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Effects of infraredlighton human body
In order to accurately record any scene, whether it’s a person’s face, a piece of jewelry, or a landscape, you have to measure the amount of light that exists in a scene. There are two basic methods for measuring light: You can either take a reflected reading by measuring the light reflecting off of your subject, or you can take an incident reading by measuring the light as it falls on the subject. Both types of metering can produce precise exposures if you know how to interpret the data that your meter supplies. Many Sekonic meters give you both metering options—along with some sophisticated features not found in even the most advanced cameras with built-in meters.
Spot metering an 18% gray midtone area allows you to make an exposure that will record detail, tonality, and color accurately. Once you get accustomed to “reading” scenes, you’ll be able to tell which subject areas have an “average” reflectance, and even in the most contrasty situations, you’ll be able to take spot readings from critical areas. For example, by taking a spot reading of a tall, green saguaro cactus (a medium-toned subject) in the middle of a bright, sandy desert, you’ll get an accurate reading of the important subject area. Spot meters also allow you to average readings from several brightness areas within a scene.
Handheld reflected light meters (including built-in camera meters) read the intensity of light reflecting off the subject. Because they measure the light after it hits the subject, however, they are affected by the reflectance of the subject’s surfaces. And because most reflected readings are taken from the camera position, they generally take in a wide area that can include many different reflective surfaces or colors that can bias the meter reading. If you’re photographing a person walking on a sandy beach on a bright day, for instance, the light reflecting off of the sand will overwhelm the reading and result in an underexposed image of the person.
Effects of infraredlighton skin
Although a number of advanced SLRs offer spot-metering capability, the metering angle is directly related to the focal length of the camera lens in use. Every time the lens is changed, the effective spot-meter angle changes. With a normal lens in use, the spot-metering angle may be 15 degrees or more. A handheld 1-degree spot meter, on the other hand, allows the most selective measurement of distant subjects and small areas in complex scenes.
A better alternative to reading the light in many scenes is to use an “incident” meter. Handheld incident meters read the intensity of light falling on the subject and are usually taken from the subject position. Because they are not affected by variances in subject color or reflectance, incident meters accurately record the amount of light falling on the subject. In the majority of situations, an incident reading is extremely accurate and records tones, colors, and values correctly.
Infrared therapy in physiotherapy
“It’s not precise,” Griffin says, “so even if you go to an infrared heated sauna, you don’t know what degree of thermal dose you’re actually getting.”
Near-infrared light is frequently utilized for medical purposes such as wound healing and skin treatment. Far infrared, on the other hand, is most commonly used in saunas and heated Pilates and yoga classes and can penetrate up to 1.5 inches into the skin, says Pavan Tankha, medical director of the Comprehensive Pain Recovery Program at the Cleveland Clinic. He adds that this deeper penetration suggests that far infrared light does more than heat the body; it may also affect immune cells and other deeper structures within the body.
Despite the positive anecdotal reports from patients that infrared heating sessions help with their chronic fatigue and pain, Tankha says it’s too early to make a definitive statement about the benefits of infrared heating when treating chronic pain.
Targeted heat therapies, like radiofrequency waves and ultrasound, are already used to treat tumors, with multiple clinical studies showing that this heat can improve long-term survival rates by up to 20 percent, Griffin says.
Usesof infrared lamp in physiotherapy
“There’s a big area of research in thermal medicine showing that if you heat the whole body a degree or two, you can boost immunity, because it’s just like inducing a fever,” he says.
The science behind this lies in how the body reacts to heat. When any part of our body is heated, blood flow increases, which delivers nutrients and oxygen, says Robert Griffin, a professor at the Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas Medical School. What’s more, he adds, is that immune function goes up when you raise the body’s temperature.
Infrared therapy side effects
How to use infrared lamp for muscle pain
Infrared heat is also showing promise in mental health treatment. A recent study found infrared sauna sessions, combined with cognitive behavioral therapy, led to a statistically significant reduction in depression symptoms. Depression is associated with a higher body temperature, and the infrared sauna induces sweating so the body can better cool down, says Ashley Mason, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and the study’s author.
While some of these claims still need more research, several studies show that infrared light can offer real health benefits when used appropriately. Here’s what you need to know about infrared light therapy.
A reflected meter will provide different readings for, say, a white cat and a black cat—but it will provide an exposure that records both as the same middle gray. Similarly, a pristine fresh-fallen snow and a black coal field will be recorded as the same color: medium gray. A reflected meter will also record a red apple and a green apple as the same tone—even though in reality they reflect vastly different amounts of light. You can improve the accuracy of your reflected readings by placing an 18% neutral gray test card in front of the important subject areas, but that’s not always practical.
Because reflected metering reads the intensity of light reflecting off of the subject, it is easily fooled by variances in tonality, color, contrast, background brightness, surface textures, and shape. What you see is often not at all what you get. Reflected meters do a good job of reading the amount of light bouncing off of a subject—the trouble is they don’t take into account any other factors in the scene. They are merciless in recording all things as a medium tone.
Infrared light therapy is more than just a trend: It’s showing potential in easing chronic pain, improving mobility, and boosting mental health. Here’s what you need to know before stepping into the heat.
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All light meters, regardless of the type, are designed to measure light in a consistent way. Light meters presume all subjects are of average reflectance, or a neutral gray—often called “middle” gray because it falls in the middle of the zones between pure black and pure white. In the Zone system of exposure, this middle gray is known as Zone V. The use of the neutral gray standard allows a reflected light meter to render correct readings for “average” subjects in “average” lighting situations. Light meters, however, can’t see subjects and interpret them the way you can—they measure only one thing: the intensity of light. That's fine if you’re photographing a medium gray man in a medium gray suit on an average day, but not entirely accurate in other situations.
David Ozog, chair of the department of dermatology at Henry Ford Health, says several randomized, controlled trials have shown red and near-infrared light can grow hair (an application with FDA approval), help wounds heal faster, and improve cold sores. Additionally, infrared heat has been linked to muscle relaxation and recovery, fibromyalgia relief, and even some cardiovascular benefits.
Infrared light has three wavelengths: far, mid, and near. Some infrared heated saunas include all three wavelengths, but regardless of the type—infrared heaters emit electromagnetic waves that travel through the air and heat objects, including our bodies.
Benefits of infraredlighton face
Reflected measurements of any single tone area, for instance, will result in a neutral gray rendition of that object. Subjects that appear lighter than gray (like a white cat) will reflect excess light, causing them to record darker than they appear. Subjects that are darker than gray (like a black cat) will reflect less light and produce an exposure that renders them lighter—in other words, a gray cat instead of a black one.
Brooke Alexandra, a certified Pilates instructor and the owner of Reforming Foundations Pilates and Wellness in Michigan, first tried infrared heating when she began using an infrared sauna to help with her Lyme disease symptoms.
Infrared saunas and heat-based exercise classes are generally safe for most people. Still, it’s always best to consult with a doctor before starting any new treatment, especially if you’re pregnant or prone to dehydration. It’s important to remember that the results seen in scientific studies may not be the same in class, where factors like temperature and duration can vary.
Infrared light is more than just a wellness trend—it’s being used in various medical applications, with growing evidence supporting its health benefits.
Infrared lamp medical use
Because incident metering reads the intensity of light falling on the subject, it provides readings that will create accurate and consistent rendition of the subject’s tonality, color, and contrasts regardless of reflectance, background color, brightness, or subject textures. Subjects that appear lighter than middle gray to your eye will appear lighter in the finished image. Subjects that are darker than middle gray will appear darker. Colors will be rendered accurately and highlight and shadow areas will fall naturally into place. Neat trick, eh?
Inspired by these results, she incorporated infrared heating into her Pilates classes and says her students reported improved sleep, energy, mental clarity and focus, and reduced joint pain.
One popular claim about infrared heat—that it helps ”detox” the body—doesn't hold under scrutiny. Experts agree that while some chemicals and heavy metals can be found in sweat, the amounts are too small to impact detoxification significantly.
Infrared heat is making waves as a popular heating method for saunas and exercise classes alike, promising benefits that range from easing chronic pain to reducing stress. Unlike traditional heating systems that warm the air, infrared technology uses electromagnetic waves to heat objects directly—such as your body and the floor—creating a more subtle, penetrating warmth.
While more research needs to be done on the long-term impact of infrared light, the current science suggests that low-level infrared heat therapy—like the kind you’d find in a sauna or exercise class—does not have serious harmful effects.