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Normally,
the photons that make up light scatter and spread out. Lasers,
however, use a lens to concentrate the light in a coherent,
tightly focused beam. The name comes from the acronym for light
amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
In
1960, physicist Theodore Maiman devised a way by which a ruby
crystal could emit an intense, short-lived high-powered beam of
visible red light strong enough to drill a hole through a stack of
razor blades.
Some
benefits of low-level laser therapy actually were recognized
through residual effects of the more common high-energy (hot)
surgical laser, which vaporizes tissue and seals blood vessels and
is considered superior in some surgical cases to the traditional
scalpel method.
Physicians
found that the residual or escaping low-intensity (cold) light
beams from the surgical beam resulted in less pain, faster
healing, and very little scar tissue. Hungarian scientist Endre
Mester published these findings in 1969.
Experimentation
with low-powered laser beams for non-surgical healing also has
been under way since the 1960s.
Research
articles indicate that between
1980 and 1993 more than 20,000 patients were successfully treated
for various conditions with this therapy.
It
has been used successfully in Europe, Asia, and Africa for the
last 30 years. In fact, the European medical community has
produced reams of scientific documents detailing how low-energy
light beams heal damaged cells and eliminate pain. The United
States has had the technology for more than 10 years, but it has
been slow to catch on in the medical arena.
How It Works
Low-level
laser therapy, also termed photo-biostimulation, is simply defined
as light exciting or activating cells.
The
photons (light as it travels in bundles) from most low-energy
laser devices can penetrate deep into tissue, about 3 inches,
without causing heat or tissue damage.
Once
inside the cell, the photons comprising the laser beam can trigger
many cellular changes such as the production of enzymes, protein
substances vital for innumerable bio-chemical actions. Laser light
also stimulates the cells’ mitochondria. Mitochondria are tiny
biochemical engines that produce enzymes essential for cell
function.
In
short, low-level laser therapy appears to heal at a cellular
level. It’s like shining a ray of sunlight directly on injured
cells inside the body and stimulating the cells to return to
normal function.
The
BioFlex is the latest technology in laser delivery. It is produced
by Meditech International in Canada and is under investigation by
the FDA for approval in the United States.
Unlike
previous laser delivery tools, which deliver a single beam of
light and provide few depth adjustment options, the BioFlex has
six flexible treatment laser heads, penetration
of more than 2½ inches, preset treatment protocols for
dozens of conditions and the ability to customize treatment. The
device, with a 3-by-6 or 2-by-5
inch pad, lays on the patient’s skin and is connected to
a computer system. The computer allows for control of the length
and intensity of the treatment and compensates for body size, skin
coloration, and other variables.
Recent
research has shown that low-intensity laser therapy can help
regenerate spinal cord tissue (Simeone Rochkind, M.D.; Weizmann
Institute of Science; Tel Aviv, Israel).
Other
research has confirmed the effectiveness of laser therapy in
treating certain types of cancer when used in conjunction with
special photoreactive drugs. The drugs and procedures already have
FDA approval.
A
1989 Japanese study of 3,635 patients treated with lasers for pain
associated with 10 different conditions, found a 76-percent rate
of effective pain relief following a single treatment.
When General Motors in Flint, Mich., used
low-level laser therapy to treat 89 workers with chronic carpal
tunnel syndrome in 1994, almost 50 percent returned to work and
needed no further treatment. Some had been considered permanently
disabled for up to two years prior. When GM tried laser therapy
for workers with carpal tunnel syndrome in seven other plants, the
company experienced an 85-percent success rate.
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