Study: Cold Laser has Faster Pain Relieving Effect than Medication

 

Dear Friends of Pacific Laser Therapy Centers,

Just more evidence to support cold laser as a first line therapy to alleviate back pain:

Low energy laser in the treatment of low back pain:

S. Nikolic, Z. Trojacanec, I.J.Milankovic Institute of ME Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Skopje,

F.Y.R.O.M

ICMART ’97 International Medical Acupuncture Symposium, Nicosia, Cyprus, March 26-29 1997

Low back pain is felt in the low lumbar, lumbosacral, or sacroiliac region. Most lowback pain is related to acute ligamentous (sprain) or muscular(strain) problems, which

tend to be self limited, or to the more chronic osteoarthritis or ankylosing spondylitis of

the lumbar area. The aim of the study was to explore the pain-alleviating effect of low

level laser in low back pain .Thirty-five patients with low back pain have been treated

with helium-neon laser type “Bistra” with wavelength 630 nm, average output 15 mW

and an irradiance of 250 mW/cm2. The laser was locally applied to 11 sites on and

around the low back. After scanning each point was treated for 30 sec, five times weekly

for a total of ten treatments. The statistical analysis showed that the laser treated patients

had a significant faster pain-alleviating effect compared with the 30 patients treated with

medicaments only. Subjective response have been achieved after first three treatments.

Irradia laser treatment may be a valuable therapy in low back pain and low energy laser

can be employed as a pain relieving method.

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An Accupuncturist Uses Cold Laser to Treat a Professional Athlete’s Non-Responsive Injury with Incredible Results!

 Dear Friends of Pacific Laser Therapy Centers,

There are literally thousands of studies demonstrating the powerful anti-inflammatory, pain reducing, and healing benefits of cold laser. Just another article written by a practitioner of traditional chinese medicine (accupuncture) and his positive experience with cold laser:

Acupuncture and Low-Level Laser Light By John Amaro, LAc, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM), FIAMA, DC

My first introduction to laser was in 1973 by a friend and colleague who had purchased a laser device in Austria for his clinic in the U.S. He had attended an international presentation on laser which was perhaps the first professional presentation of laser for clinicians.

On his way home from the airport, he had to go right by my office, so he stopped to show off his acquisition. This was the first time I had ever seen or heard of a laser, other than the one in the movie Goldfinger that had threatened the life of James Bond. However, my friend insisted I use it in place of needles for one week in my practice and he would pick it up on his next visit. After looking at this strange box for the next few days, I finally gained enough nerve to actually use it on a difficult shoulder case that, to my utter amazement, had an almost miraculous response.

Following this and several other similar dramatic responses to a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, I was convinced I had to have a laser for myself. The problem was they were not available in the U.S. As months went by and I continued my search for an affordable laser (preferably from America), my interest grew along with my absolute desire to own one of these laser devices. My friend loaned me his laser on several occasions and I became sold on its merits.

This was the birth of the first North American company that began manufacturing lasers for general medical use. Within a very short time, another company developed that had a connection with the first one but became a competitor. Due to the diligence and desire to make the best product available, these two companies continually developed the best laser systems available at that time and could be compared to any laser system offered internationally.

By this time, the vast majority of my very large acupuncture and chiropractic practice was being treated with laser application. When my success caught the attention of the Kansas City Royals baseball team, I treated their players’ extremely difficult and nonresponsive orthopedic conditions with incredible clinical response. I continued to do so for nearly seven years. I was the treating doctor for those difficult cases when the team won the World Series in 1985.

As a result of this, I was sought after to treat a variety of sports figures and entertainment celebrities throughout the country with laser. This also included race horses in Kentucky and show horses in Virginia. Interestingly enough, the lasers we used were the Helium Neon 632.8nm with 1mw coherent laser light.

The laser I used also had a combination of low-tech transcutaneous nerve stimulation within the head of the laser. Thus, the patient received a combination of very mild laser and electrical stimulation. The laser light was delivered through a fiber optic, which altered the beam considerably. Those lasers were nothing like the ones available today, however even at just 1mw, it produced absolutely irrefutable clinical response.

Today, most lasers for clinical application are 635nm with 5mw or more laser diodes that are portable and produce very favorable response. Even though the lasers today are much more powerful, I have always questioned if more is really necessary when I recall my early successes with low-power laser light. Low-level laser therapy, also known as low-intensity laser therapy or photobiomodulation, are the generic terms for the therapeutic application of low-output laser and monochromatic super luminous diodes less than 500mw. These light sources are used to treat pain and stimulate tissue repair.

It produces these effects by affecting cell activity. Many authorities will argue that it takes a powerful laser at 10 to 100mw to absorb into the body. However, my personal experience in using very low-level mw laser and experiencing the dramatic clinical response I have witnessed, questions this logic. Low-level laser therapy is not to be confused with high-intensity lasers operating in the area of 30w or greater.

These are considered surgical lasers and produce heating to the point of vaporizing tissue. The most important part of laser therapy is the wavelength, which determines the color of the light. It must be compatible with the human body so that the photons produced will be absorbed. The mitochondria of the cell contain cytochromes known to absorb photons of certain wavelengths. Cytocrome C oxidase absorbs red light, which ideally is focused at 632.8nm. However most superluminous diode lasers produce 635nm all the way up to 690nm (as in a laser pointer). The question is, do laser pointers work within the body to produce positive effects. Even though they are not the ideal modality, they will have a positive outcome for no other reason in that they are operating at the color of red.

 The absorption of the photons act as a stimulus that triggers cell activity, resulting in accelerated healing and pain relief. Laser light produces pain control by modulating cell activity. Laser can stimulate the healing of chronic and acute wounds by the absorption of the wavelength of the light. Once cells have absorbed the photons, a cascade of biochemical events occurs. The conditions known to be helped significantly by laser are carpal tunnel syndrome, hyper-extension/flexion neck injuries, chronic wounds, trigeminal neuralgia, epicondylitis, neck/back pain, fibromyalgia, tendonitis, bursitis, migraine, plantar fasciitis, headache, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle pain and Morton’s neruoma, in addition to other typically seen orthopedic issues within a clinical practice.

A window of biostimulation has shown by the fact the parameters include wavelength (nm), power of intensity (mw) and energy dose through the time the laser is applied. If the dose is too low, it is ineffective. If it is too high, it may be damaging. In pain control, the deeper the injury, the more energy must be applied at the surface to ensure the dose reaches the target. This is applied through more milliwatts and/or time or both. I have personally discovered that the application of laser to an acupoint to replace the needle will take place within 12-15 seconds at 635nm/5mw. However, it may take several minutes of the same intensity to properly “surround the dragon” in an affected joint or body part. The administration of laser to substitute acupoint stimulation by needles is fast becoming the standard throughout numerous countries.

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What is Preventative Medicine?

 Dear Friend of Pacific Laser Therapy Centers,

Preventive medicine, is a medical discipline which focuses on preventing diseases and promoting a general state of health and well being:

• When preventive medicine is applied to a whole population, it includes things like extensive work in public health, pest and insect control, vaccinations, food safety, and improvements in hygiene for water supplies, homes, and individuals. As can be seen by looking at this wide variety of topics covered by preventive medicine, a number of specialties are incorporated into successful preventive medicine programs.
• In developing nations, doctors who specialize in preventive medicine are focused on improving hygiene and living conditions to prevent outbreaks, and on vaccinating and educating the population. In the West, preventive medicine includes extensive research and development, monitoring of food supplies, and well trained epidemiology teams who track down an outbreak at its source when one emerges.
• When practiced on an individual basis, preventive medicine involves looking at the body as a whole, rather than at the individual parts of the body.
• Many Eastern disciplines already view the body this way, and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine and other similar disciplines work with their patients to keep the body balanced, happy, and healthy. Measures to treat the body as a whole include herbal regimens, cold laser therapy, massage, psychotherapy, and dietary changes.
• The West has slowly accepted the value of preventive medicine for individuals, especially with rising obesity rates, and many doctors are starting to incorporate whole body therapy into their practice.
• Preventive medicine has a long history all over the world, dating back for centuries to the time when people first realized that unclean water made them sick, and that living conditions needed to be more hygienic to prevent illness.
• Steps made in the field were small, but important, until the twentieth century, when numerous governments founded disease prevention centers such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. These scientific establishments began to set firm guidelines designed to minimize the transmission of disease, improve hygiene, and enable rapid responses to major outbreaks.
• In addition to medicine and science, preventive medicine also looks at economic and social issues, as some populations are clearly more at risk of contracting dangerous diseases than others. Many sociologists, psychologists, and economists work in the field of preventive medicine to assist people of low income, education, and social status all over the world. Organizations which promote preventive medicine work closely with these individuals in the hopes that all people on earth can enjoy healthy, disease free lives.

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Cold Laser Therapy: Inexpensive, Effective and Safe

Cold Laser Therapy : The Healing Power of Light

• Hear the word “laser”, and scenes from your favorite science-fiction or action movie may come to mind. This mysterious energy is shown cutting chains from a captured prisoner, knocking a missile out of the sky, or even blowing up an entire planet. In reality however, lasers have a much wider (and usually more benign) range of applications. They are used in all CD/DVD players, carry vast amounts of data in fiber optic networks, improve eye-sight with laser corrective surgery, and even remove unwanted body-hair or tattoos. Did you know, however, that lasers are now being used for healing? The healing power of light The role of using light to improve health is not new. Natural sunlight is an essential component to produce vitamin D. UV-light is used to help treat skin conditions such as psoriasis.
• Lack of sufficient sunlight is known to cause a condition known as seasonal affect disorder (SAD) that is characterized by severe depression. The use of lasers in medicine, however, first became popular as precision cutting tools. A combination of small beam diameter and high power has allowed lasers to replace the scalpel for certain surgery procedures.
• The healing power of lasers was first discovered soon after lasers were first invented. During an experiment to determine if laser-light caused cancer in 1967, Endre Mester exposed the shaved backs of several mice to low-powered red laser light. Not only did the laser treatments not cause cancer, he noted that the hair grew back much quicker on the treated mice than on the un-treated control group! Over the years, this discovery has led to a field of study called “photo-biomodulation”.
•  Lasers, and in certain applications LED’s (light-emitting diodes), are being used to accelerate healing, reduce inflammation, and reduce pain. A laser is defined as a device that produces intense radiation in the visible or near visible wavelengths. Laser light is unique in that it is close to one specific wavelength and propagates in-phase; meaning that all of the electro-magnetic waves oscillate together in an ordered and aligned way. Together, these conditions make up the term coherency.
• When the coherent light is columnated, it can travel vast distances with very little loss of power or scattering. How are lasers different than LED’s? While LED’s can produce light of single color (wavelength), the light is neither in-phase nor can it be easily columnated.
• Lasers are also capable of producing much higher power than LED’s. Laser treatment used for healing is called “low-level laser” or “cold-laser” therapy. By definition, lasers used for cold-laser therapy range in power from 5 to 500 milliwatts (0.005 to 0.5 Watts). Lasers less than 5 milliwatts lack the power to induce a bio-stimulatory effect, while lasers greater than 500 milliwatts may cause excessive heating and burn the skin. To put this in perspective, laser pointers that can be purchased at your local drug-store range between 1 and 5 milliwatts.
• Lasers used for surgery, however, range from 5 to 50 Watts. Lasers are now being made in virtually every color of the rainbow.
• Which colors heal? Cold-laser therapy systems are available in several different wavelengths (colors). They range from green (532 nm) to red (650 nm) to near infra-red (750 to 950 nm).
• What color is best? A lot depends on what you are trying to heal. Each color reacts differently with the body. Green laser light, for example, is very quickly adsorbed by the skin and blood and can be used only to help heal surface wounds such as bed-sores or diabetic ulcers. Red lasers can penetrate more deeply, but are still generally used for surface conditions such as burns, acne, and hair restoration. IR (infra-red) lasers penetrate much deeper and are used to help heal muscle, ligament, and even bone. Some systems will combine lasers of different wavelengths into a cluster to increase their range of uses.
• How do they work? The health benefits of cold laser therapy can be roughly divided into three categories: -Reduce inflammation -Reduce pain -Accelerate tissue repair Reduce inflammation Immediately after an acute injury, the body undergoes a complex series of reactions designed to stop bleeding and initiate the tissue repair process. This process normally includes edema, inflammation, and pain. These reactions are designed to protect the damaged area while the body repairs itself. Laser therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation by increasing the amount of vaso-dilating and anti-inflammatory compounds such as prostaglandin PGI2. It has also been shown to reduce Interleukin 1 (IL-1), a pro-inflammation component that is connected to inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
• Reduce Pain Laser treatments have been shown to stimulate increased levels of beta-endorphins. B-endorphins are neuropeptides that serve as natural analgesics to reduce pain.
• Accelerate tissue repair     To speed tissue repair, laser light affects the mitochondria. The mitochondria is the part of the cell responsible for producing ATP (adeno-triphosphate); the chemical energy of the cell. Laser light has been shown to greatly accelerate the production of ATP, thus speeding up the overall activity of the cell. In cells responsible for repairing tissue, including bone, muscle, ligament, skin, and even nerves, this results in an increase rate of repair. These explanations are only a sample of a large list of mechanisms shown to be influenced by laser therapy.
• What are the dangers? Risks? One of the greatest risks of laser therapy is damage to the eyes. Cold-laser therapy treatments should always be conducted with proper safety glasses worn by both the patient and the practitioner.
• Other potential risks and contraindications include: -No treatment over suspect tumors or cancer cells -No treatment over the thyroid -No treatment over the fontanelle of infants -No treatment if the patient is using photo-sensitive or immunosuppressant drugs.
• The body of evidence showing the benefits of laser therapy is growing at an exponential rate. Much of today’s research is directed towards understanding all the physiological mechanisms that are affected during laser exposure. As cold-lasers with high output power are becoming more popular, it has been discovered that the risk of over-dosing does exist.
• The result of over-dosing, however, seems to be simply a decrease in healing-rate. In response, optimizing treatment times and laser power are being vigorously investigated.
• Combining ancient chinese medicine with modern technology: Laser Acupuncture An increasing body of evidence suggests that laser treatments on specific acupuncture points can stimulate a similar effect as acupuncture needles.
• Successful studies include laser acupuncture as a means to successfully treat osteoarthritis of the knee and the use of laser acupuncture in the ears to help smoking addiction. This discovery provides a unique alternative to patients who are terrified of needles, but still seek the powerful healing benefits of acupuncture.
• Cold-laser therapy: Inexpensive, effective, and safe Laser therapy is an exciting and relatively new field that can offer people a very safe and effective option to help with speeding up injury repair and reducing pain. Next time you seek help from a physical therapist, chiropractor, orthopedist, or acupuncturist, ask them if they also use cold-laser therapy. It may end up being your best option!

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Cold Laser Removes Neck Pain Immediately- More effective than meds!

Low-Level Laser Therapy Reduces Neck Pain

• An extensive review of the literature found that low-level laser therapy can effectively reduce nonspecific acute neck pain immediately after treatment and for several months in patients with chronic neck pain.
• In some cases there may be advantages of this approach over traditional pharmacotherapies, if laser therapy is properly applied. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a relatively uncommon, noninvasive treatment for neck pain, in which nonthermal, or “cold,” laser irradiation is applied to sites of pain.
• An international group of researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the efficacy of LLLT in neck pain [Chow et al. 2009]. Their search included all studies prior to August 2008 comparing efficacy of LLLT with placebo (eg, sham laser) or with active control (eg, exercise) in acute and chronic, nonspecific neck pain; studies involving diagnosed pathological conditions (eg, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological disease) were excluded.
• There were 16 RCTs identified for evaluation (14 of good quality), encompassing a total of 820 patients. In acute neck pain, evidence was limited to two trials with mixed results, showing that patients were around 70% more likely to experience reduced pain following LLLT as compared with placebo (relative risk [RR] 1.69 [95% CI 1.22-2.33]).
• Five trials of LLLT for chronic neck pain showed a 4-fold improvement with this therapy (RR 4.05 [2.74-5.98]). In 11 trials reporting changes in VAS scores (100 mm visual analogue scale) the average baseline pain was roughly 60 mm and LLLT reduced pain intensity by a third, or about 20 mm. Seven trials provided longer-term followup data after completion of treatment for chronic pain, and initial pain relief persisted during 3 months with a mean VAS reduction of 22 mm.
• LLLT appeared effective regardless of the level of baseline pain, symptom duration, age, or sex, and 5 studies also demonstrated a reduction in disability following LLLT. 
•  Clinical Concepts: Part of what makes LLT so attractive is its ease of use and painless application, since it does not promote heat like a surgical laser.
• The wide range of data in this current review suggests that the effectiveness of LLLT may depend on the experience and skill of the practitioner in selecting an effective LLLT protocol in terms of wavelength, energy, time variables, and irradiation points (see below).

Despite this, the authors assert that the long-term results of LLLT contrast favorably with those for nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs or other analgesic agents, for which side effects are common and pain relief ends rapidly when drug use is discontinued.

Furthermore, added benefits may be gained when LLLT is used in the context of a regular exercise and stretching program. Some Technical Notes: The application of LLLT is complicated by multiple variables, such as the wavelength of the laser, its energy, and duration of application, which can produce different effects in different human tissues. In the current study, these variables were not consistent across trials; for example, the energy delivered per treatment point on the neck ranged from 0.06 to 54 Joules and the irradiation duration lasted between 1 and 600 seconds.

 A dose-response effect was associated with LLLT, but the accumulated data could not provide definitive guidance regarding the best practice for LLLT. Still, the authors propose from their analysis that the optimum mean dose per point for wavelengths of 820–830 nm (nanometers) was 5·9 Joules, with an irradiation time of 39.8 seconds, and for 904 nm, 2.2 Joules delivered for 238 seconds. Along with that, when treating neck pain with LLLT, irradiation of known trigger points, acupuncture points, tender points, and symptomatic zygapophyseal joints is advisable, they note.

 Reference: Chow RT, Johnson MI, Lopes-Martins RAB, Bjordal JM. Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in the management of neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo or active-treatment controlled trials. Lancet. 2009;374(9705):1897-1908 [abstract here]. (At the time of this posting a courtesy PDF of the full article was available here, but this may be discontinued.)

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Pharmaceutical Companies Pushing Drugs as Only Solution to Treat Chronic Pain

Dear Friends of Pacific Laser Therapy Centers, More promising news regarding the treatment of chronic pain with cold laser. This article says it all with this wonderful opening: “Pharmaceutical companies have deceived the public into believing that the solution for chronic pain is to take drugs.” Millions of people have perished from the side effects of these drugs, and their effectiveness in relieving pain is only temporary at best.” Wow! I couldn’t of said it better. One of the major reasons why drug companies do not want you to enjoy the benefits a cold laser therapy. I have copied the article in its entirety (written by Julius Goepp, MD) below: Breakthrough in the Relief of Chronic Pain Without Drugs! By Julius Goepp, MD

Pharmaceutical companies have deceived the public into believing that the solution for chronic pain is to take drugs. Millions of people have perished from the side effects of these drugs, and their effectiveness in relieving pain is only temporary at best. In a landmark discovery, a technology utilizing low-level laser light therapy is providing safe and long-lasting relief for the most common types of chronic pain. As this novel approach slowly winds its way through clinical studies in the United States, a pioneering doctor in The Bahamas is making this therapy available right now! Imagine a man so hobbled by degenerative arthritis that he could scarcely walk 30 yards before his pain overcame him. Then envision that through a combi-nation of good fortune and brilliant thinking, that man became able to relieve his own pain and return to normal activity levels—a fairy tale or a modern miracle? Neither—instead, this is just part of the true story of Dr. Robert Nordquist and his journey from pain to performance, as he learned about the astonishing powers of low-level laser therapy (LLLT). We’ll start with Dr. Nordquist’s heart-warming personal story, and more about his extensive experience in treating people suffering from chronic pain. We’ll also provide some independent details about how LLLT works, and its worldwide track record in relieving chronic pain of many kinds. Finally, we’ll make a “virtual visit” to the new chronic pain treatment center, offering a first-hand view of what a new patient might expect in the quest for lasting pain relief. Some Background Light has been a metaphor for goodness, health, wisdom, and healing in human culture for as long as there’s been human culture. By the mid-20th century, phototherapy was available for various skin conditions, and with the invention of the medical laser light, it became accepted by the mainstream. It was a medical laser that led Dr. Nordquist to make his own first foray into the world of laser treatment for chronic pain. We asked him to tell us what happened. “It was very simple, really,” Dr. Nordquist replied. “Having been active in sports my knees had taken some serious punishment. I had severe osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) in both knees—so bad that I literally couldn’t walk more than 30 yards before it was just too painful to walk. I’d already had knee surgery once to remove a meniscus (the cartilage “shock absorber” that lines the knee joint), so I literally had ‘bone grinding on bone.’ Finally, I decided to get some help, and I spoke to an orthopedic surgeon who was a friend of mine. He suggested that I should join him in the operating room to watch a knee-replacement surgery, and I went along with it. Frankly, what I saw in that operating room was the last resort, and I went away feeling that I needed to find a better way!” Dr. Nordquist obtained a relatively low-powered, FDA-approved surgical laser to tinker with, having read early reports from Eastern Europe about success with laser light therapy for pain. “No one really knew why the treatment worked at that time,” he reports. “To some extent they may simply have been desperate to find alternatives to medications and surgical procedures they couldn’t afford. At any rate, the initial reports, while encouraging, were all over the place in terms of their results. A lot of that probably had to do with differences in what kinds of lasers they were using, how much power they were delivering to the tissues, how long they were treating, and what sites on the body were being treated. I decided to go about it in a more rigorous fashion.” Indeed, despite early reports of success,1 when one examines the literature on low-level laser therapy (LLLT) up through the mid-1980s, one finds a wide variety of results, and many strong calls for better studies and more clearly-defined outcomes.2 “I had to modify the laser I was going to use,” Dr. Nordquist went on, “because since it was a surgical laser, it was still capable of cutting or injuring skin—definitely not the effect I was looking for. Once I cut the power down to size, I just started making my own protocols to treat the knee pain. Many of the first reports I had read referred to ‘laser acupuncture,’ in which the laser beam is applied to known acupuncture points,3 but that approach wasn’t always entirely successful.4,5 With my professional knowledge of the anatomy of the human nervous system [Dr. Nordquist is a trained pathologist], I was able to combine the acupuncture points with other anatomical sites that my orthopedic colleague and I knew were involved in pain perception. So my first attempts were really well-educated guesses about treatment zones and times.” While those early attempts may have been educated guesses, they produced dramatic results. “When I stepped down off that treatment table the first day,” Dr. Nordquist remembers, “it was the first time in years that I set foot on the ground without feeling like knives were going through my knees!” Dr. Nordquist repeated his home-grown treatment a total of ten times—and walked entirely pain-free for the next three years. There have been some additional health benefits as well: “Within months of my first treatment I found I was losing weight—in fact, I went from just over 220 pounds to my present weight of just about 180. I know it was because I was finally able to walk without pain, so I could engage in some normal, healthy activity,” Dr. Nordquist reflects. In a nation with a growing epidemic of obesity,6 that’s no small success itself—particularly since people who are overweight or obese are much more likely than others to develop osteo-arthritis and other bone and joint problems.7,8 Weight loss itself is also known to improve both pain and function in people with arthritis, so pain relief leading to weight loss has excellent potential for preventing further painful joint injury.9 Armed with his modified laser, his professional anatomical knowledge, and his life-changing personal experience, Dr. Nordquist set out to bring the benefits of his program to other sufferers of chronic pain. “I’ve treated more than 300 patients using that same original modified laser,” he notes. But the treatment protocol itself has undergone many revisions and fine-tunings along the way. “Our current system uses a proprietary computer program,” Dr. Nordquist said. “We enter in a host of patient-related variables such as age, gender, weight, general health status, and so forth, as well as what specific body area is involved. Based on a specialized database that includes the acupuncture points and known locations of nerve ganglions [“relay nodes” in the nervous system] as well as other information, the computer then generates a customized, unique treatment regimen for each patient.” That computer-generated plan includes directions for the laser operator about sites, or zones, on the body where the laser is to be applied, duration of treatment at each zone, and energy levels for the laser beam to deliver. In other words, Dr. Nordquist has taken his “home-made” low-level laser treatment and turned it into exactly the kind of rigorous, scientifically based method with well-documented outcomes that pain experts had been demanding for years.2,10 But is it effective? “I know it may sound hard to believe, but of those 300 patients, more than 90% have reported total pain relief,” he adds. “And more than half of the others have experienced at least partial relief of their pain after 10 full treatments. Really only about 2-3% of my patients have truly had no beneficial effects.” For the past five years, the FDA has approved several lasers for the treatment of pain. FDA approval is important in getting insurance programs to cover the therapy. “We’ve found that several private insurance companies do offer coverage now,” Dr. Nordquist reports. (These include Blue Cross Blue Shield, Workmen’s Compensation, and others.) We asked about which areas of the body seem most amenable to pain relief using Dr. Nordquist’s newly FDA-approved system. “We get results that can only be called spectacular when we work with people who have osteoarthritis of the knees and ankles,” Dr. Nordquist said. “One case in particular sticks in my mind because it again involves a physician as a patient—in this case an internist colleague of mine. We had just finished her first treatment for severe pain in the knees and ankles, and she didn’t say much as she stood up and prepared to leave. But as she went out the door I remember that she turned with a big smile and said, ‘oh wait—I’m leaving something behind here. I’m leaving my pain behind!’” But Dr. Nordquist hastened to point out that his LLLT system is effective in many other areas of the body as well, in particular for neck pain and low back pain—two areas that are notoriously difficult to treat with standard medical therapies.11,12 In fact, a clinic in The Bahamas is offering treatment at a total of 16 distinct anatomical sites on the body; patients with pain in other areas may well be able to work out a unique and completely customized plan for themselves (LLLT has been used to treat everything from carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow to chronic dental and jaw pain).13-16 What You Need to Know: Laser Breakthrough For Chronic Pain Relief While surgical laser beams can cut and burn tissue, very low-powered laser light has the paradoxical ability to enhance healing and relieve pain. Low-level laser light therapy (LLLT) has now been proven effective in managing chronic pain literally in sites from the head to the feet, without side effects. LLLT has helped chronic pain sufferers reduce or stop prescription medications and to increase their activity levels—thus facilitating weight loss and reducing the strain that excess weight places on damaged joints. A brand new center for treatment of chronic pain using LLLT is opening at the Bahamas Anti-Aging Medical Institute. The new center uses a computer-generated, individualized treatment plan for each patient, with results evident as early as the very first treatment session. Patients leave the center after 10 painless treatments, and pain relief typically lasts for two to three years. Low-Level Laser Treatment—How It Works Dr. Nordquist and his colleagues at the Bahamas Anti-Aging Medical Institute are launching a program to offer low level laser therapy. But we at Life Extension wanted to dig a little deeper to try to learn first how it is that such low-intensity light can have any real effect on human tissues, and also to review the published evidence that has accumulated since those first reports from Eastern Europe in the 1960s. Here’s a summary. Lasers used in surgery, of course, literally burn through tissue—but the very low-intensity of the light beams used in LLLT have a constructive, rather than a destructive, effect. It turns out that LLLT probably has its most profound effects on the microscopic intracellular structures called mitochondria.17 When the gentle but penetrating beams of the LLLT laser illuminate cellular mitochondria, mitochondrial energy production is increased, which may help relieve local inflammation and pain.17 Low-level laser therapy may also assist in the process of wound and tissue healing through boosting microcirculation, promoting cellular proliferation, and reducing inflammatory activity that contributes to the cycle of chronic pain.18,19 Most dramatically and recently, Australian researchers have identified a direct effect on the flow of cellular materials down the long axon that makes up the “wiring” of nerve cells.20 In essence, the low-level light basically “stuns” the nerve cells. In their own words these researchers have discovered that “laser-induced neural blockade is a consequence of such changes and provides a mechanism for… laser-induced pain relief. The repeated application of laser in a clinical setting modulates nociception [pain perception] and reduces pain. The application of laser therapy for chronic pain may provide a non-drug alternative for the management of chronic pain.” It’s good to know how it works—but even better is knowing that it works. Fortunately for those who suffer from chronic pain, there’s a massive body of literature on LLLT’s effectiveness—so long as it is delivered by skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced practitioners. LLLT—Treatment with a Global Track Record After the first few early reports from then-Soviet Eastern Europe that first caught Dr. Nordquist’s attention, there was a long period during which fairly poor quality research was being performed. Said Dr. Nordquist, “Those early researchers weren’t at all sure how the therapy worked, they were using many different sites for applying the lasers, and they were all using different kinds of lasers at a whole range of power settings and treatment times. It’s hardly surprising that their results were not consistent.” But as more and more scientists from around the world became interested in trying to understand LLLT and its effects, there were growing calls for better and more organized research.2 By the first years of the new millennium, there had been a small explosion of well-designed and rigorous studies, exploring various treatment regimens and, increasingly, combining age-old acupuncture wisdom with modern knowledge about neuroanatomy and physiology. Here are just a few of the specific areas in which rigorous methods have been used to define the effectiveness of LLLT for pain at various body sites. Mouth and Jaw Pain Pain in the oral cavity and jaw can be debilitating, and dentists and orthodontists have always been deeply concerned about pain management in their patients. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ), or jaw joint, is the most common site of chronic orofacial (mouth and face) pain, with as many as one-third of adults reporting one or more symptoms.21,22 LLLT is emerging as a promising approach to this painful group of disorders. Turkish orofacial surgeons led the way with a study of 39 patients with TMJ pain, treating 24 with LLLT and 15 with a placebo laser treatment daily for two weeks, excluding weekends.14 The LLLT patients had significant improvements in their maximal mouth opening ability (which is typically limited in TMJ syndrome), pain, and chewing difficulty compared with the placebo group. Similar findings have now come from the Czech Institute for Biophysics in Prague,23 and the Department of Restorative Dentistry at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.24 The Czech researchers reported finding more pronounced results in the people who had had the longest-lasting pain.23 Finally, orthodontists in both Japan and Austria have reported powerful pain-relieving effects of LLLT in young adults treated immediately following application of braces, further demonstrating the speed with which LLLT can take effect.16,25

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Cold Laser Instead of Steroids- My Magic Wand

Dear Friends of Pacific Laser Therapy Centers:

I thought you would enjoy this article written by Mark Perren-Jones who is a world renowned physical therapist and healer. Mark has had great success reducing or eliminating pain in his clients with cold laser:

I have been using low level laser on my clients for many years now and it can have some astounding results. It is especially good for removing pain. Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is also known as cold laser and is completely pain free, in fact you don’t feel a thing. It has been used for decades in hospitals treating people with burns to decrease their pain and decrease the amount of time it takes them to heal. It is now being used by many health practitioners including doctors, chiropractors and even sports teams. I know of some sports teams that when the athlete gets an injury they put laser on the injury before they put the ice. It really is an incredibly powerful tool.

There has been very little known about the benefits of laser in the past partly because they were so expensive to buy. You had to have a lot of money just to have one in your clinic. Now as they become cheaper they are becoming increasingly more popular and there are even specialized health centers that do nothing else but laser on their clients.

LLLT was first discovered as a healing tool back in the 1960s. The researchers discovered that the laser light could stimulate the cells which increased their workload of metabolism. In short, laser sped up the healing process sort of like giving the cells a super boost. The laser light is converted by the body into a form of energy and the body then functions at a higher level of efficiency.

This is one of the reasons many of my clients call the laser my magic wand. They can feel so much better after the treatment and their pain sometimes can completely disappear. It is also approved in the states by the FDA. I have used laser to treat problems ranging from carpal tunnel syndrome to arthritis. If a person sprains and ankle or has an injury I strongly recommend for them to come ad see me because we can literally cut down the time it takes for them to heal. They get better quicker! Also, LLLT has no side effects, is completely painful and is very rapid to apply.

I had a client come to see me a while ago who had been suffering from post herpetic neuralgia (PHN). This is an extremely painful condition that is from shingles. Basically, the person suffers from shingles (which I have had when I was younger and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy-it excruciating!) and then after the shingles have gone they are still left with the pain. It’s a cruel syndrome and generally very difficult to help. My client was from the United States and had come to panama for a holiday and I told her to try some laser therapy. She was initially reluctant because she had been to two different specialist pain clinics with no success, had taken enormous quantities of steroidal drugs and was currently taking in the vicinity of 2000mgs of anti inflammatories per day with very little relief. She also wore a patch on her back to cover her skin because if her shirt touched the painful area the pain would drop her to her knees.

I used the laser on her back for less then ten minutes and two days later she said to me that she had halved the amount of medication she was taking. A day later for the first time in months she wore a shirt without the patch. I gave her one more treatment and she was pain free for the first time in a year.

This is just one example of laser and its almost miraculous results. I have also had success with many muscle and joint problems, for skin problems laser is exceptionally good and of course for treating new injuries it is second to none. It really can be a magic wand.

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18 Biggest Problems with Modern Medicine

 Dear Friends of Pacific Laser Therapy Centers,

We all know that our nation’s healthcare system is broken. It is not just the cost of healthcare, it is HOW we treat and diagnose disease. This is a terrific summary of the major challenges facing western medicine:

1. Modern Western Medicine is based on a narrow “scientific” model, and arrogantly ignores and rejects therapies and entire medical systems that don’t fit this model. 2. Doctors are trained in hospitals in “crisis care” medicine, not to take care of the “walking wounded,” which is the majority of people. They need to be trained to take of the “walking wounded” as well. 3. Instead of treating the underlying causes or imbalances, Doctors often merely manage symptoms. 4. Symptoms are seen as something to be suppressed rather than a pointer to some underlying imbalance. 5. Doctors see the human body as a machine with separate parts that can be treated independently rather than as an integrated whole. In addition the mind and body are also seen as separate independent entities and emotions are often ignored. 6. Man is not seen as part of nature, and how what happens in nature effects humans. 7. We look for a magic bullet instead of all the possible factors that make up the total load which are causing the underlying imbalance. There is no understanding of the total load. 8. No belief that the body has a self-healing capacity and no ways to boost that capacity. 9. Everyone with the same disease gets treated the same way, patient uniqueness ignored. 10. We treat the disease, not the patient. 11. There is a reliance on numbers and tests rather than how the patient is feeling and what is found on examination. 12. We don’t take into account the importance of diet and lifestyle on health. How could we? We get a total of 6-8 hours of nutrition lectures in medical school. 13. We don’t recognize or understand the correct use of supplements to optimize health. 14. We don’t recognize the importance of toxicity on our bodies nor know how to boost the body’s own detoxification systems. 15. The Doctor patient relationship is not emphasized and the role of the patient as a partner in their own health care not encouraged. 16. The placebo has a negative connotation and ignored. The placebo is really the body healing itself and should be encouraged. 17. The Drug Industry is too enmeshed in the medical system The Pharmaceutical Industry has WAY TOO MUCH power and is “bribing” Doctors to use their drugs and researchers to produce positive results for their drugs. 18. More than 80 percent of all medical treatments used have been untested by rigorous peer reviewed study, yet the Medical establishment insists that alternative health treatments must undergo these before they can be used. The system of evaluation needs to be changed.

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FDA Approves Cold Laser for Arthritis Sufferers- Read On!

Dear Friends of Pacific Laser Therapy Centers,

For all of your arthritis sufferers out there, cold laser therapy has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of arthritis. Cold laser is becoming a terrific alternative for many arthritis sufferers who are fed up with taking side effect ridden (and expensive) non-steroidals. The great news is cold laser accelarates healing, reduces inflammation, and most importantly reduces pain due to arthritic joints, etc and is cost effective (cheaper than an 8 week supply of Vioxx or Celebrex combined with Doctor co-pays, etc).

Check it out: 

Low Level Laser Treatment for Arthritis

Roughly 350 million people worldwide suffer from arthritis, according to MedicineNet.com. The main symptoms of this progressive joint disorder are inflammation, pain and stiffness of the joints, which can now be treated by laser therapy.

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Significance

1. The pain and inflammation of arthritis worsens significantly over time. Fortunately, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved low level laser therapy (LLLT), also known as soft therapy or cold laser therapy, as an effective method for treating arthritic pain and inflammation.
   

   How It Works

2. LLLT uses low-energy laser light to penetrate the affected tissue and promote proper cell functioning and rapid healing. The cells absorb the laser beams and are triggered to accelerate healing, reducing inflammation and pain.
   

   Pain

3. The cells’ absorption rate of the laser light beams is low enough that this form of laser therapy does not burn or damage the tissue. Anesthesia or pain medication is unnecessary.
   

   Advantages

4. LLLT procedures have no downtime and require no recovery time. LLLT is free of potential complications, risks and side effects. Treatment can be performed on virtually any body part affected by arthritic pain and inflammation.
   

   Disadvantages

5. Eight to 20 treatment sessions may be required for full effectiveness and optimum performance, according to Spine-Health.com. Arthritis patients often use LLLT treatment two to four times per week.
   

   Effectiveness

6. The Journal of Rheumatology published study results that confirmed LLLT is effective for reducing the pain, inflammation and morning stiffness of arthritis.

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Treatment with Cold Laser Before Exercising Reduces Muscle Damage!

Dear Friends of Pacific Laser Therapy Centers,

This very impressive study clearly demonstrates the powerful healing and anti-inflammatory effects of cold laser. Cold laser is safe, non-invasive, and painless. The healing power of light!

Eur J Appl Physiol. 2010 Jul 3

Baroni BM, Leal Junior EC, De Marchi T, Lopes AL, Salvador M, Vaz MA.

Treatment with Cold Laser Before Exercise Reduces Muscle Damage

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of low level laser therapy (LLLT) treatment before knee extensor eccentric exercise on indirect markers of muscle damage. Thirty-six healthy men were randomized in LLLT group (n = 18) and placebo group (n = 18). After LLLT or placebo treatment, subjects performed 75 maximal knee extensors eccentric contractions (five sets of 15 repetitions; velocity = 60 degrees seg(-1); range of motion = 60 degrees ). Muscle soreness (visual analogue scale-VAS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) levels were measured prior to exercise, and 24 and 48 h after exercise. Muscle function (maximal voluntary contraction-MVC) was measured before exercise, immediately after, and 24 and 48 h post-exercise. Groups had no difference on kineanthropometric characteristics and on eccentric exercise performance. They also presented similar baseline values of VAS (0.00 mm for LLLT and placebo groups), LDH (LLLT = 186 IU/l; placebo = 183 IU/l), CK (LLLT = 145 IU/l; placebo = 155 IU/l) and MVC (LLLT = 293 Nm; placebo = 284 Nm). VAS data did not show group by time interaction (P = 0.066). In the other outcomes, LLLT group presented (1) smaller increase on LDH values 48 h post-exercise (LLLT = 366 IU/l; placebo = 484 IU/l; P = 0.017); (2) smaller increase on CK values 24 h (LLLT = 272 IU/l; placebo = 498 IU/l; P = 0.020) and 48 h (LLLT = 436 IU/l; placebo = 1328 IU/l; P < 0.001) post-exercise; (3) smaller decrease on MVC immediately after exercise (LLLT = 189 Nm; placebo = 154 Nm; P = 0.011), and 24 h (LLLT = 249 Nm; placebo = 205 Nm; P = 0.004) and 48 h (LLLT = 267 Nm; placebo = 216 Nm; P = 0.001) post-exercise compared with the placebo group. In conclusion, LLLT treatment before eccentric exercise was effective in terms of attenuating the increase of muscle proteins in the blood serum and the decrease in muscle force.

PMID: 20602109 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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