There's something worth sitting with here. Infrared light warms 82% of the Earth's surface. It's the invisible spectrum your skin recognizes as radiant heat — from the sun, from a campfire, from a warm stone. Dr. Besner's core claim is that we can harness this same wavelength therapeutically, and the body responds to it in ways that conventional heat cannot replicate. That's a meaningful distinction, not marketing language.
The near-infrared piece is where this gets genuinely interesting. The knowledge base has Brian Richards covering this exact territory — the difference between near and far infrared isn't just technical. Near-infrared wavelengths (roughly 700 to 1,400 nanometers) penetrate tissue deeply enough to reach the mitochondria in muscle and fat. Far-infrared is absorbed mostly at the skin surface. These are different interventions producing different effects. When Besner talks about mitochondrial support, he's pointing at photobiomodulation — light activating cytochrome c oxidase, the terminal enzyme in your mitochondrial respiratory chain, which upregulates ATP production. This isn't woo-woo. There's decades of cellular research behind it.
The detox claims deserve a more careful look. Sweating does remove some toxins — certain heavy metals, BPA metabolites, phthalates have been detected in sweat. But the kidneys and liver carry the real load. The infrared-specific advantage is that it generates substantial sweating at lower ambient temperatures than traditional saunas, which some people tolerate better. Connie Zack's work with Sunlighten covers this — the accessibility argument is real. You can get deep tissue thermal effects without the 190-degree Finnish sauna experience.
The fat mobilization claim — that 73% of fat molecules are water and infrared preferentially warms them — is directionally correct but shouldn't be overstated. Fat tissue does absorb infrared well because of its water content. But we're not melting toxins out of fat cells in a single session. This is a cumulative process, and consistency matters far more than intensity.
What I'd pull from this conversation is the frequency and session structure. Three to four times per week, 20 to 30 minutes per session, letting yourself reach genuine sweating rather than just warmth. Near-infrared panels add another layer — even 10 to 15 minutes of direct exposure to your chest or joints targets tissues that sauna heat alone doesn't reach as efficiently. These aren't competing tools. They're complementary.
Besner's origin story — a daughter with Lyme disease — is worth noting. Lyme research has driven significant innovation in infrared therapy because conventional medicine offers so little for chronic Lyme sufferers. Many of the protocols developed for complex inflammatory conditions translate directly to general wellness. Sometimes the most useful health tools emerge from the margins, where patients and practitioners are forced to think differently. That's not a coincidence. That's necessity producing ingenuity.