An Introduction to Laser Therapy
Laser therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, is a specialized beam of light used to up-regulate, or “turn-on”, a part of the cell which responds to photons (particles of light). Consequently, the cell’s protective mechanisms are activated, initializing a signal to the surrounding cells and producing a cascade effect throughout the body.
While “laser therapy” may sound like something out of a sci-fi film, it has been studied for quite some time now. At the time this article was written, searching in the US Library of Medicine for “Laser Therapy” yields over 75,000 research articles. There are countless benefits of laser therapy and more being discovered as time marches on.
One of the main reasons I use laser therapy in my office is it’s ability to reduce pain and inflammation while regenerating the injured tissues. The last part of that sentence is key. The photons emitted literally help the cells to heal themselves. Before laser became available in my office, I relied heavily on supplements and food medicine to aid in healing my patients from the inside-out, while the adjustments and manual therapies worked from the outside-in. These tools are still priceless from a holistic-standpoint in healing, however with laser therapy there is the tremendous benefit of bypassing the gastrointestinal system for the benefits to reach the cells.
As a society, it isn’t overly dramatic for me to say our bodies are burdened with poisonous food and toxic water. It is because of this, along with the over-prescribing of certain medications, that our guts are in big trouble. We aren’t half as good at breaking down food for fuel and absorbing it through the gut walls as we need to be for optimal health. This issue reduces the efficiency of treatments like supplement therapy. When administering light therapy, we don’t have to be concerned with whether or not the light therapy will be “digested well” or “absorbed”; as it goes straight to the cell.
Laser therapy has been shown to help with both acute and chronic conditions, even those autoimmune in nature such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. Systemic ailments such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal abnormalities with a basis of inflammation can benefit from laser therapy in conjunction with other interventions.
I believe healing modalities such as laser therapy are the wave of the future. It is practical in it’s simplicity and I have seen wonderful results in many patients with it. If you are suffering with an ailment that as been stubborn in it’s progress, find a practitioner in your area who uses laser therapy and ask them if they feel the laser would be beneficial to you.
Happy Healing!
