Unlike high-power medical lasers, which are widely used to safely cut and remove tissue, the Low Level Laser (LLL) penetrates the surface of the skin with no heating effect or damage. The energy is directed deep into the affected area stimulating the body’s cells which convert the energy into chemical energy to promote natural healing.
Cold lasers are often compared to acupuncture with “laser beams”. In most LLL treatments the laser beam is used to stimulate the body’s acupoints or damaged areas in an attempt to increase the blood supply to parts of the body. I often use Lasers in conjunction with acupuncture treatments in my office. Light or photon energy has the unique property of being able to penetrate up to two inches below the skin surface, based on the power of the laser, causing an increase in cellular metabolism with no tissue damage whatsoever.Cold Laser Therapy is considered an alternative therapy like acupuncture. Currently there are over 25 different cold lasers that have been cleared by the FDA for various types of treatments. Cold laser has been in use around the world for over 30 years and has been in use in the US for over 10 years, mostly in the veterinary field. Low Level Laser therapy has been proven completely safe in over 3000 worldwide studies. The low level laser light used in cold laser therapy is actually the compressed light of a wavelength from the red part of the light spectrum, or the cold part.
The wavelength of the laser light ranges from 635 to 970 nanometers. The power level of medical grade cold lasers ranges from 10 milliwatts to 7500 milliwatts. This energy can be created using one or an array of laser diodes. An array of lasers allows a wider treatment area. Since finding the troubled spot deep inside the tissue may be difficult to pinpoint, it can be very useful to cover a larger area with an array of diodes. This increases the probability of energizing the problem area and also helps increase the energy in the area surrounding the problem area. The therapy is noninvasive and non-thermal. The cold laser was derived from phototherapy, a light healing method developed more than 30 years ago. Light penetrates the surface of the skin as well as underlying tissues to stimulate natural healing in the body. During the cold laser process, the body’s cells are exposed to photon energy, which in turn increases the cells’ metabolism, helps to develop muscle tissue and collagen, improves blood circulation, stimulates tissue repair and the healing of wounds, and stimulates the nervous and immune systems.
The average cold laser therapy session cost from $30 to $60 dollars. The average medical grade laser costs about $4000 – $15000. I think this is why LLL isn’t used more, even though it is an excellent therapy.
In my office, I use cold laser therapy, or low level laser therapy, to treat acute and chronic pain. If you suffer from back pain, joint pain, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, neuropathy, neck pain, or other related health conditions, cold laser therapy might be a viable solution for you. We use the Erchonia laser for a wide variety of applications like those just mentioned as well as many others supporting lymph and regulatory systems. Laser treatments speed up your body’s healing processes and can be an important part of many other therapies.
Robert Ellsworth, NMD
