Far Infrared (FIR) Therapy

Far infrared (FIR) refers to the longer-wavelength end of the infrared spectrum (roughly 5.6–1000 µm), the part most associated with radiant heat. FIR is the mechanism behind infrared saunas, heat lamps, and some medical warming devices. Research on FIR generally falls into one of two buckets: its direct thermal effect (it warms tissue), and a proposed additional non-thermal effect on blood vessels.

A frequently cited animal study (Yu, Chiu, et al., published in a peer-reviewed dermatology/physiology journal) applied FIR to rats and measured skin blood flow with a laser Doppler flowmeter. Blood flow didn't change significantly during the 45-minute exposure itself, but increased significantly for up to 60 minutes after the FIR source was removed — an effect the researchers linked to nitric oxide signaling rather than simple heating. Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16606412.

A 2019 systematic review in a vascular medicine journal collected human and animal findings across cardiovascular, autoimmune, and other chronic conditions, describing FIR's proposed mechanism as increasing blood flow and shear stress, which upregulates nitric oxide production in blood vessel linings. The same review discusses clinical studies in dialysis patients, where a course of FIR sessions during treatment was associated with improved vascular access function. Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4935255; dialysis study: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4811988.

A 2024 Phase 1 randomized trial in Experimental Dermatology tested a dedicated FIR-emitting patch (not a lamp or sauna) on 20 healthy participants over 31 hours, using multiple imaging methods including thermography to look at skin perfusion, microcirculation, and oxygenation. Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/exd.14962.

A separate randomized study of adults over 50 examined FIR irradiation's effect on foot skin temperature and heart rate variability, a marker of autonomic nervous system activity, reporting improvements in both. Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7738146.

Much of the strongest mechanistic evidence for FIR (the nitric-oxide pathway, the wound-healing effects) comes from animal studies, not large human trials. A 2017 literature review on FIR and wound healing noted that despite positive findings across multiple studies, FIR is still considered an alternative therapy because no clinical consensus has been reached on its role in wound care. Source: doi.org/10.1177/2156587215623436.

The hemodialysis study above also reported that some participants discontinued FIR therapy due to increased body temperature and discomfort — a reminder that even a well-studied modality has a documented downside for some people, not just benefits.

None of the studies above were conducted on the Aura Matrix Elite, its phototherapy array, or any of the Aura Video Station 7's readings. Several use different delivery methods entirely — a heat lamp, a sauna cabin, or a wearable patch — with their own specific wavelength, intensity, distance, and duration parameters that don't necessarily transfer to a different device. Several of the strongest results come from rodent models, not people.

It's included here because it's the closest published, peer-reviewed research on FIR and circulation that we could locate — not because it demonstrates anything about this product's effects on any specific person.