Category Archives: Research

Laser Treatment Halts Oral Mucositis in Its Tracks

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 told Medscape Medical News.

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Low-Level Laser Therapy Reduces the Incidence and Severity of Oral Mucositis | PracticeUpdate

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 with chemoradiotherapy, and 75% of those undergoing stem cell transplantation with total body irradiation experience some degree of oral mucositis. “Over the last decade,” said Ms. Quinn, “the prevalence of oral mucositis has risen due to new chemotherapy, the introduction of targeted agents, and the delivery of higher doses of radiation.”

Source: Low-Level … Continue reading

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Masters graduate found LED therapy had positive effect on muscular performance

Tom Hemmings, a Masters graduate student at Georgia Southern University

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 applying the THOR laser prior an exercise bout.

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Literature watch update: End 2014

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.

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Transcranial LLLT for Chronic mild Traumatic Brain Injury

The VA, Boston University and Harvard Medical School published the results of a Transcranial LLLT (LED) pilot study on mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Incredibly; TBI is a leading cause of death and disability among children and young adults in the United States. Each year an estimated 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI, 50,000 people die as a consequence, 230,000 are hospitalized and an estimated 5.3 million currently live with a permanent TBI-related disability (because there is no cure). This study showed significant improvement in Executive Function, Verbal Learning, Long Delay Free Recall and fewer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Participants and family reported better ability to perform social, interpersonal, and occupational functions. This was a small pilot study on just eleven patients with chronic mTBI, there was no placebo control group so further studies are necessary to truly establish the effect size.

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THOR Literature watch for December 2013 LLLT Low Level Laser Therapy

28 papers for December 2013 starting with a good narrative editorial from Richard Godine DVM who make good points about dose, penetration and treatment guidelines for pets. There is an LLLT study on TMJ pain, a couple of orthodontic tooth movement papers, a clinical trial on subacromial impingement syndrome, Jan Tuner wrote a nice op ed  regarding a failed tinnitus trial pointing out the obvious dosimetry flaws. There is a trial on muscle fatigue in young women, a lichen planus study, gingival hyperplasia and much more (of course).

Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) in Veterinary Medicine.

Godine, RL

Ruckersville Animal Hospital and Veterinary Laser Therapy Center , Ruckersville, Virginia.

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THOR Literature watch for November 2013 Low Level Laser Therapy / Cold Laser / Photobiomodulation PBM

43 LLLT papers for you this month including: Three systematic reviews with meta-analysis on LLLT 1) before, during and after exercises, 2) frozen shoulder/adhesive capsulitis, 3) subacromial impingement syndrome. ALSO a trial showing increased muscle torque in elite athletes, reduced oral mucositis in pediatric cancer patients, LED for TMJ dysfunction, Laser vs LED dentin hypersensitivity, combined autologous PRP and LED for venous ulcers, LED after eccentric exercise (it seems to be a big month for LEDs ) and delightful editorial from Kevin Moore on the early years for LLLT and the World Association for Laser Therapy (WALT).

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