Category Archives: Research

36 Photobiomodulation therapy papers published in February 2018. Highlights include:

• DNA repair mechanisms, modulation of telomere maintenance
• Improved motor response in patients with spinal cord injury
• Prevention of < grade 2 radiodermatitis in breast cancer patients (RCT)
• No adverse effects on SCC primary cancer, recurrence or survival
• Improved physiological and performance parameters in runners
• Improved depth of anaesthesia during endodontic treatment

27 Photobiomodulation therapy papers published in January 2018. Highlights include:

• Treatment 6h before + immediately before exercise best for reducing muscle fatigue
• Review of pre-clinical data for dementia, Parkinson’s, stroke, trauma and depression
• Improved bacteriological, cytological and clinical benefits after root planing (RCT)
• Improved wound healing of skin graft donor site (RCT)
• Systematic review of RCTs on LED PBM therapy in dermatology
• NSAIDs vs PBM Therapy post root canal (RCT)
• ESWT vs PBM Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis (RCT)
• Effect of PBM on cerebral hemodynamics and metabolism are not thermal

Abstract source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=28192789

Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians.

Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA, Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians

From the American College of Physicians and Penn Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

DESCRIPTION: The American College of Physicians (ACP) developed this guideline to present the evidence and provide clinical recommendations on noninvasive treatment of low back pain. Methods: Using the ACP grading system, the committee based these recommendations on a systematic review of randomized, controlled trials and systematic reviews published through … Continue reading →

Zhang et al showed that whole body 810nm laser 100mW/cm2, 30J/cm2 cures acute thrombocytopenia in mice.

Thrombocytopenia is a common hematologic disorder that is managed primarily by platelet transfusions. They showed that noninvasive whole-body illumination cures acute thrombocytopenia triggered by g-irradiation within 2 weeks in mice, as opposed to a 5-week recovery time required in controls.

The low-level laser (LLL) also greatly accelerated platelet regeneration in the presence of anti-CD41 antibody that binds and depletes platelets, and prevented a severe drop in platelet count caused by a common chemo-therapeutic drug.

They conclude: this safe, drug-free, donor-independent modality represents a paradigm shift in the prophylaxis and treatment of thrombocytopenia.

Full abstract and paper here http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/8/349/349ra101

As you know … Continue reading →

Published article by Fran Lowry on Medscape. May 01, 2015.

Spa-like treatment with a cool, low-level laser, similar to that use for wrinkles, vanquishes oral mucositis, one of the most debilitating toxicities of cancer therapy.

“I have been an oncology nurse for over 25 years, and in those 25 years, there has been nothing that helps prevent or is effective against the treatment for oral mucositis, until now,” said Annette Quinn, RN, MSN, from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

“Patients say they rank it higher than nausea and vomiting when it comes to adverse side effects, especially because we have good medications to control nausea and vomiting. But the low-level laser works better than we could have hoped,” Quinn … Continue reading →

Nurse personal experience + 32 trials (1505 patients) treated with LLLT for Oral mucositis presented at Oncology Nursing conference, read full article on PracticeUpdate.

April 23, 2015–Orlando, Florida–Low-level laser therapy has been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis significantly in patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer or stem cell transplantation. This result of an analysis of 32 prospective trials including 1505 patients was presented at the 40th Annual Oncology Nursing Symposium from April 23 – 26 in Orlando, Florida.

Annette Quinn, RN, MSN, of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, explained that oral mucositis is one of the most debilitating toxicities of cancer therapy. Nearly all patients with head and neck tumors treated … Continue reading →

Great news, Tom Hemmings, a Masters graduate student at Georgia Southern University, found that LED therapy had a positive effect on muscular performance. THOR helped Tom decide on a thesis topic in December 2013, which he completed this past week.

The study itself identified the effects of various dosages of LED on the total repetitions performed during an eccentric leg extension. The dosages of 60 seconds and 120 seconds on each point were found to significantly increase repetitions when compared with the placebo trial.

This study suggests that LED can enhance muscular performance when … Continue reading →

130 new LLLT papers for you including a systematic review on shoulder tendinopathies, a lovely article review in an orthopaedics journal by Howard Cotler, four systematic reviews on orthodontic tooth movement, a trial showing LEDs improve sperm motility, another systematic review on oral mucositis and much more.

The Efficacy of Low-Level Laser Therapy for Shoulder Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Haslerud S, Magnussen LH, Joensen J, Lopes-Martins RA, Bjordal JM

Centre for Evidence Based Practice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, NorPhyPain Research Group, Bergen University College, Bergen, Norway; Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Physiotherapy Research Group, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.