On the episode, Neil, the inventor, spoke about vasodilation- how Forest Air increases blood flow and helps deliver more oxygen to the cell so the mitochondria can make more energy. That explanation is absolutely true, but I wanted to share another layer of perspective from my metabolic learning, especially through the lens of Ray Peat’s work.

Because oxygen on its own isn’t the full story. What matters is what the cell is able to do with that oxygen.

Every cell in the body is built to burn glucose with oxygen inside the mitochondria. When this process is running efficiently, the cell produces ATP (usable energy) and carbon dioxide. CO₂ is often misunderstood as waste, but metabolically it’s a sign that energy production is happening cleanly and efficiently. It helps oxygen release into tissues, stabilises breathing, and supports a calmer nervous system.

When this system is working well, people tend to feel warm, clear-headed and emotionally steadier. Sleep improves. Blood sugar is more stable. Hormones behave more predictably. It’s not dramatic or flashy it just feels like the body is running properly.

Where things get interesting is that modern life quietly interferes with this process. Long hours indoors, artificial lighting, winter darkness, chronic stress and poor air quality all push the mitochondria into a less efficient state. Glucose stops being fully oxidised and the body leans more heavily on stress metabolism. Lactic acid rises, stress hormones rise, and energy output drops even if food intake hasn’t changed.

This is why fatigue is often misread as a calorie problem or a motivation problem. In many cases it’s a respiration problem at the cellular level. The fuel is there, but the cell can’t use it properly.

This is where light enters the conversation in a way most people never consider. Mitochondria are light-responsive. Certain wavelengths, particularly red and near-infrared, interact directly with respiratory enzymes and improve how efficiently energy is produced.

External red light therapy works through this mechanism. It improves mitochondrial respiration, increases ATP production, and helps shift the body out of stress metabolism. When the mitochondria work better, glucose regulation improves naturally, not because blood sugar is being forced down, but because the fuel is finally being used as intended.

Forest Air taps into this same biological pathway, but from the inside. The device activates oxygen using light. When that oxygen relaxes back to its normal state, it releases photons. In simple terms, inhaling Forest Air isn’t just delivering oxygen – it’s delivering light carried by oxygen into the bloodstream.

Those photons interact with the same light-sensitive mitochondrial enzymes targeted by red light therapy, except now the delivery is systemic rather than surface-level. The lungs distribute oxygen everywhere, so the photonic effect isn’t localised to one area of the body. It travels with circulation.

From a metabolic perspective, that’s fascinating. You’re supporting oxygen delivery, vasodilation, mitochondrial respiration and nervous system regulation at the same time. You’re helping the cell return to efficient energy production rather than pushing it through stress chemistry.

And this brings us back to CO₂. When respiration improves and glucose is oxidised cleanly, CO₂ rises naturally. Higher CO₂ isn’t a problem it’s a sign of efficient metabolism. It improves oxygen release into tissues and stabilises the breathing reflex. Many symptoms people label as anxiety or poor stamina are actually linked to chronically low CO₂ and inefficient respiration.

Modern life strips away the signals our metabolism evolved around: natural daylight, warm-spectrum light, clean air, rhythmic breathing. Forest Air doesn’t replace nature, but it reintroduces part of the environment our cells expect in order to function well.

That’s why I use it in clinic. Not as a gimmick, and not as a miracle device, but as a tool that supports basic bioenergetics. When the mitochondria work better, the body doesn’t have to fight as hard to maintain balance. Energy becomes easier. Regulation becomes easier. Healing becomes easier.

And ultimately, that’s the goal.

Mark Attwood link HERE

Forest Air devices for purchase or treatment in clinic HERE