165: The Relaxback UK Show with Mike Dilke - Episode 165165: The Relaxback UK Show with Mike Dilke - Episode 165
UK Health Radio Podcast
Mike Dilke talks with Sarah Turner about photobiomodulation, how light-based devices target brain and gut health, and what early research and case studies suggest so far. The conversation stresses that current findings are proof of concept rather than clinical evidence, with plans for more robust trials ahead.
39:24•28 Apr 2026
Can Light Help the Brain and Gut? Sarah Turner on Photobiomodulation
Episode Overview
- Photobiomodulation is described as using specific wavelengths of light to change biology, especially in the brain and gut.
- A 31-person proof-of-concept study tracked personally important symptoms and general wellness, suggesting improvements but without control or sham groups.
- Light therapy is said to act on mitochondria to boost cellular energy and may influence blood flow and inflammatory responses.
- A single documented motor neurone disease case showed an uncommon improvement in functional rating scores over a year of device use, though no treatment claims are made.
- Larger, independent clinical trials with proper controls are identified as essential next steps, requiring investment and external research labs.
“What we’re talking about is very early stage proof of concept rather than any kind of clinical evidence.”
What drives someone to seek a life without endless pills and instead look at something as simple as light for better health? This Relaxback UK Show episode catches up with Sarah Turner from Sarah Thrive, who specialises in photobiomodulation – or, as she puts it, “light therapeutics” aimed at the brain and gut.
Sarah explains in clear, down‑to‑earth language how near infrared light can pass through the skull and into the brain, and why she’s so focused on brain and gut wellness as a combined system. She describes her battery‑powered head and gut devices as “very simple… but actually quite sophisticated in what we can do with them,” and talks through how the body’s cells respond when given this extra “fuel” from light.
Mike and Sarah run through an early proof‑of‑concept study involving 31 existing users of the system. Instead of chasing a single diagnosis, they asked people what really bothered them day to day – bloating, brain fog, fatigue, pain – and tracked changes in those personally meaningful symptoms and general wellness scores.
Sarah is very clear that this is “very early stage proof of concept rather than any kind of clinical evidence,” and openly notes the lack of control and sham groups. Things get especially gripping when she shares a documented case study of someone with motor neurone disease who used the devices for a year and saw an uncommon improvement in their ALS functional rating score and daily abilities, including swallowing and standing.
She stresses that this is one person, not a cure, and that larger, fully independent clinical trials are the next step. If you’re curious about non‑drug approaches to chronic issues like fatigue, brain fog or long‑term illness, this conversation gives plenty to think about while keeping the science as jargon‑free as possible. Could light end up being an “essential nutrient” many modern lives are missing?
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