Category Archives: PBM/LLLT

Low-level laser therapy improves vision in patients with Age-related Macular Degeneration.

Researchers at University of Heidelberg, Germany have conducted a clinical trial on 203 patients with AMD (age-related macular degeneration) and improved visual acuity for between 3 and 36 months.

I just had  chat with Mike Hamblin (Harvard Medical School). He described to me how he had this insight about Nitric Oxide being unbound from Cytochrome C Oxidase by light after reading an article in Nature about fire flies.

Hypoxic or stressed cells tend to be low in oxygen and high in NO
This NO is bound to to Cytochrome C oxidase and inhibits cell function

Light (at certain wavelengths, intensities and duration)  knocks NO off Cytochrome C oxidase so the cell performs optimally again plus the NO causes a temporary increase in blood flow :-)

Here is another systematic review of from the Norwegian, Brazilian, British and Greek stable.

A systematic review with procedural assessments and meta-analysis of Low Level Laser Therapy in lateral elbow tendinopathy (tennis elbow) 

As  usual it finds that less power density is more effective (less power density, but more time) for reducing inflammation and improving tissue repair. It is a recurring theme on this blog and I hope you are making a note of it.

The Annals of Internal Medicine published a review of the evidence of medications for acute and chronic low back pain. These are the clinical practice guidelines for the American Pain Society and American College of Physicians (available here via Pubmed). Laser did not get a recommendation because “no suitable reviews of LLLT were identified”.  It’s worth reading a letter to the editor that strongly criticizes the overview methodology and makes a case for LLLT. click here for the letter to the editor

For decades the Cold Laser / LLLT pioneers have preached to each-other about their work and published in LLLT dedicated journals. It is nice to see more LLLT being reported in other medical journals and in the main stream press. In my bi-monthly Literature Review for PMLS 30 papers were published outside the Laser press

Today Reuters Health Interviewed Jan Bjordal about a paper he co-authored and published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine

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

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 →