As a professional equine massage therapist, I've always been taught that red light therapy is an effective modality for healing wounds and soothing pain. There are a number of poll caps on the market that use red light therapy to bring relaxation and circulation to the stressed fascia over the poll and TMJ.

But what if we could do more for these horses? And what makes the Happy Hat special?

Near-infrared light is different from red light. It has a longer wavelength and can penetrate much deeper than red light, which loses efficacy quickly past the most superficial layers of tissue. Studies show that near-infrared light can even penetrate through the skull, acting on brain parenchyma (Jagdeo et al., 2012). Everything stated here is research backed and you can scroll to the bottom for further reading.

Recent research in humans and animals has shown great efficacy of transcranial near-infrared light in treating depression and anxiety (Ji et al., 2024). Studies show:

• Decreased stress indicators
• Improved cognitive function
• Decreased neuroinflammation
• Improved energy
• Neuroprotective properties
• Vasodilation (widened blood vessels) and angiogenesis (creation of new blood vessels) in the brain (Colombo et al., 2021)

...... as immediate and long-term effects of near-infrared light treatment.

The main mechanisms at play here are inflammation reduction and cellular repair. Stressed individuals have a higher incidence of neuroinflammation, which commonly shows in the form of anxiety, "brain fog", and depression (Hassamal, 2023). Reducing this inflammation and enhancing mitochondrial function is highly beneficial for the stressed brain and can be done with phototherapy .

The Happy Hat combines both red & near infrared light wavelengths with a high irradiance (120 mw/sq cm). Use for 20 minutes at least once daily for maximum long-term benefit.

What to expect from the horse during a transcranial near-infrared light therapy session

• Sedation
• Droopy lip
• Lip twitches
• Eye fluttering
• Reduction in anxiety after treatment

Features

- Adjustable to fit a wide variety of horses

- Covers the poll, TMJ, atlas, and axis

- Comes with a built-in rechargeable battery with included Type-C cable

- Has an automatic timer for 20 mins

- Has settings for red + near infrared light, red light only, near infrared only, and pulsing options

- Battery life approx. 1 hour of continuous use

Specifications

Questions? Click the chat button in the bottom right to leave a message.

Sources:

Jagdeo, J. R., Adams, L. E., Brody, N. I., & Siegel, D. M. (2012). Transcranial Red and Near Infrared Light Transmission in a Cadaveric Model. PLoS ONE, 7(10), e47460. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0047460

Ji, Q., Yan, S., Ding, J., Zeng, X., Liu, Z., Zhou, T., Wu, Z., Wei, W., Li, H., Liu, S., & Ai, S. (2024). Photobiomodulation improves depression symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1267415

Colombo, E., Signore, A., Stefano Aicardi, Zekiy, A., Anatoliy Utyuzh, Stefano Benedicenti, & Amaroli, A. (2021). Experimental and Clinical Applications of Red and Near-Infrared Photobiomodulation on Endothelial Dysfunction: A Review. Biomedicines, 9(3), 274–274. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9030274

Sameer Hassamal. (2023). Chronic stress, neuroinflammation, and depression: an overview of pathophysiological mechanisms and emerging anti-inflammatories. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1130989