The 1910 Secret: How Light Turns Water Into Medicine | Brain Richards

Dave Asprey

Jul 7, 2026

Episode description

Near-Infrared Light Therapy & EMF Shielding with SaunaSpace Founder Brian Richards

Your mitochondria are starving for a nutrient you've probably never tracked, and it's not a vitamin or a macro. This episode reveals how a forgotten 1910 therapy uses light to physically restructure water inside your cells, unlocking a mechanism for healing, detox, and mitochondria repair that most of biohacking has completely overlooked.

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Host Dave Asprey sits down with Brian Richards, founder of SaunaSpace and a leading voice in incandescent light therapy and infrared sauna engineering. With a background in chemistry and organic synthesis, Brian spent over a decade building a science-backed alternative to LED-based light therapy rooted in full-spectrum incandescent light and deep radiant heat. After healing his own insomnia, adrenal fatigue, and brain fog through light and heat exposure, he developed the FireLight Spectrum, a technology engineered to restore what modern lighting strips away.

Dave and Brian trace incandescent light therapy back to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg's 1910 book on light therapeutics, and explain why the same institutional forces that suppressed chiropractic care and natural medicine buried this practice for over a century. They break down how near-infrared light penetrates the body to charge water into a more bioavailable state, boost glutathione and melatonin production, and repolarize cellular voltage for better metabolism and longevity. The conversation also covers why blue light from LEDs devastates hormones, testosterone, and fertility, how EMF exposure silently drains human performance, and why grounding and Faraday shielding matter more than most supplements on the market.

You'll Learn:

Why near-infrared light functions as an essential nutrient your body cannot make without it
How light physically restructures water to improve mitochondria function and cellular energy
The suppressed history of Dr. Kellogg's incandescent light therapy and why it disappeared
How blue light exposure crashes testosterone and disrupts fertility and hormone regulation
Why EMF shielding and grounding are critical, overlooked tools for longevity and recovery
How to use infrared light like a daily supplement instead of an occasional treatment
Why carnivore-adjacent, nutrient-dense eating pairs naturally with light and heat therapy

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Mindsip insights from this episode:

Limit late-night TV to maintain testosterone levels

Watching TV late at night can cause a man to wake up with half the testosterone level he is supposed to have.

#sleep

#testosterone

Use infrared lamp to eliminate screen flicker and blue light

Placing a strong near-infrared light source next to your computer can cancel out the measurable blue light and harmful flicker from the screen.

#blue-light

#infrared

Avoid morning blue light to protect hormone balance

Flipping on a standard LED bathroom light first thing in the morning programs your hormones to be stressed for the rest of the day.

#blue-light

#hormones

Supercharge sauna benefits with coffee blend

Drinking coffee blended with grass-fed butter and MCT oil before a sauna session supercharges your body's ability to make use of infrared light.

#infrared

#sauna

Track daily infrared light intake as essential nutrient

You should track your daily consumption of infrared light just like you track vitamins, as most people are incredibly deficient in this nutrient.

#infrared

Wear thin white linen to block UV while absorbing infrared light

Wearing thin, white linen or cotton clothing can block harmful ultraviolet light while still allowing the healing near-infrared light from the sun to pass through.

#infrared

#UV

Utilize near-infrared light to boost antioxidant production

Your body primarily uses near-infrared light to produce essential antioxidants like glutathione and melatonin directly within your cells.

#antioxidants

#infrared

Expose yourself to morning infrared light for photoprotection

Exposing yourself to near-infrared light in the morning has a photoprotective effect against the damaging blue and UV light you encounter later in the day.