"Optimizing people towards their best health since 1999!"

Laser Therapy at Our ABODE

Why use laser therapy?

The use of lasers in medicine has been around for over a decade.  The FDA approved Cold laser therapy in 2002 for safety and the "Hot" laser therapy in 2004.  We've been using both since 2006 at our ABODE.  The attraction of this type of therapeutic device is based on its benefits, ease of use and non-traumatic use. 

What kinds of things do you use laser therapy for?

• Pain treatment and management
• Tendonitis
• Arthritis swelling and pain
• As a replacement for acupuncture needles
• As part of a protocol for smoking cessation
• Muscle strains
• Ligament sprains

How does a therapeutic laser work?

In short, the laser "shines" a light through your skin layers which the cells deep to the skin interpret as 'not good'.  Apparently, skin cells are not the only cells in the body with photoreceptors (light detecting parts on the outside of the cell wall).  When light shines on these photoreceptors it turns on DNA mediated healing.  The light actually makes the DNA send a message through a carrier, RNA, that signals to the rest of the body that "healing" needs to take place for these cells and its neighbors.

What does the laser treatment feel like?

Laser therapy is no big deal.  Occasionally, there is some sense of warmth at the area being treated, but this is most often not the case.  In the immediate time frame of the treatment there may only be a slight sense of change.  However, as time goes on people usually begin to feel better and better.

How long does a laser treatment take?

The laser treatment takes varying degrees of time.  Both the Cold & "Hot"  laser treatments take about 3-10 minutes. 

What's the difference between Cold and "Hot" lasers?

Cold lasers are lower powered units than the "Hot" lasers, but this does not mean that they are not equally effective for certain problems.  Both lasers penetrate the skin, but the "Hot" lasers apparently penetrate to deeper levels of the body.  The "Hot" lasers can also do more work in a shorter time period than the Cold lasers.

Is there any danger to laser treatments?

The Cold laser treatments appear to be extremely safe.  The "Hot" laser treatments are more powerful and with more power comes a slight bit of undetermined risk.  Consequently, we do not use the "Hot" laser anywhere near the belly during pregnancy or on children that are still growing (there are some concerns about the possibility that there might be effects upon the growth plates).