I've been wearing my transition sunglasses inside airports and grocery stores. Even when people give me looks.

At first, I thought I was being dramatic. Maybe overly sensitive to the harsh fluorescent lighting. Was this PTSD from my hospital days in medical training?

Then I noticed something else: on the rare sunny days we've had this NYC winter, my mood shifts completely. Not just "nice day" better—like a different person. More energy, clearer thinking, less irritability with my kids.

That's when I started digging into the research.

Turns out, I wasn't being crazy at all. A brand-new study published in Nature this month confirms what I've been sensing: LED lighting is undermining mitochondrial function, disrupting metabolism, and accelerating aging.

Get 15–30 minutes of natural sunlight daily to boost your mitochondrial energy! 

Replace 2–4 key bulbs at home with incandescent or halogen

Our mitochondria evolved under infrared light (300–2500 nm) i.e. the healing, energy-producing wavelengths in sunlight. 

LEDs emit almost no infrared light, but blast us with blue light (420–450 nm). 

That exact wavelength suppresses mitochondrial respiration and impairs ATP production.

Mitochondria have a light absorbance peak at ~420 nm. They literally absorb blue light—and when they do, their energy production crashes.

What LEDs do:

In animal studies, 420–450 nm exposure: 

What infrared light does:

Here's the striking part: Researchers shined 830–860 nm infrared light on subjects' chests (blocking their eyes entirely) for 15 minutes. Visual function improved 24 hours later (Scientific Reports). WOW. 

Translation: Mitochondria communicate systemically. Light exposure anywhere on your body impacts your whole system.

Morning or midday is ideal. Infrared penetrates windows and clothing.

Best practice:

Focus on bedroom, kitchen, home office, living room.

Where to find them:

Use dimmer switches to control energy and extend bulb life.

If you must use LEDs: high CRI (>90), low CCT (<3000K). Warm white (2700K) beats cool white (4000–5000K).

Use incandescent/halogen on dimmers. Blue-blocking glasses if working late.

Morning resets circadian rhythm. Midday delivers peak infrared. You don't need direct sun—open shade under trees works.

The goal:You're not avoiding LEDs entirely (impossible). You're balancing blue-heavy LED exposure with regular infrared.

This week I was nursing a new phenomenon for me: a weight-lifting related injury. I know exactly how I did it. I was traveling for work (LA, Phoenix), which meant a lot of time sitting on planes, in cars, and in interviews, an erratic sleep schedule, and being out of my normal eating patterns. Plus, a packed calendar and a lot of rushing around. So it's not surprising looking back that the quick post-podcast, pre-dinner workout at the hotel gym—where for some reason I decided kettlebell swings were a good idea even though I know my form with them isn't great—resulted in new right-sided SI (sacroiliac) pain.

I credit my years-long devotion to yoga and Pilates for generally keeping me injury-free, along with the fact that, let's face it, my weight training 3x a week is still lighter than optimal and not yet pushing my limits all that hard - I’m getting there! But it turns out the perfect storm of moving too fast, doing too much, skipping stretching, and not taking care to stay in alignment was a recipe for pain.

Slow down: 5 MPH. Motto for my life!

A week later the pain is mostly resolved. Here's what I did.

First, I did yoga but avoided hip openers—over-stretching the SI when it's inflamed actually makes it worse.

Second, I applied heat: hot baths with Epsom salts and infrared sauna, to help my body increase blood flow and reduce inflammation.

Third, I added high-dose curcumin to my supplements for the week to reduce inflammation (Pure Encapsulations brand).

Fourth, went to acupuncture, which helped tremendously to release what I hadn't realized were very grippy, tight glute minimus and medius protecting the area, and to help the body in its healing process.

Fifth, I kept my weight training but paid special attention to slowing down, giving my squats/glute work a break, and focused instead on arms, core, and ensuring my femur was properly integrated into my hip socket with every move to avoid pulling the muscles and fascia of my hips and pelvic floor further out of alignment.

Sixth, I went to bed early all week, avoided alcohol, and generally took it easy physically.

As you can probably tell, I hate slowing down, and I like to fit everything in. This injury was a lesson in being willing to take a new direction when what I was doing wasn't going to get me anywhere but more pain and more downtime. Healing often requires forming and norming new patterns—it's a fantastic skill to learn. This is different from stopping and giving up in the face of adversity. Instead, I had to prioritize creativity, patience, and resilience. If that's not the key to longevity, I don't know what is.

Stay strong, stay curious and breathe, 

Robin

If you've been feeling tired or foggy and your labs come back "normal," consider your light environment.

At Parsley, we're starting to ask patients: How much time do you spend outside? What lighting do you have at home? Are you in a windowless office all day?

Light is a nutrient. And most of us are deficient.

Get your labs with Parsley Health or bring your own results for advanced analysis.

As always, this newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any health decisions or changes to your treatment plan.