New at the clinic
Lie down and let
the light do the work.
Red light therapy is the one thing at the clinic you don't need a bad back to come in for. You lie down in a full-body bed, the light runs, and you get up and go on with your day. No needles, no medication, nothing to recover from afterward.
No UV. Not a tanning bed.
What it actually is
Light, and your own cells doing the rest
Red light therapy, which you will also see called photobiomodulation, puts red and near-infrared light on your skin. The working idea researchers are chasing is that the light gets absorbed by mitochondria, the part of your cells that makes energy, and that giving them that light changes how they go about their job. That is the mechanism. Everything past that point is your own body.
Here is what it is not, because this is the question the front desk gets most: it is not a tanning bed. There is no UV in it, you are not going to burn, and you are not getting cooked. Most people describe it as lying in a warm, quiet room with their eyes shut, which for a lot of folks around here is the best part of the appointment.
- UV The part that burns. Not in here.
- Red light Visible, the color of an ember.
- Near-infrared Invisible, reaches deeper.
Why a bed
All of you at once
Dr. Leal went with a full-body bed rather than something you hold against one spot at a time. You lie down, and the whole surface of you is in the light together. If standing still for long stretches is hard on you, whether that is knees or hips or a back that makes your decisions for you, that difference matters more than it sounds like it should.
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You are lying down
Nothing to hold, nothing to aim, nothing to keep track of. The most demanding part of the appointment is getting comfortable.
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Front and back
The bed covers you rather than one shoulder or one knee, so you are not doing the session in shifts.
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Short and quiet
You keep your eyes closed, the room stays quiet, and then it is over. Nobody is talking at you the whole time.
How it is booked
It's its own thing
Red light is not folded into an adjustment and it is not something we tack onto your bill at the end of a visit. It is its own appointment with its own sign-up. A good number of the people who come in for it have never been on the chiropractic table and have no plans to be, and that is completely fine. Nobody is going to work on you about it while you are here.
If you are already a patient, it does not change your treatment plan and it does not change your billing. You book it the same way everybody else does.
Booked separately
- A full-body bed, not a handheld wand
- You lie down. That's the whole ask of you.
- No needles, no medication, no downtime
- Booked on its own, chiropractic patient or not
Who books it
You don't have to be hurting to come in
This one draws a different crowd than the rest of the clinic does, which took us a little by surprise. Here is who has been asking.
Not sure whether it is worth your time? Call and ask. You will get a straight answer, including if the answer is no.
- People who have read about it and want to try the real thing
- Patients already coming in who want to add it on
- Anybody who would rather lie still for a few minutes than take something
- People who want an appointment that asks nothing of them
- Folks who would rather ask a doctor about it than a salesperson
- Couples and family members who come in together
How it goes
Four steps, and two of them are just showing up
There is no exam to pass and no paperwork marathon. Here is the whole thing from the time you call.
- 1
Call or send the form
Tell us you are asking about red light. You do not need a referral, an exam, or a chiropractic appointment first. Just tell us when you can come in.
- 2
Talk to Dr. Leal first
Before your first session he goes through your health history and tells you honestly whether this is worth your time and your money. If he does not think it is, he will say so. That conversation happens before you pay for anything.
- 3
The session
You lie down in the bed and the light runs. Close your eyes if you want. There is nothing to bring and nothing you need to do while you are in there.
- 4
Get up and go
Nothing to recover from and nothing to plan around. People go back to work, back to the field, back to whatever they were in the middle of.
Before you book
Things to tell Dr. Leal
Red light is gentle, but it is not automatically right for everyone, and that is a conversation worth having before your first session instead of after it. Bring it up if any of these apply to you.
- You are pregnant, or think you might be
- You take a medication that makes you sensitive to light
- You have a history of skin cancer, or a spot someone is watching
- You have a condition that affects how your skin handles light
- You have an eye condition, or you have had recent eye surgery
- You are being treated for something and are not sure how this fits with it
Questions, answered
What people ask about red light
Does red light therapy help with weight loss?
You will see that claim made constantly online, and the honest answer is that it depends entirely on the specific device and what it has actually been cleared to do. Machines sold under the same name differ enormously. Rather than repeat a claim we cannot stand behind, ask Dr. Leal what this particular bed is and is not for. He will tell you straight, including where the answer is that nobody knows yet.
Is this a tanning bed?
No. There is no UV involved. A tanning bed works by giving you ultraviolet light, which is the part of sunlight that burns and damages skin. This is red and near-infrared light, a different part of the spectrum entirely. You will not tan and you will not burn.
Do I have to be a chiropractic patient?
No, and plenty of the people who come in for red light never get on the chiropractic table. It is a separate appointment with a separate sign-up. Nobody is going to push an adjustment on you while you are here for something else.
Does it hurt?
No. Most people say it is warm and quiet and that is about the extent of it. If anything about it is uncomfortable, say so and we stop. There is no toughing anything out here.
How often would I need to come?
That is a conversation with Dr. Leal rather than a package we hand you at the door. It depends on what you are hoping to get out of it, and he would rather set a realistic expectation up front than sell you a stack of sessions you do not need.
Is it covered by insurance?
No. Red light therapy is self-pay. Call the front desk and ask what a session runs so there are no surprises when you get here.
Can I do it the same day as an adjustment?
Yes, if there is room on the schedule. It is still a separate appointment and a separate charge, but nobody wants to drive into town twice in one week if they do not have to. Ask when you call and we will try to line them up.
Where is the clinic?
1106 W American Blvd in Muleshoe, which is US-84 coming through town, next to Leal's Restaurant. Same door as everybody else. We are open Monday through Thursday, 8AM to 12PM and 2PM to 6PM.
Ask about red light therapy
Send this and the front desk will get back to you with what a session involves, what it costs, and when Dr. Leal can talk it through with you. No obligation to book anything.
- Full-body light bed
- Monday–Thursday, 8AM–12PM & 2PM–6PM
- No chiropractic visit required