Have you been hearing about laser therapy for animals and wondering what it is, how it works and how it can help your pet? There are a variety of devices that utilize light and energy for healing, pain management, immune support and acupuncture point stimulation.
Low Energy Photon Therapy uses LEDs (light emitting diodes) to stimulate cellular activity for wound healing via collagen production and improved circulation and to help immune cells combat infection. Fortunately, the amount of energy required to activate cells in these ways is well below the thresholds to damage tissues.
Laseracupuncture provides a noninvasive alternative to needle acupuncture. In photopuncture, a stream of photons directed at an acupuncture point scatters just below the surface of the skin and is absorbed into the nervous system. Practitioners can even tonify or sedate desired points, just as they would with needles. To tonify acupoints, a shorter duration (15 seconds) at a lower frequency (73 Hertz) is used while sedation is achieved with longer stimulation (30 seconds) at a higher frequency (4672 Hertz).
Spoiler alert – if you hate physics, skip immediately to next parargraph. Frequency is the number of pulses of light per second. Most low energy photon devices have one to seven frequencies available. When used for local therapy, as opposed to acupuncture therapy, the primary frequency the practitioners select can be used for one to two minutes, depending on the number of diodes they are directing at the area to be treated. The primary frequency is then followed by one or more secondary frequencies for 30seconds to one minute. In case you were wondering, energy, a measure of power per unit time, defines the time the device should be applied to an area.
So, hopefully that answers, “What is low energy photon therapy?” But, the more important question is, “How does it help animals?” General indications include abscesses, arthritis, cysts, dermatitis, edema, hyperactivity, strained muscles, soft tissue injuries and post-surgery care. For dogs, specific conditions include dry eye syndrome, lick granulomas, mange and torn pads. And it should be no surprise that this gentle, noninvasive therapy is especially nice for geriatric cats, who can be sensitive to most other forms of medical intervention. Interestingly, this technology was initially used primarily with horses for conditions such as bowed tendons, adhesions, bucked shins and laminitis.
A few final thoughts: Traditional methods can and should be used in conjunction with this form of therapy and veterinary consultation is a must. As always, proper diagnosis is the first step towards successful treatment. Dr. Pam Shultz offers Low Energy Photon Therapy at Orchard Grove Animal Hospital, South Peak Veterinary Hospital and Warwick Valley Humane Society acupuncture clinics.
Intrigued? For more details visit:
http://www.companiontherapylaser.com/
http://www.vomtech.com/vetcoldlaser.html
http://www.acupuncture.com/education/theory/laseracu.htm
Information for this article was largely summarized from A Guide to Low Energy Photon Therapy by Gerard Cartier.