WHAT YOU MAY SEE IN OUR CLINIC

What is Low-Level Laser Therapy?

Photobiomodulation (PBM), also known as Low Level Laser Therapy or Cold Laser Therapy, is a simple, non-invasive treatment with minimal side effects compared to traditional methods. This form of photobiomodulation is not the high-power surgical laser. Imagine shining a special light on an injured area to reduce pain, inflammation, protecting aging cells and promoting faster healing. It's like giving your cells a little energy boost to help them repair themselves more effectively.

Photons. The light of the sun is harnessed by all living things on our planet to energize and govern countless biological processes. Life has evolved to utilize the sun's energy over billions of years, from the first cellular organisms to the mammals we are today. This energy comes from photons, the basic units of light and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation. Think of photons as tiny packets of energy traveling through space. They're fundamental to many processes in physics and biology. Essentially, the sun's light acts like Earth's life-giving battery.

In plants, photons are used in photosynthesis, where chlorophyll converts sunlight into electron exchange, into chemical energy. This process produces oxygen and organic compounds that form the basis of the food chain.

In humans, photons are absorbed by chromophores, parts of molecules in our bodies that absorb light, like how chlorophyll works in plants. Chromophores initiate an electron exchange, boosting the mitochondria and enhancing their ability to produce ATP, the cell's energy currency. This helps our cells work better and heal faster.

Low-level laser therapy, a form of PBM, provides concentrated light energy. The red and near-infrared wavelengths energize the body's cells, boosting mitochondrial function and leading to increased ATP production. Approximately 18,948 studies on PBM (in databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar), most of which have been added over the last 5 years. PBM is currently being extensively studied at prestigious institutions worldwide, including Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston University (BU), and Imperial College London.

Low-level laser therapy, a form of PBM, provides concentrated light energy. The red and near-infrared wavelengths energize the body's cells, boosting mitochondrial function and leading to increased ATP production. Approximately 18,948 studies on PBM (in databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar), most of which have been added over the last 5 years. PBM is currently being extensively studied at prestigious institutions worldwide, including Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston University (BU), and Imperial College London.

Conditions Treated by PBM

1. Pain Relief: Alleviates arthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic back pain.

2. Inflammation Reduction: Reduces inflammation in conditions like tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

3. Wound Healing: Speeds up healing for wounds and surgical incisions.

4. Musculoskeletal Disorders: Treats carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and rotator cuff injuries.

5. Skin Conditions: Manages acne, psoriasis, and dermatitis.

6. Neurological Disorders: Improves performance and cognition, post-stroke recovery, concussions, traumatic brain injury, dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's.

7. Fertility: Enhances egg quality and reproductive cell health for women and improves sperm motility and overall health for men.

8. Depression and Anxiety: Alleviates symptoms by targeting brain metabolism, reducing inflammation, and promoting neurogenesis.

9. Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): May help improve vision and reduce drusen volume.

10. Spinal Cord Injuries: May aid in the recovery and regeneration of spinal cord tissues.

11. Insulin Resistance: Shows potential in improving insulin resistance and managing diabetes, especially when combined with exercise.

12. Longevity: Enhances cellular function, reduces age-related decline, and may improve cognitive function and support mitochondrial health.

13. Insomnia and Circadian Rhythms: Regulates melatonin secretion and improves sleep quality by aligning the body's internal clock with natural light-dark cycles.

Modern Life Blue Light Toxicity and Red/Infrared Light Deprivation

In the last 30 years, many of us have become deprived of red and infrared light due to artificial blue lighting and extensive use of blue-light tech devices and TV.  Many live with night-time light pollution, further upsetting our biological clocks. This is the first generation of humans fully taken out of nature and flooded with blue light devices.

These imbalances can lead to dysregulation and disease. Mitochondria, our cellular engines, provide energy and ATP for our bodies, wear down with age, causing decreased ATP, increased oxidative stress, and impaired cellular energy metabolism. Infrared light helps by boosting mitochondrial energy, improving function, and creating more "engines" when needed. This can counteract mitochondrial dysfunction, keeping cells healthy and slowing aging. It also reduces low-grade inflammation, which impacts health and accelerates aging. 

Nature is our healer, just like every ancestor did that we have evolved through, we need get outside into nature as often as we can, but especially taking time each dawn, to be out in the nourishing rich red and infrared light, that peaks with the early morning sun, this helps to reset all the body’s circadian clocks.  Just sitting under a tree in the sun, absorbing the red and infrared light, that’s reflected off trees and plants, helps keep us healthy, helps to keep our mitochondria at optimal performance. 

At D’Arcy Wellness Center, we now offer Photobiomodulation with a WeberNeedle. This top-of-the-line laser device has 12 lasers with different color/wavelengths that are used within traditional acupuncture theory on acupuncture points, or within the modern research of PBM methods. These low level laser treatments are not covered under health insurance, and are in addition to regular acupuncture treatment costs.