The story of how LLLT / Photobiomodulation was discovered

This is an extraordinary lecture. It is the story of how LLLT / Photobiomodulation was discovered, and because of the context in which it occurred you might also find it very moving, so get some tissues. It is an hour and 10 minutes long so get comfortable, maybe get some popcorn and a drink too. I will paste the email that Andrew Mester wrote into the comments section below.

Here is the email from Andrew Mester :

I had the privilege to give a keynote presentation at the most recent NAALT (North American Association of PhotobiomoduLation Therapy) meeting in February 5, 2017 in Coronado Island, San Diego. The title of paper was: “Invention of Laser Biostimulation”. My lecture is in Youtube now.

BACKGROUND:
Photo-medicine is an exciting new field in both scientific and clinical research all over the world and most recently in the USA. I learned in this interesting meeting that low intensity laser and LED light may stimulate, heal and regenerate neural tissue. Possible treatments are under investigation regarding traumatic events (stroke, traumatic brain injury and global ischemia), degenerative diseases (dementia, Alzheimer and Parkinson’s disease) and psychiatric disorders (PTSD, depression and anxiety). Most American studies are sponsored by the NIH (Michael Hamblin, PhD, Mass General Hospital) and by the VA (Margaret Naeser, PhD at Boston Jamaica Plain VA Hospital).

My association to this field is that my Father, Endre Mester, MD published first biostimulatory effect of the low power laser in 1967. My father, myself and my brother, Adam Mester, MD have published all the basic both research and clinical studies in the literature. We described the stimulatory effect primarily in wound healing and also the systemic effect of laser irradiation which is used now in all of the above mentioned research protocols.

My father is called in the literature the “Father of Photobiomodulation”.

The NAALT society established an Award named after my father: “Professor Endre Mester Award who made the seminal observation on the therapeutic benefits of low dose laser treatments”. The award recognizes a clinician or researcher who has made significant contributions to our understanding of light-biological tissue interactions and its therapeutic benefits, specifically in the area of Photobiomodulation Therapy. I was asked to present this award to Michael Hamblin, PhD from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School because of his lifetime achievements in Photobiomodulation.

Andrew Mester MD