Low Level Laser Therapy

Think of it as a calculator that subtracts pain.

Laser therapy is the use of a laser beam to treat an injury to a soft tissue such as ligament, tendon or muscle. A low intensity laser beam reduces pain, inflammation and swelling, and promotes healing of damaged tissue.  It works by increasing the flow of blood and lymph through tissue, and by reducing the production of prostaglandin, which is a chemical released in response to an injury that causes pain and inflammation.  A laser produces a concentrated beam of radiation which is focused onto the area of damaged tissue from a hand-held treatment probe.

Laser is the most modern form of therapy.  Low power laser is quickly becoming the first line of attack in pain control and tissue healing in rehabilitation medicine. It is safe, painless, quick, easy to apply, and results are often immediate with no side effects. Low power lasers are not harmful. Lasers used for tissue stimulation do not have sufficient strength to damage cells. However, as the laser beam is quite bright, the patient should avoid staring directly into the beam as it could irritate the retina of the eye.  Lasers stimulate biological processes when laser light interacts with tissue, it causes certain photochemical reactions to occur, and stimulates natural biologic processes. Many of these reactions have beneficial effects on the body which help to control pain and accelerate healing.

Lasers can treat a variety of conditions. Acute, chronic or post operative pain, as well as arthritis, tendon/ligament problems, carpel tunnel, nerve root irritations, back/neck dysfunction, tennis elbow, burns, herpes lesions, and a variety of other skin conditions.

How does it work?

There have been numerous scientific studies and are many research articles that discuss different aspects of LLLT, each with their own unique perspective; however the simple answer is through photonic absorption, laser light energy converts into chemical energy which initiates a cascade of events at a cellular level:

• LLLT promotes healing in many conditions because it penetrates the skin, increases the ATP and activates enzymes in the targeted cells.
• Growth factor response within the cells and tissue as a result of increased ATP and protein synthesis.
• Improved cell proliferation
• Pain relief as a result of increased endorphin release.
• Strengthening the immune system response via increasing levels of lymphocyte activity.
• See flowchart for additional information.

Biomodulation

When studying the biological effects of laser on cells and tissue, the word biomodulation is often used. It refers to the stimulation of cells and tissue to bring them to their most natural state. The goal in biomodulation is to stimulate without exceeding the cell or tissue ability to function properly.

For example: Our goal is to stimulate the cells to function in the target range. When tissue is damaged and functioning below the target range, we believe we can use the Erchonia laser to biomodulate the cells to that wavelength. The same is true for cells that are functioning over the target range.

Coherent Light and the Body

Coherent energy is critical when treating the body. Energy Medicine, The Scientific Basis gives several examples as to the importance of coherence. The following are excerpts from this book:  In the late 1960s, Herbert Frohlich, a Doctor of Physics, specializing in Biological Coherence predicted, on the basis of quantum physics, that the living matrix must produce coherent or laser-like oscillations. Dr. Frohlich's prediction was confirmed in a number of laboratories. Of course, energy therapists of many schools have always recognized the importance of vibratory phenomena (including light) in healing, but academic molecular science was focused on other matters.

 Dr. Frohlich's research goes on to report that coherent vibrations recognize no boundaries, at the surface of a molecule cell, or organism - they are collective or cooperative properties of the entire being. As such they are likely to serve as signals that integrate processes such as growth, injury repair, defense and the functioning of the organism as a whole. Each molecule, cell, tissue and organ has an ideal resonance frequency that coordinates its activities. By manipulating and balancing the vibratory circuits, complementary therapists are able to directly influence the body's systemic defense and repair mechanisms.  We have repeatedly referenced Frohlich's hypothesis and the subsequent independent validation of findings that support, his prediction that crystalline molecular arrays should vibrate strongly and coherently. For an entertaining account of coherence its biological significance, read The Rainbow and the Worm (Ho 1993).

 Research on electrically polarized molecule arrays reveals that interactions repeated by the millions of molecules within a cell membrane, tendon, muscle, bone, nerve cell or other structure, give rise to huge coherent or laser like vibrations. James Oschman, author of Energy Medicine states "Crystalline components of the living matrix act as coherent molecular antennas, radiating and receiving signals.  Research on coherence in biological systems is attracting much attention around the world. One important conclusion is that the water in the spaces between parts of the highly ordered systems is also highly organized. Vibrations of the water molecules can couple to the coherent energy patterns within the protein array. The resulting coherent water system has laser -like properties, and is likely to retain and release electromagnetic information, i.e. have a form of memory (Del Guide et al 1988, Preparata 1995).  Frohlich (1978) An assembly of cells, as in a tissue or organ, will have certain collective frequencies that regulate important processes, such as cell division. Normally these control frequencies will be very stable. If, for some reason, a cell shifts its frequency, entraining signals from neighboring cells will tend to install the correct frequency. However, if a sufficient number of cells get out of step, the strength of the system's collective vibrations can decrease to the point where stability is lost. Loss of coherence can lead to disease or disorder.

 While pathology may manifest as chemical imbalances, the underlying problem is electromagnetic. Hence providing the correct or healthy frequency, and entraining the oscillations back to coherence can often restore balance. These are profoundly significant concepts for all therapeutic approaches to the body. The whole field of chemical analysis by spectroscopy shows that there is a fundamental duality between chemical structure and coherent oscillations. Coherent vibrations in living systems are as fundamental as chemical bonds (Smith 1994).

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Page Last Modified: December 15, 2006