This post covers the benefits of using red light therapy for MCAS.
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Who is Betsy Leighton?
I’m a writer, blogger, and healer dedicated to helping individuals reconnect with their innate peace and wholeness by healing nervous system dysregulation. My personal experience with chronic illness called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) shapes my work, and my content offers tools to empower those with chronic illness to improve their well-being and take charge of their health.
I created the Sacred Self-Healing Method and am a trained and certified Safe and Sound Protocol provider, an author, blogger, and A Course in Miracles Teacher. I hold a Master of Divinity in Spiritual Counseling and am a trained spiritual mentor, with certificates in sound healing, aromatherapy, nutrition, and Sacred Deathcare. I offer a self-study certificate program in the Sacred Self-Healing Method, provide spiritual counseling and coaching, courses, and supported subscriptions for the Safe and Sound Protocol.
What is MCAS?
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. It can cause severe, disabling symptoms every day, including potentially fatal anaphylaxis.
The common triggers for MCAS are infections, toxic exposures including mold exposure and EMFs, trauma, concussions, and stress.
MCAS often occurs with other chronic conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Managing MCAS is challenging because many healthcare providers are unaware of it, and diagnostic tests can be unreliable. Treatments include antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers in the form of medications and supplements, along with avoiding triggers. Check out this post on managing MCAS.
Benefits of red light therapy for MCAS
Red light therapy can be especially beneficial for people with MCAS because it reduces inflammation at the cellular level without introducing chemical triggers. The red and near-infrared wavelengths stabilize mitochondria and improve energy production within the cell, helping reduce oxidative stress—a major driver of mast cell reactivity. When the cell’s metabolic environment is calmer and more efficient, mast cells are less likely to misfire, which can decrease overall symptom load and reduce flare frequency.
Another key benefit is red light therapy’s ability to calm the nervous system. MCAS is strongly influenced by autonomic imbalance, especially chronic sympathetic activation. Red light helps shift the body toward parasympathetic dominance by lowering stress hormones, improving blood flow, and promoting tissue repair. This calming effect creates an internal state where mast cells can stabilize more easily. Many people with MCAS also struggle with sleep, mood, and sensory sensitivity — all of which can improve when the nervous system is more regulated through gentle light exposure.
Red light therapy also supports skin, gut, and connective tissue health—areas commonly affected in MCAS. The treatment increases microcirculation, stimulates collagen production, and promotes faster healing of irritated tissues, which can ease symptoms such as itching, rashes, joint pain, and digestive discomfort. Because red light therapy works through natural biological pathways rather than introducing new substances, it is often well tolerated by people who are sensitive to medications or supplements. This combination of low risk and broad physiological support makes red light therapy a valuable tool for improving stability and resilience in those living with MCAS.
Red Light Therapy supports cellular healing and reduces inflammation in a gentle, non-triggering way. The wavelengths used in red and near-infrared light help stabilize mitochondria, improve energy production, and calm overactive immune responses—all of which can reduce the baseline reactivity that drives mast cell symptoms. Red light also enhances microcirculation and tissue repair, which may ease pain, skin issues, and gut irritation common in MCAS. Because it acts through cellular and nervous system regulation rather than chemical ingredients, many people with sensitivities find it a soothing, well-tolerated, supportive therapy.
How to use red light therapy for MCAS
You can get infrared and near-infrared light through a red-light panel, a sauna, a bath, or firelight. The red wavelengths penetrate tissue, support mitochondrial function, and reduce mast cell reactivity.
Here is more detail on how to access infrared and near-infrared light safely and effectively when you have MCAS:
Using a red-light panel:
I use the red light therapy devices from Bon Charge. I apply it to the skin over my liver, my face, decolletage, and belly for about 10 mintes per location each day.
- Choose a panel that uses wavelengths in the 630–670 nm (red) and 810–850 nm (near-infrared) range.
- Start with short sessions—about 2–5 minutes per area—to ensure your system tolerates the exposure without triggering symptoms.
- Position the panel 6–18 inches from your body, as per the manufacturer’s guidance.
- Focus on one area at a time (chest, abdomen, face, joints), noticing how your body responds.
- Gradually increase to 10–15 minutes per session, several times per week, if well tolerated.
Using an infrared sauna:
I use a Clearlight infrared sauna (I’m not affiliated with them) and keep the door open about one foot so that I don’t overheat.
- Begin with a very low temperature setting—often 100–120°F—as people with MCAS can be heat sensitive.
- Limit initial sessions to 5–10 minutes and monitor for flushing, dizziness, or symptom flares.
- Hydrate well before and after, as dehydration can increase histamine levels.
- Over several weeks, slowly increase your session length to 15–25 minutes as tolerated.
- If heat is triggering, try a full-spectrum or near-infrared sauna, which allows lower ambient temperatures.
Using a warm bath with infrared lighting or near-infrared bulbs nearby:
I take an Epsom salt bath each evening to benefit from infrared light (heat), and I use a red light bulb in my bathroom salt lamp for visible red light.
- Install a near-infrared heat lamp or bulb (usually 850–900 nm) in the bathroom or near the bathtub.
- Keep the bulb at a safe distance (18–24 inches) to avoid overheating or skin irritation.
- Limit exposure to 10–15 minutes, especially if adding heat from the bath water.
- This combination can relax the nervous system, support circulation, and deliver near-infrared light.
Using firelight or candlelight (natural red/orange wavelengths):
I use red nightlights in the evening to keep the environment dim.
- Sit near a fireplace, campfire, or cluster of beeswax candles.
- Avoid smoke exposure if sensitive—opt for a vented fireplace or outdoor fire.
- Spend 10–20 minutes in the warm, low-frequency light, which signals safety to the nervous system and helps stabilize mast cells by reducing sympathetic overactivation.
- Use this as an evening ritual to calm the body and align circadian rhythms.
All of these sources provide red and near-infrared wavelengths that penetrate tissues, boost mitochondrial function, reduce oxidative stress, and help stabilize mast cells. If you’d like, I can also create a “best practices for MCAS” checklist for red-light use.
The bucket theory
The bucket theory simplifies understanding symptom reactions with MCAS. Imagine your body as an empty bucket you don’t want to overflow. Reactions to various stimuli fill the histamine bucket at different rates, forming the total histamine level (how full your bucket is). More histamine means more symptoms. By managing triggers, reducing exposures, and taking medications and supplements, you can control your bucket’s level.
Know your typical symptom progression
Understanding your symptom progression during a flare is key to developing your rescue plan. This post discusses how to recognize symptom progression so you can be prepared to address them.
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Want a tool to easily track your symptoms?
Check out these circadian health tools!
I’m an affiliate with Bon Charge, a company that makes tools for circadian health, and you can receive 15% off your order with my coupon code BETSYL.
Bon Charge offers tools such as yellow– and red-tone blue-blocking glasses, red light therapy devices, PEMF mats, infrared saunas, and EMF-blocking products.
Sign up for the SSP!
I’ve found the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) to be the most helpful bottom-up healing strategy if your nervous system has been overloaded with toxic exposures, including mold or non-native EMFs, chronic infections, concussions, stress, or trauma. The SSP is a passive listening therapy that helps heal nervous system dysregulation. Many people with MCAS and other chronic conditions have nervous system dysregulation stemming from infections, toxic exposures, concussions, and trauma. The SSP is an easy-to-use app that lets you listen to specially filtered music for 30 minutes each day as part of a 5-hour cycle. Studies show the SSP has a profound effect on mental health and chronic conditions. Here’s a short podcast describing the Safe and Sound Protocol.
You can sign up for the SSP here!
Heal your mind!
While the SSP is a bottom-up, somatic therapy for healing the nervous system, the Sacred Self-Healing Method I offer is a top-down nervous system-healing modality that focuses on cognition, attention, perception, and emotion, using the mind’s higher functions. The SSP and the Sacred Self-Healing Method complement each other and together produce lasting results. Here’s a short podcast on my self-healing practice.
I provide one-on-one in-person and remote chronic illness and caregiver coaching, as well as Sacred Self-Healing Sessions based on the Sacred Self-Healing Method, a proven, novel co-creative healing modality detailed in my Books.
Order my books!
Here’s a short podcast highlighting my five books.
My latest book, Living In The Light: Healing with Forgiveness, Sound, and Light, is all about the tools that have been most helpful for me to heal: forgiveness, sound, through nervous system retraining using the Safe and Sound Protocol, and light, through entraining my circadian rhythm with the energy of the sun. Living In The Light is available here!
Rocks and Roots chronicles my solo backpacking journey on the Superior Hiking Trail and my efforts to overcome nervous system dysregulation, gut dysbiosis, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome symptoms to complete the 328-mile hike successfully.
The Sacred Self-Healing Method ebook is available here and in most ebook retailers!
The Sacred Self-Healing Workbook is available for purchase here!
Betsy’s first book, Sacred Self-Healing: Finding Peace Through Forgiveness, is available here
Companion Recordings
The companion audio recordings of chants, guided meditations, and sound healing demonstrations that accompany the Sacred Self-Healing Method are available for free on my YouTube channel here
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Disclaimer
The preceding material does not constitute medical advice. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, cure, or treatment.
