TinyTake19-09-2023-04-06-42

Why I First Purchased A Veterinary Laser Therapy Machine

by Laser Therapy

Over many years, Dr Aine wrote and published well over 100 clinical articles for Sydney University’s Centre for Veterinary Education quarterly publication: Control and Therapy. One of the most popular of these articles was an article documenting Dr Aine’s initial decision to investigate and then implement photobiomodulation/laser therapy into her own veterinary practice. Many vets wrote back of their appreciation of being able to access such knowledge that then, in turn, helped them start on their own veterinary laser therapy journey. We have republished the article in full here now and hope all our new Vets1laser readers now get to benefit from the knowledge shared. 

Enjoy!

If any vet or therapist would like some more spin-free, weasel word-free, fake claim-free re the origin of the machines, information about Veterinary laser therapy then the experienced veterinary team at Vets1laser is more than happy to discuss the therapy with you.

Clothing and Laser

Ditch the Dress-ups

by Laser Therapy

Ditch the Dress-ups-no matter how cute the patient might look.

When it comes to laser therapy, it’s all about ditching the patient’s drapes, the dressings, and the dress-ups for the duration of the therapy session.

The Grothuss-Draper Principle states that only light which is absorbed by a system can bring about a photochemical reaction. Energy directed at the patient’s body through the material will be wasted as there are no photoreceptors in the material for a biological effect to be caused by the light. The material may neutralise the light but equally, if the material is metallic or shiny, it could dangerously reflect the laser light. Either way, energy will be lost and treatment outcomes will be suboptimal.

Please remove clothing, bandages, and casts before attempting to apply PBM therapy to that area.

Kyra

Comment on Canine Degenerative Myelopathy Paper

by Laser TherapyUncategorized

Hi Everyone.

I have had a few people ask me my opinion on the Dr Lisa Miller’s paper on PBM for Canine Degenerative Myelopathy.

The paper, one of many reviewed by Drs Millis & Bergh, was given this accurate if rather terse summary:

‘A study of laser use in treating degenerative myelopathy did not have a control group (comparison to a historical control group was used), had other confounding factors that may have influenced the results, and the laser dose used to compare Class III and Class IV lasers was not the same. The risk of bias for the study came in as high.

In fairness to the paper, despite it being from a competitor company-I don’t think we should dismiss Dr Miller’s findings based on the above reasons.

To put the comments into context: Drs Millis & Bergh had undertaken a systematic literature review in general for PBMT and found gaps in the scientific documentation. Conflicting study results and unclear application for clinical use are explained by the wide variety of treatment parameters used in the analysed studies, such as wavelength, laser class, dose, and effect, as well as the frequency and duration of treatment. Some beneficial effects have been reported during treatment with light therapy; however, the published studies also have limited scientific quality regarding these therapies, with a high or moderate risk of bias. Although some beneficial effects were reported for light therapy, the studies also had limited scientific quality regarding these therapies, with a high or moderate risk of bias.

In general, I would have to agree with Dr Millis and  Dr Bergh’s findings on most of the clinical papers out there in the PBMT field. The standard of publishing for PBMT is nothing like the ring mill the AVJ or EJFM etc puts you through to get a veterinary paper published with them.

Pure Science Research PBM papers focused at the cellular level, however, do tend to hit a higher standard.

So where does that leave us with Dr Miller’s paper?

1)Tacit Knowledge: What you know from being in the field, not from a textbook.

Our own knowledge of using our PBM machine on German Shepherd Myelopathy is that the therapy does work. The therapy should be added as an adjunct therapy-it doesn’t replace Megaderm, Denosyl, NSAIDS, Rehab, etc but PBMT alone, delivers about 70% of the total successful response.

2)Scientific Knowledge.

We know CDM disease is a mitochondrial-based disease with superoxide dismutase1 mutation being the fault line.

We know PBMT targets mitochondria very efficiently.

We know muscles and nerves have a high mitochondrial load.

Therefore PBM therapy has a natural scientific ‘in’ or ‘back door’ to this disease.

Conclusion. The findings of Dr Miller’s paper are worthy of application in general practice.

Reading list.

  1. Miller, L.A.; Torraca, D.G.; De Taboada, L. Retrospective observational study and analysis of two different photobiomodulation therapy protocols combined with rehabilitation therapy as therapeutic interventions for canine degenerative myelopathy. Photobiomodul. Photomed. Laser Surg. 2020, 38, 195–205. (Attached above)
  2. Canine degenerative myelopathy: a model of human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Raffaele Nardone

et al . PMID: 26432396 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2015.09.003

  1. Mitochondrial dysfunction and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Isabel Hervias et al . Muscle Nerve 2006 May;33(5):598-608. PMID: 16372325 DOI: 10.1002/mus.20489

  1. Pre-exercise low-level laser therapy improves performance and levels of oxidative stress markers in mdx mice subjected to muscle fatigue by high-intensity exercise. Paulo De Tarso et al. Lasers in Medical Science30(6) 1007/s10103-015-1777-7
  2. Evaluation of inflammatory biomarkers associated with oxidative stress and histological assessment of low-level laser therapy in experimental myopathy

Natalia Servetto et al lhttps://doi.org/10.1002/lsm.20910

  1. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) prevents oxidative stress and reduces fibrosis in rat-traumatized Achilles tendon Fillipin L. et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/lsm.20225.
  2. Millis D, Bergh A. Systematic Review A Systematic Literature Review of Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine: Laser Therapy. Animals 2023. 14;13(4):667.doi:10.3390/ani13040667
tunnel-ga0b2aefaf_1280

Avoid Tunnel Vision with Laser Treatment Options

by Laser Therapy

Don’t get Tunnel Vision.
Laser therapy is so much more than an anti-inflammatory tool. Rather than ask “What can I use laser on?”; take a moment to consider “What can’t I use laser for?”
One then very quickly realises there are very few presentations that laser therapy can’t be added on as an adjunct therapy.

From reducing action potential in nerves to decreasing muscle spasms, trigger points, and tissue oedema, your laser therapy machine can be factored into minor-major disease and injury presentations.

Enjoy the versatility of this non-invasive modality, that is without peer in terms of capital equipment expenditure and client/veterinarian/pet benefit.

ARWLaser Image

Let Lunchtime Focus on Food not on Facts

by Laser TherapyUncategorized
Our Vets at Vets1laser know the importance of keeping the focus of a busy clinic’s lunch times as a time for all staff to catch a breath and eat. Lunchtime is best spent taking in food, not taking in facts. Forget a Demo at lunchtime! Organise a time that best suits You, to learn more about all things Class IV Laser/PBMT. Contact us at [email protected] to find out more about how Vets1laser can be a game changer in your daily clinic or hospital schedule.