Author Archives: James Carroll

About James Carroll

Founder and CEO at THOR Photomedicine Ltd. About THOR

Top prize for laser paper

Posted on 5 May 2008 by James Carroll

Not much I can add to this other than it is his second award this year from an orthopaedic conference for best paper.

Fra: Jan Magnus Bjordal
Sendt: lø 12.04.2008 11:37
Til: Roberta Chow; Rodrigo Alvaro B. Lopes Martins; M.Johnson
Emne: SV: SV: Your Submission to The Lancet

Dear all
Our neck pain review with laser therapy won the main award (!) of the joint national neck and back pain congress in Oslo (400 physicians, spinal surgeons, physios, manual terapists and chiropractors are attending there).

I went home to Bergen yesterday because I did not expect it. They have just annonouced it in Oslo. I tried to get a plane back to receive it but I could not find one.

Jan M

Posted in PBM/LLLT | on Top prize for laser paper

Literature Watch April 2008

Posted on 1 April 2008 by James Carroll

A systematic review with procedural assessments and meta-analysis of low level laser therapy in lateral elbow tendinopathy (tennis elbow).

Bjordal JM, Lopes-Martins RA, Joensen J, Couppe C, Ljunggren AE, Stergioulas A, Johnson MI

Institute of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bergen University College, Moellendalsvn, 6, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
BACKGROUND: Recent reviews have indicated that low level level laser therapy (LLLT) is ineffective in lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET) without assessing validity of treatment procedures and doses or the influence of prior steroid injections. METHODS: Systematic review with meta-analysis, with primary outcome measures of pain relief and/or global improvement and subgroup analyses of methodological quality, wavelengths and treatment procedures. RESULTS: 18 randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) were identified with 13 RCTs (730 patients) meeting the criteria for meta-analysis. 12 RCTs satisfied half or more of the methodological criteria. Publication bias was detected by Egger’s graphical test, which showed a negative direction of bias. Ten of the trials included patients with poor prognosis caused by failed steroid injections or other treatment failures, or long symptom duration … Continue reading →

Posted in Research | on Literature Watch April 2008

Phil Passy, Founder of MedX Health dies

Posted on 27 March 2008 by James Carroll

I was shocked when I heard that Phil Passy died unexpectedly 22nd February 2008. Phil was Founder, President and CEO of MedX Health and a fellow industry pioneer. I first met Phil in the year 2000 in Athens, Greece at the World Association for Laser Therapy meeting when he boldly asserted that one day LLLT products would move from highly individual products competing on technical differences to a near commodity product as industry standards for the technology and treatments were agreed. It was a visionary statement that I thought was crazy but now I believe he will ultimately be proven right. Any new technology requires passionate and persistent personalities behind it striving for years to achieve widespread adoption and Phil was one of bravest and hardest working figures in the industry. He radiated passion and his dogged persistence has created a publicly listed company leaving an indelible mark on the history of LLLT. Medicine is an exceptionally tough field to create a radical breakthrough in and whilst many have resorted to snake oil sales methods, … Continue reading →

Posted in PBM/LLLT | on Phil Passy, Founder of MedX Health dies

Realtime video of cellular response to pulsed near infrared “Light”

Posted on 24 March 2008 by James Carroll

Cell signalling governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. Cells respond to their local microenvironment and these signals may prompt tissue repair or immune response as well as normal tissue homeostasis. Guenter Albrecht-Buehler has conducted a series of experiments on cells with near-infrared light (NIR) and reports on how cells might be communicating with pulsed NIR. He also demonstrates with video how cell motility responds to a pulsed light stimulus.

Guenter Albrecht-Buehler, Ph.D.

Fellow, European Academy of Sciences, Brussels

Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies, Berlin

Robert Laughlin Rea Professor of Cell Biology

Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago

Posted in Research | on Realtime video of cellular response to pulsed near infrared “Light”

Oh no, not another LLLT society

Posted on 24 March 2008 by James Carroll

It’s not new, but it is clever. The American Society for Photobiology Kendric Smith makes the case for academics improving their knowledge of photobiological fundamentals.

Laser and LED Therapy is Phototherapy

All too frequently the people in the laser [and light emitting diode (LED)] phototherapy field are untrained in the basics of photobiology. This can lead to bad science and bad clinical trials, and can contribute to conflicting results concerning a given endpoint. Furthermore, it diminishes the stature of the field, and delays the admission of laser (and LED) phototherapy into the mainstream of science and medicine.Kendric C. Smith, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Radiation Oncology (Radiation Biology), Stanford University School of Medicine, Founder and First President of American Society for Photobiology.

Posted in Rants | on Oh no, not another LLLT society

No news to report

Posted on 19 March 2008 by James Carroll

There has been nothing monumental going on in the world of LLLT this last 7 days (my blog week starts on a Wednesday in case you are wondering). ASLMS and NZlaser2008 are both in April so I chose New Zealand. I subsequently received five separate requests to be in Florida in the last few days so maybe I will concede and see y’all at both.

Posted in PBM/LLLT | on No news to report

Literature Watch

Posted on 12 March 2008 by James Carroll

Here is my selection for the April 2008 Photomedicine and Laser Surgery

The Impact of low power laser in the treatment of conditioning-induced oral mucositis: a report of 11 clinical cases and their review.

Antunes HS, Ferreira EM, de Matos VD, Pinheiro CT, Ferreira CG

Serviso de Pesquisa Clinica, Instituto Nacional de Cancer, Rua Andre Cavalcante, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. hspindola@inca.gov.br

We have investigated the clinical effects of low power laser therapy (LPLT) on the treatment of conditioning-induced oral mucositis (OM) in patients submitted to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The evaluation of OM was done using the Oral Mucositis Assessment Scale (OMAS) and World Health Organization (WHO) scale. In the context of a randomized placebo-controlled trial with 38 patients for the evaluation of preventive LPLT, eleven individuals were submitted to allogeneic (AL) HSCT and developed oral mucositis grade 4 (WHO) or a total area of OM of 12 cm (OMAS) and due to that were treated with LPLT with the purpose of symptom relief. The irradiation used was a diode InGaAlP, emitting light at 660 nm, 50 mW and … Continue reading →

Posted in Research | on Literature Watch