some posts on Bret's Twitter briefly touching on sunscreen. I would be very interested in a more fleshed out take on it, as despite being a product of the 90s when sunscreen culture seemed to really become huge, I myself hardly ever put it on and don't make a huge fuss over my kid having it on either. I've rarely been sun burnt and am not convinced that it greatly reduces the risk of skin cancer as we have been told.
We wrote about this a bit in Hunter-Gatherer's Guide, and have talked about it some on DarkHorse. There's substantial research suggesting that the benefits of sun exposure, absent sunscreen, outweigh the risks from skin cancer. This is one of the studies I find particularly compelling: Lindqvist et al 2016: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26992108/
Love it, Heather! Been curious about this topic ever since that medcram video a year or two ago. Shared with my mom. (She always asks me what I’m learning on the Darkhorse podcast lately haha.) Sending love from Kirkland.
I will embrace my tractor time this growing season even more than before. I always felt I was out getting fresh air, making Vitamin D and now can add subcellular melatonin to the benefits list!
Heather, I am so happy to find a fellow sun worshipper and disciple of infrared light and melatonin! Would love to connect:
https://romanshapoval.substack.com/p/how-to-treat-emf-radiation-part-1
The piece you've linked here is so full of useful information--thank you for sharing it! I did not know what you write there about the risks of melatonin supplements. I have long had vague misgivings about them, but never looked into what precisely the risks might be. Again, thank you.
Thank you so much Heather. I'm delighted as well to have found you on here.
Roman and Heather, just one question. Can infrared light be reflected into our living space from water. We live on a small lake and the huge picture windows face north to the lake. My husband is very ill with interstitial lung disease and is not going out but is sitting near the window. Our home is 20 years old and the windows are not reflective to keep out the sun. thanks in advance.
I am so sorry to hear about the health of your husband. It sounds like he is seeking health by sitting by the window. I suspect that it is doing him good.
The closer to the visible spectrum, and the older (and thinner and less high tech) the glass, the more likely IR will pass through your windows. Middle and far infrared don't go through glass, but near infrared does, more so the "nearer" to red it is. And the slightly older age of your home helps here--newer homes almost always have "low-E" glass, with double or tripled paned windows, and coatings that reflect the sun's rays back out. This helps with energy costs, but is bad for letting NIR through.
Thanks for the reply. Partially he sits by the window because he can watch all of the activity of birds etc at our feeders and on the lake. We recently had a yellow head black bird here which is rare as they are normally seen east of the cascades. I am trying to get him outside but due to weather and cold etc it hasn't worked yet. But, as he gets stronger we should be able to move around with the O2 outside.
Yes - low E and many modern window panes are designed to block NIR, sorry for the confusion. Another thing you may want to consider is that we need UV to make tryptophan, which then makes serotonin and melatonin. The best time to get tryptophan is in the morning, if you husband can get out then, or at the very least if you can have a window cracked:
https://romanshapoval.substack.com/i/113932307/how-do-we-increase-levels-of-nad
Infrared is reflected off many surfaces, even grass. However it's a good question on the window. Windows will block out much of the spectrum, however when it comes to Near infrared that's a good question - I'm not sure and would have to check. Guessing you can't open the window at all? I do know that windows made of quartz glass will let in the full spectrum.
Another fine piece, thank you. I'm puzzled at the thought that NIR photons are somehow moved around the body and into the brain by cerebrospinal fluid, possibly in a manner similar to oxygen or nutrient transport in blood. As I read it these photons are captured and transported? Surely not? Would love to hear more. Is Zimmerman and Reiter available online?
As I understand it, it's not that photons are moved by CSF, but rather, the CSF has optical qualities that reflect and bounce NIR photons deep into the brain, rather as bezels and faceplates with highly reflective paint can direct and focus light to. I am right there with you in puzzlement, though, having considered these issues over the last several days, and frequently coming back to the idea that we use the metaphor (maybe a metaphor?) that photons are not particles per se, nor waves, but somehow both.
Zimmerman & Reiter 2019 is indeed available online (https://melatonin-research.net/index.php/MR/article/view/19), but I will say that it is not the best written scientific paper I read this week, even, by a lot. It was one of the two most useful (the other being Tan et al 2023, also cited herein), but could have used a lot of editing to add clarity. I'll be interested if you come up with anything I haven't said here upon reading it (especially if you think I've got something wrong).
Thanks! Will read and revert. So the analogy is to fiber optic cables through which light travels by bouncing off the walls. Also, are you familiar with this device and its claims for resetting body clocks with intra-aural light?: https://humancharger.com/global/
John, good questions you ask - I like to think of our cerebrospinal fluid like a diamond/crystal that is able to send infrared beams throughout our skull like a burgler alarm of a museum, so our regenerative treasures aren't compromised by toxins:
https://romanshapoval.substack.com/i/113533387/our-crystal-skull
I know Ben Greenfield has used this device, but in a world that's blue light toxic, I'm skeptical that this can be safe: https://bengreenfieldlife.com/article/sleep-articles/what-is-the-human-charger/
So, my impulse is to fetish-ize my exposure to NIR (and now it comes from this scholarly post!). It fits perfectly into my post-60yo, 3-pillar approach to continued health: improve nutrition, activity, and sleep.
Then I remember I am better off improving my total life structure and resources, at any level--granular or macro. Should I only eat seasonal food...produced within what radius? Should I practice sun salutations at latitude 49? Should I clean my mouth with turmeric because...fluoride? Should I grow my own chicken feed?
Currently (because I am slow commit), I am making my responsibilities such that it is HARD TO GET INSIDE!!
Love this: Create incentives in your own life that make it more difficult to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Having to remind yourself that you must go inside to clean up and sleep after a long day working outside, is a far better situation to be in that having to remind yourself to get off your ass and your laptop and go outside for a few minutes!
I knew there was a reason I’ve always preferred incandescents!! I know the others use less electricity, but I just tend to use them when I really need to see and then otherwise get by with the ambiance of my salt lamp… there’s something about low level lighting I adore. And let the sun or the moonlight do it’s magical thing… our eyes can accommodate/acclimate to low level lighting fairly easily I’ve found
Candles as well give off IR light!
Perhaps our move toward overhead fluorescent lighting has been a great part of our undoing/unraveling in the modern landscape… I’ve always abhorred them
Due to the ol' Autism they literally hurt my eyes and my ears. I can feel the green on my skin.
Same here- combine the hormone disrupting blue light with emf (many fluorescents give off dirty electricity) and it's a sh*tstorm for our eyes and brain.
I remember being a teen and taking hallucinogens with an excellent group of friends who intuitively headed toward the woods and as far from any space with flourescents or even neon… ah, the wisdom of the babes.
Oh new sponsor type, after this conversation I went to Amazon to buy a NIR light. I didn't know what to buy. I could use a Dark Horse ad for this!
Hi Nicole fyi this is a decent brand: https://rubyluxlights.com/products/rubylux-near-infrared-bulb-grade-a
Does the sand at the beach give off NIR? Cause I feel like it must. 🌻🌻🌻
Answering my own question, the only Goliath article I could find says , "NIR imagery has been predominately used through remote sensing...Dry sand reflects infrared radiation given off by the sun and wet sand absorbs IR radiation."
Which means that warm comforting feeling sitting on the sand is healing.
That is awesome. And it makes tremendous sense.
One connection I didn't make in this week's post is to the concept of albedo. Albedo, quite simply, is the fraction of electromagnetic radiation that is reflected off a surface. I have run into the concept of albedo most frequently in environmental contexts, such as when thinking about how deforestation can become desertification: dark forests absorb sunlight, and keep the air cool --> dark forests interspersed with wet dark ground absorb less sunlight, which means the air above and around the forest is hotter, making a less hospitable environment for trees --> the forest fails, which means ever fewer trees, and therefore means dry ground. Dry ground is lighter colored ground, which absorbs even less sunlight, which perpetuates the raising of ambient temperature. (I could have just said: positive feedback is a bitch.)
In environmental contexts, where we tend to prefer living, verdant ecosystems, we hope for low albedo. But for somatic health, on sand, we prefer high albedo, so that we get NIR not just directly from the sun, but reflected off the sand itself.
<swoon> substack is lovely. 🌻💜🌻
Yes - grass as well. 70% of the Infrared that falls to Earth is NIR:
https://romanshapoval.substack.com/i/113533387/the-infrared-light-we-dont-see
Ha! Good stuff! For some reason this essay mused me to think of the great controversy over HIV being the cause of AIDS. The broad implications of what you have outlined here are staggering....in my humble opinion anyway. Thanks Heather!
Have you had a chance to read Celia Farber's book "Serious Adverse Events" that Heather wrote about a couple of weeks ago? I hadn't realized that the HIV/AIDS link is as thin as it is. 50% of the prostitutes in NYC are HIV+ but only the IV drug users among them have progressed to AIDS.
Reading it now. Maybe on your recommendation? Very very interesting as I happen to know a person that is very high in the hierarchy of large corporate medicine. Always been a fan of Mullins. All ringing true at halfway thru. :-)
Heather, after listening to you and Bret discuss this on your podcast and reading your detailed Substack piece here, I was dismayed when a friend forwarded to me this link saying that incandescent bulbs are going to be basically outlawed: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3932145-energy-dept-to-ban-sale-of-some-light-bulbs-heres-why/#:~:text=The%20DOE%20isn't%20totally,enforcement%20beginning%20in%20July%202023
I plan to stock up, but this is disappointing news. Wanted to be sure people are aware.
Great post, Heather.