I recently had the pleasure of interviewing John Graham Harper, a fitness expert with over 15 years in the industry. John is the CEO of LumaFlex, a company that makes red light therapy devices aimed at helping people manage pain and enhance their overall health and wellbeing.
John’s passion for health started early on. He said, “I was heavily into fitness. I opened up quite a number of gyms. I had a supplement company. I got into fitness tech...I was very much, you know, deep into the fitness entrepreneurial space.”
With such an active lifestyle, injuries were inevitable. John blew out both shoulders playing rugby in his youth. Later on, high-intensity CrossFit workouts took a toll as well. “I wasn't really, to be honest, properly taking care of myself in terms of recovery, warm ups and stuff like that. I was just a very aggressive, competitive athlete and my left knee got very, very much damaged.”
Injury Leads to a Unique Discovery
The knee injury was extremely painful and made it difficult for John to walk or even sit for long periods of time. He shares, “It was very, very painful. I was like being in a seated position for longer than 10, 15 minutes, the knee would actually really start to hurt. And I would have to like get deep heat cream and I would have to rub my, you know, rub my knee and try to get, you know, the blood circulating into the knee because it would just hurt so much.”
John’s wife suggested he try red light therapy to help heal his injured knee. Though skeptical at first, John committed to daily treatments with a red light lamp she provided. He recalls, “I remember like the knee would, I would sort of play this dancing game because the bulb would be so hot. But the knee, I would try to move it close to the bulb to get the treatment. But then I'd be like, ah, it's too hot. And I would have to move it away, let the knee cool down, then move it back up and down, up and down.”
Within a week, John noticed a difference. The chronic knee pain he constantly battled was gone. He shares, “The way I realized the pain was gone was in that seated position that normally was very, very tough for me...that pain didn't never, wouldn't come when I was in that seated position. So after a week, didn’t have any pain.”
This remarkable experience sparked John’s fascination with red light therapy. It ultimately led him to develop LumaFlex to make the treatment more easily accessible to others.
What is Red Light Therapy?
So what exactly is red light therapy and how does it work? John explains, “The simplest way to explain what red light therapy is is red light therapy is available to us when the sun rises and the sun sets...That is when the light is at the right wavelength to penetrate your skin and activate the mitochondria.”
He continues, “If you're giving energy to the mitochondria, which is what light therapy does, the cell can do its job. So whether that be healing or, you know, energy production or, you know, blood circulation and healing.”
Red light penetrates the skin and cells, powering up our mitochondria to better do their job. Mitochondria are responsible for energy production, healing, circulation and more. Boosting them enhances cell and body function.
John adds, “Red light therapy clinically has shown that it can boost testosterone, it can grow hair, it can help you sleep better, it can destress you...for skin, it naturally produces collagen...It makes you look younger. So there's an anti aging element to it.”
But pain relief is one major benefit John focuses on, sharing, “Where I see red light therapy really changing the world is with pain management. Is giving your mitochondria energy, excess energy to be able to heal and heal pain...serious chronic pain, arthritis, sciatica.”
Red light devices have been used clinically for decades to help wounds heal faster. But new portable consumer devices like LumaFlex are making it easy for people to try red light therapy’s benefits at home.
John's Personal Routine
As CEO of a red light therapy company, it’s no surprise John is a dedicated daily user. He starts each morning with a 10 minute session, strapping his LumaFlex device onto his forehead.
He explains, "Having red light therapy on your brain, you know, it helps cognitive energy and focus. It kind of gets you pumped up for the day.” He slowly works the light over his head, neck, and gut too, noting “If we fix what's down here, surprisingly, there's a lot of, a lot of magic happens up in the brain.”
Throughout his workday, John does additional shorter treatments on areas like his chest and neck. But one of his most vital sessions comes after exercise. “Again, it helps with the recovery. If you're doing an intense workout, like for me, I still like to box...After, after a session of, of red light therapy post workout, you won't get that soreness that you usually get the day, the next day or the following day.”
In total, John does “three to four times full body sessions every single day,” noting “You can't really overdose on it. You can't ever have too much.”
Many new users notice a difference quickly and get hooked after several weeks of use. John shares, “Your, your cells, you as a human being, your overall wellbeing, you as a human, you're extremely happy, right? Like, your biology is, is happy and you will have an addiction to it... if you don't, if you have a day where you don't have your red light therapy after about two weeks, you feel it. You're like, Oh my, I need my boost.”
Accessible to All
John’s mission with LumaFlex is to spread awareness of red light therapy and make it mainstream. “I always try to focus more on the pain aspect because I feel like that's where it can do the most good for the world,” he says.
He continues, “Why choose an evasive, you know, almost destructive means of treatment without first trying something that's natural, right? Something that was given to us since the beginning of time, right? We would wake up when the sun rises and we'd go to sleep when the sun set... Now this is accessible to us in a device where you can have this access to this treatment anytime you want.”
John notes there are no known side effects to red light therapy. It provides natural healing without drugs or invasiveness. And thanks to companies like LumaFlex, red light devices are now portable, affordable and easy to use at home.
While more research is still needed, many medical experts support red light therapy for certain conditions. Biohackers and health enthusiasts have helped fuel interest too. John concludes, “It’s an exciting time, especially for all of us that are very, very supportive of this treatment...building a brand, running a business...it’s a grind, but we’re ambitious and obviously any opportunity that we have to be able to get the word out is hugely appreciated.”
Key Takeaways:
Red light therapy activates mitochondria to enhance cell function
It relieves pain, speeds healing, grows hair, boosts collagen, testosterone and more
LED devices allow easy use at home to complement/replace drugs or surgery
Regular full body use can aid recovery, energy, sleep and overall wellness
Most users quickly notice faster healing and positive effects
No known side effects and accessible natural healing option
To learn more about LumaFlex red light therapy devices, visit www.lumaflex.com. You can also connect with John on Instagram @JohnGrahamFitness.
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