Category Archives: Research

35 papers for you this month: a trial on oral complications in patients with H&N cancer, a meta-analysis of LLLT for oral mucositis, an LLLT neck pain systematic review, a review of laser in orthodontics, a clinical trial on hair growth with LED and laser, and finally another attempt to big up “class IV laser” by misleading readers about parameters. See my rant here.

26 papers for you this month starting with a phase III trial of LLLT to prevent oral mucositis in 94 head and neck cancer patients receiving chemoradiation therapy, a controlled clinical trial on 64 diabetic leg ulcers with THOR LED cluster, a clinical trial on 60 patients with diabetic polyneuropathy, a muscle fatigue study, a rat study on acute joint inflammation which confirms that low irradiance (power density) is better than high (as usual) and that the target is the synovia (not the joint) and, finally, a pointless study on hearing loss with a 635nm laser. They used a green 532nm and a red 635nm laser each 7.5mW, applied to the ear, head, and neck for a total of 5 mins. I’m not sure why anyone would think that was going to work!

38 papers for you this month starting with a review from Harvard on LLLT for hair loss, a clinical trial on osteoarthritis*, a trial on wound healing post tooth extraction on HIV+ patients* (see rant below), a review of laser vs needles on myofascial trigger points, effect of laser vs needle acupuncture on the CNS, an extensive report on auricular laser acupuncture, a trial using red LED light on muscle activity. I also found 19 LED studies studies that got missed in previous literature watches so I have added those (so you get 57 papers ins all in this literature watch) and that brings the total number of LED research papers in my collection to 260.

30 papers for you this month starting with a systematic review and a clinical trial on the rate of orthodontic movement, for the first time (so far as I can tell), someone has done a study on telomere length: young fibroblasts treated with LLLT  had decreased shortening rate and LLLT delayed the aging of cells; there is an RCT on whiplash associated disorder, a trial of LED‘s on fatigue and quadriceps power during treadmill training, a combined LLLT and vibration study on cellulite, a paper I collaborated on for LED treatment of head and neck oedema (post cancer surgery of the larynx), 670nm LED down-regulation of nitrosative stress and protection against apoptosis within the CNS in a model of MS, and a study showing that LEDs also induces analgesia in mice.

This BMJ report caught my eye because of the amount research interest there is in LLLT for brain pathologies (see bottom of this article for list)

BMJ report: Mental illness is the single largest cause of disability in the UK

It contributes up to 22.8% of the total cost burden compared with 15.9% for cancer and 16.2% for cardiovascular disease

One third of the adult population suffers a mental disorder every year. Brain disorders cost the world more that any other disease and yet distribution of medical research funding in the UK is as follows

13% Cancer
7% Coronary heart disease
1% Stroke
0.5% Dementia

Does LLLT make you thinner? a Harvard research group investigates, LEDs for muscle function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and laser vs needles for myofascial trigger points. There is  my own introductory paper on LLLT for dentists, another review of laser and LED treatments for neurological and psychological applications, a TMJ study, and a trial of class IV laser for epicondylitis (see my rant  “LLLT companies may be no better than Big Pharma“).