As a doctor who has specialized in healthy and  natural weight loss treatments for several years and as a practitioner who has a unique perspective due to specialization of methods, I have come to realize that weight loss involves not just multiple, but all systems and aspects of the being.  While many individuals will lose weight with modification of diet and lifestyle, there are always those who will not lose or lose with incredible slowness, regardless of the diet and exercise regimen.  It is these people that I see the most often in my clinic and I will provide a glimpse into some of the ways weight loss is affected by something as unlikely as trauma and injury.

Whiplash and neck injury

The thyroid controls metabolism, how quickly one burns up calories and creates energy.  When the thyroid is under-functioning (hypothyroidism), weight loss becomes extremely difficult, and weight gain becomes extremely easy, energy is decreased, hair may change, skin may become drier, thinking and speech may even become slowed.  I have seen numerous instances of thyroid sub function due to injuries from car accidents, sports, falls, even surgeries.  The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland located below some of the cartilages at the front of the neck/throat area.  It lies between two layers of fascia and between these two layers also flows the blood and lymphatic vessels that supply nutrients and remove wastes from the gland.  Neck injuries will often cause adhesions within or between these layers of tissue which restrict fluid movement to and from the gland, but also affects how the gland itself moves.  As with almost all organs and glands, motility (inherent motion) equals function.  If its not moving normally, its not functioning normally.

Assessment of the thyroid gland consists of palpating for size, shape and texture of the gland and also feeling for its rate and rhythm of movement.  I look for even and equal expansion and contraction phases of 13 cycles per minute.  When there is irregular and uneven motility and the cartilages of the neck are skewed or off-center, I look for adhesions within the head and neck.  Greater or lesser activity tells me to look for the root of the problem, whether it lies in the connective tissue components of the neck or whether it is related to the biochemistry of the endocrine system.

Getting thrown/jarred or injuring the ribs

The liver is one of the body’s essential organs, performing an enormous array of jobs including, but not limited to: creating digestive juices, detoxifying internal and external compounds, creating clotting factors, mediating immune reactions, helping to process emotions and storing vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates.  It also processes fats that are liberated through weight loss.  In order for fat to be metabolized and moved out properly, the liver should be functioning well.  Slower liver usually means slower weight loss.  This organ is also prone to fatty accumulations which cause it to enlarge and become torpid.

The liver is always involved in traumatic injury.  It is a blood-rich organ, and the heaviest internal organ in our bodies.  For this reason, when we are thrown, it is thrown also.  There are several ligaments and connections supporting the liver and these tissues will contract when the liver is thrown.  Unless something is done to correct the problem, it will persist indefinitely.  Tight ligaments hold the liver in imperfect positions and prevent full and proper motility.  The ribs serve a protective function for the internal organs, including the liver and most of the supporting ligaments for the liver attach onto the ribs.  Ribs are amazing at storing and holding trauma in the body.  They will hold a mild deformity or twist in their structure for years.  Affected ribs that happen to lie close to or right over the liver tend to cause the liver to function in a very unsatisfactory way.  This is a nuisance, because nobody ever seems to include ribs in their assessments, yet the ribs really can affect how we function and feel in a profound way.   A sluggish or tight liver tends to prevent the normal movement and metabolism of liberated fats, causing a backlog with unsatisfactory weight loss despite our best efforts.  The result of a poorly functioning liver can also be weight gain and low energy and may be accompanied by headaches, shoulder pain and/or nausea.  A manual assessment of the liver would include checking its size and mobility along with motility and also assessing the tension of the surrounding ribs.

Head and facial trauma

There are two important endocrine glands within the skull:  the pineal gland which is responsible for our wake/sleep cycle and the pituitary, fed by the hypothalamus (also endocrine), which is responsible for the coordination of the endocrine system in our daily lives and throughout the changes we encounter in life (pregnancy, child birth, menstrual cycles, menopause/andropause).  The pineal gland is often overlooked, but without the normal functioning of this gland we wouldn’t reap the benefits of proper sleep, some consider the pineal the master gland of the whole body, if it is weak, the entire endocrine system may be set off.

The pituitary is housed in an irregularly shaped bone that makes up part of the bony orbit of the eye, the sphenoid.  Manually the movement of the sphenoid can be checked, it is part of a joint involving the occiput.  Regular movement at this joint allows proper functioning of the pituitary, irregular movement creates irregularity in the functioning of the pituitary and thus the complex coordination of the entire endocrine system.  Unfortunately there are numerous scenarios affecting the movement of the occipital-sphenoid (O-S) joint and head trauma is just one of them.  Any injury to the head or face can cause fixation at the sutures, adhesions within the meninges or dura and within the brain itself.  Any and all of these lesions can account for imbalanced pituitary function.  To fix the movement of the O-S, the fixations must be first identified, then dealt with by manual release work.

Chronic Pain

Ongoing, severe pain is very taxing on both the body and the mental & emotional systems of a person.  Pain is registered as a stressful event and stressful events trigger the stress  response.  Elevated cortisol, blood sugar and blood pressure are all common sequels to pain.  For the purposes of this article I will discuss only the elevation of blood sugar and cortisol – both of which tend to promote weight gain at the abdomen.  Elevated blood sugar also will elevate insulin, which is the major fat-storage hormone of the body.  When insulin is high it becomes very difficult to lose weight.  The are couple options for somebody experiencing chronic pain and wanting to lose weight:

1.  Learn pain management and relaxation techniques that help you feel calm and in control despite the fact there is pain in the body.  This not only decreases the experience of pain, but diminishes the stress response.

2.  Have the pain dealt with, either by having the appropriate corrections made (see Visceral Manipulation) or by treating the pain itself using the variety of methods available (cold laser, TENS, hypnotherapy, etc).  I cannot recommend pain medications which have a propensity to injure both kidneys and liver or the digestive tract and cause more serious long-term problems, including but not limited to weight gain or difficult weight loss.

One of the unfortunate consequences of reductionist thinking and the scientific method is  our propensity to focus on a single part as if this one part, in isolation, held all the answers.  It is very different from systems thinking in which the whole entity (and every entity is a little different) is responsible for the observed effect.   It is similar to the difference between the ego intellect (“I know how this works.  Let me demonstrate.”) and the surrendering intellect (“I don’t know. I trust I will be shown.”).  This second way of thinking is a little more difficult to embrace, package, prove and sell but it is at the heart of holistic medicine – ‘holistic’ being derived from “the whole”.   This has quite different connotations from the term ‘natural’.  If I was just using natural treatments, I might focus on various herbal applications for the shoulder, nutrients that create predictable outcomes for muscle relaxation, ligament tension etc. and still miss the cause of the problem.

So if you think you’ve tried everything with a troublesome shoulder and had  poor results, consider that perhaps one of your organs is persistently sending you a message and requires attention.

Recently I’ve begun to realize that a lot of people (women mostly, it seems), are going through life unaware of a poorly functioning thyroid.  The result:  weight gain, fluid retention, poor mood and energy, possible hair loss, dry skin and a whole host of other potential problems.  All this and yet the TSH (thyroid function test) is normal when checked by their doctors.  How could this be so?

Here’s the story

1.  The reference range for TSH is grossly imprecise.  Most doctors are looking for a mountain, when they need to be looking for a mole hill.  The American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologists have already recommended tightening up the reference range for TSH – anything over 3.0 would be considered high.  Here in Canada, only readings over 5 are taken seriously – at this stage people are really overtly hypothyroid and know that something is definitely wrong.

2.  For some, the TSH never really indicates the true functionality of the thyroid or the rest of the body’s ability to convert thyroid hormone to its more active form (T3).  TSH can be suppressed by T4 alone.  But T4 is not the most active form of the hormone, T3 is, and although found in smaller quantities it stimulates metabolism more than T4.  A conversion is necessary and certain mineral deficiencies will prevent this conversion.

3. L-thyroxin – is T4 alone, not a combination of T3 and T4 and it doesn’t provide the substrate (minerals, etc.) to either build of convert thyroid hormones.  “Properly” medicated people may be getting adequate amounts of T4 and have low TSH values and still not be getting enough T3, thus their metabolism will still be slow and they will not feel at their best.

4. Reverse T3 – the body preferentially makes reverse T3 (aka rT3), when it is under duress:  illness, fasting, etc.  rT3 does not function as T3 and actually slows the metabolism, to help preserve energy.  In these cases, we do not want to add T3, this would speed up the illness and cause unnecessary additional stress to the body.

The conclusion and point of this whole story is simple.  If you are experiencing weight gain, or have difficulty losing weight, you must have your thyroid condition properly assessed and investigated by a qualified practitioner.

We have put together an amazing package that will help thousands of people shed excess fat.

Busy Light’s Body Slimming program consists of a consultation to qualify you for the program and provided you are a suitable candidate, a minimum of 3 low level laser treatment sessions of 40-minutes each, along with the usage of our vibration machine and infrared sauna after every treatment or on the following day as individual schedules permit.

Qualifying – to qualify for the full program the individual should be in reasonably good health, not be pregnant or breast-feeding and without serious liver disorders.  Our Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Tanya Rampersad, will determine whether this is the best program for you in a brief visit and may suggest additional therapies.

Lasers – Low level lasers are used as therapeutic devices
because they speed healing, increase lymphatic and blood flow

The Zerona is a low level laser that emits light at a wavelength and frequency that communicates directly with your fat cells.  The laser only stimulates natural bodily processes.  In this case, the laser stimulates the fat cells to form a pore and extrude their contents.

This liquefied fat can then be picked up by the lymphatic system and processed for removal by the body.  The fat cells continue to extrude fat into the interstitial space up to 24 hours after the treatment, which is why it is important to maintain a healthy and moderately active lifestyle throughout the duration of the program.  The fat-emulsifying abilities of the laser have been used to help thousands of people to create a more pleasing figure for themselves.

Infrared sauna

Infrared Sauna – the infrared sauna is an easy-to-tolerate treatment that assists the body in detoxification and helps improve the metabolism and functioning of the internal organs.  There are many therapeutic benefits to using the infrared sauna.  In this particular case the sauna will help move and remove the liquified fat, burn calories, and get rid of toxins and thus retained fluid.

The T-Zone Vibrator – is a machine that simulates walking and stimulates your muscles to contract involuntarily by its rocking movement.  An easy 10-minute session is equivalent to a one-hour workout with weights.

TZone Vibrator

This machine was added to the program to further assist with lymphatic movement, fat and calorie burning, and muscle toning and strengthening.  The higher frequencies can help break up adhesions within the body, while the lower frequencies help muscle tone and memory.  The vibrational exercise also reduces the appearance of cellulite by up to 25% when used on its own.  The addition of the laser and sauna will only amplify this bonus.  Additional exercises can be performed on the machine to improve upper body and core strength.  Your suitability for this machine will be assessed during the first qualifying consultation.

The two-week package price includes all above visits and treatments but does not include  additional therapies, accessories or supplementation.

Spacing of treatments:

The Zerona treatments ideally are spaced ~ 48 hours apart and a minimum of 3 treatments may be purchased at a time.  Up to 9 visits (3 weeks) may be purchased at one time.  Once you’ve gone through the whole set of treatments, we recommend a short break before undergoing another set of treatments.  If you cannot commit to treatments every other day for  at least one weeks you will be asked to consider other options for weight loss and body slimming.

Body Garment:  Most people will be encouraged to buy a compression garment due to the fact that the fat cells continue extruding fat for 24 hours after a session.  Because nobody can be active 24-hours daily, it is highly recommended that you invest in a compression garment to move the fat away faster when you cannot be active yourself, e.g. while you are sleeping.  This item becomes your own and you can re-use it for the next set of treatments if you should choose to do so.

Additional supplementation may be recommended on a case-by-case basis, depending on need.

Erchonia Low Level Laser Therapy



Low level laser therapy

State of the art technology increases blood flow, improves the immune system, decreases pain and inflammation, balances the nervous system, and energizes the cells resulting in improved healing and recovery.

Erchonia Medical began their commitment to conducting clinical research in December 1999, with Neck and Shoulder studies, as a means to prove viability to the FDA. At the time, the FDA considered low-level lasers “experimental” as no company had presented ethical clinical data to prove them safe and effective. Erchonia Medical petitioned the FDA regarding a study, choosing neck and shoulder pain because it was one of the most common neuromuscular conditions of which few devices had been proven successful in treating.

The study began December 1999 and was completed August 2000. The data collected on pain control was so impressive we were certain the FDA would grant market clearance without hesitation. Erchonia Medical presented the results to the FDA in a 510(k) submission and for months the FDA told us the study was good. However, in January 2001, owing to the FDA’s years of doubt regarding low-level lasers, they requested a second study: one that was more limiting. In our first study we mixed patients suffering from both chronic and acute neck and shoulder pain. The FDA wanted us to target either acute OR chronic patients. You can imagine the frustration we at Erchonia Medical felt, however, being committed to our course we persevered.

Sensing the FDA’s hesitation based on their long held opinion, that low-level lasers were “experimental” Erchonia Medical took a proactive approach. Steven Shanks, along with Erchonia Medical’s regulatory agent hosted a conference call with the FDA to discuss the strict inclusion criteria they wanted for the next study. We addressed all their concerns and ensured test criteria were included in the clinical trial matrix to address each of them. Erchonia Medical again chose chronic neck and shoulder pain since we felt that if we proved this indication, it would demonstrate to the FDA, what we already knew, the incredible healing power of the Erchonia laser.

The inclusion criteria consisted of:

Pain on a visual analog scale
Pain greater than 50 on a scale of 1 to 100
Patient had to have had the pain longer than 30 days
No pharmaceutical intervention for 30days prior to and during the study
No over the counter medication for 48 hours prior to the study
Range of Motion measured using duel inclinometers, pre and post
Motor Strength testing(Hoppenfeld) of C-5 to T-1
The second, stricter study was completed January 2002. The results proved outstanding pain reduction, and increased muscle strength and range of motion. The overwhelming results were presented to the FDA in a 510(k) submission that led to the first low-level laser given market clearance by the FDA, awarded January 17, 2002. Not only did the Erchonia Medical studies garner the first low-level laser indication for use, the Erchonia laser device initiated the need for the FDA to create a new regulatory category, NHN Biostimulation lasers.

Erchonia Medical is proud to claim that because of our commitment to low-level laser technology and fortitude to prove our standing with clinical research, Low Level Lasers are a sanctioned medical modality.

Power & Penetration

Low Level Laser Therapy

The Power and Penetration Myth
The understanding of how the human body functions in conjunction with low level laser therapy (LLLT, 3LT™, cold laser) is an advancing paradigm in modern wellness approaches. These transformative changes are encouraging a clearer understanding of the mechanism of how each new invention effects each system.

3LT™ is not excluded from the advancing medical technology that needs continual scientific evidence of the mechanism before we can thoroughly comprehend the magnitude of the neurological and physiological changes taking place. Nevertheless, 3LT™ is one of the few devices that have published, peer-reviewed double blinded controlled studies dating back over twenty years and many “clinicians and researchers are unaware of the extensive research that has been done in field of biophysics, bionics, photobiology and quantum biology during the past eighty years”1 that aid in the clarity of the mechanism of laser applications.

The first milestone made in the United States for 3LT™ was the FDA approval in 2002. With this approval came a new classification of therapeutic devices, referred to as NHN, which is a category for non-heating modalities for adjunctive use in pain therapy commonly known as biostimulation, which we will address later. The first market clearance (510k approval) was issue for the treatment of neck and shoulder pain. Since this accomplishment, the FDA has issued 510k clearances in the NHN category for the treatment on carpal tunnel and post surgical pain based on clinical data and cellular/molecular research.

Unfortunately, other laser companies have not adhered to such standards of their therapeutic devices and have filed what is referred to as ‘substantial equivalence’ against a laser previously granted market clearance by acceptable completion of clinical trial data. A substantial equivalence submission to the FDA is authored by the company or a representative of the company that is intending to obtain market clearance without conducting clinical trials. The substantial equivalence document shows the device attempting to obtain market clearance being compared against a device that already has been awarded market clearance by comparison of features and components. The company submitting a substantial equivalence document, using the features and components comparison as a catalyst, then authors a narrative explaining why the device they are vying for fits in the same category of therapeutic applications of the laser or laser(s) being compared to. Laser Classification is a regulated feature of a laser device and is a component of comparison in a substantial equivalence submission. A manufacturer using 21CFR1040, ANSI standards and the embedded tables calculates the laser classification by including the power output into an equation that mimics the potential damage to the human retina by established testing parameters. Please note this is a gross over simplification of the process, but a necessary view point to consider especially when highlighting the uphill battle the low level laser therapy industry has endeavored.

The most recent flux of laser advertising has led to a great deal of confusion pertaining to the field. Much of this confusion about the use of therapeutic lasers stems from attempting to look at laser effects from a Newtonian mechanistic perspective that has now been supplanted by non-linear dynamics and quantum physics. Oftentimes we assume things natural from current knowledge to fit within a paradigm of healing. If this was the only approach new and innovative applications would never be developed. The latest trend in the development and what is commonly mistaken for proper applications of low level laser therapy is the flux in approvals for topical heating devices (ILY) which has an associated low level laser component with the removal of the collecting lens from a high powered laser. The problem is that when you remove the collecting lens out of configuration is ceases to be a focused laser. This in essences is now just a concentrated heat lamp, which gleans to the understanding of why market clearance was so easily obtainable.

By far one the most difficult concepts of laser is the energy density or fluence, this component is what in large relates to a non linear approach to understanding the applications. In the market place it is the focal point of sales in the approach that depth of penetration is somehow related to this component.

Let’s look at common myths in laser therapy pertaining to power and how it relates to penetration. Several articles have claimed in this publication and other journals that you need more power to penetrate the tissue and that high power lasers are putting an end to low level lasers. The science of 3LT™ has proven this to be untrue in many studies which will be referenced in this article. It is important to take into consideration that the FDA gave market clearance to the first high power therapeutic laser in 2004 (two years after the first low level laser); the approved device is manufactured by a company that filed substantial equivalence from a heat lamp (ILY) and in turn was given approval for topical heating and muscle relaxation not depth of penetration like the manufacturers claim. To date there have been no other 510(k) market clearances granted to any other “high powered laser” based on their own clinical trial. Low level lasers have endeavored in more substantial clinical, cellular & molecule trails that have not only been expensive to undertake, but time consuming; This is in part the reason why there are still very few indications for low power lasers .

The companies marketing these high powered laser devices proclaim that they have more power and penetrate deeper than 3LT™ devices (NHN). There is no research that proves that these devices are more effective than a $600 heat lamp, not to mention they have the exact same marketing claims and these devices can cost up to $50,000. There is also a question to the long term safety of these devices which has not been proven otherwise according to published research available. An interesting note is to evaluate the reference material of high powered lasers and almost every study referenced has been done with low level, low energy lasers, not high powered devices. New research published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine in January 20062 states that “with as little as 10 joules you can cause damage to the DNA of the cell and decrease cell viability”. The laser they used in the aforementioned study was a 3mw laser with a divergent beam and this article also stated “that since the laser used was a 3mw divergent beam it is not as harmful as a narrow parallel beam”. This article proves the even a low level laser can potentially cause damage if over treated. It would take only 1 second at 10 watts to over-stimulate to the level that this study proves.

Another myth is that high power lasers have biostimulation effects. A study proved that 540nm and 633nm had a strong effect on the action potential of the nerve and 904nm, 660nm, 830nm, 880nm and 950nm had no effect3. Since these wavelengths are not affecting the nerve through biostimulation they try and affect the nerve through heat which has a completely different consequence. In a statement made in Jan Tunér and Lars Hode 2002 Laser Therapy book, “biostimulation based on current clinical research is .5 to 1 J/cm2 on an open wound and 2-4 J/cm2 through overlaying skin.”4 For a patient to receive the maximum of 4 joules required for biostimulation they would only need to treat the patient for 1 second with a 4 watt laser and 0.5 seconds with a 10 watt laser. This is in agreement with the Arndt-Schulz Law which states “weak stimuli excite biologic activity and strong stimuli retard this activity.”5 High powered lasers are used for tissue ablation, hair removal, acne, etc. The companies that produce these high powered lasers remove the collecting lens on these devices to prevent the device from burning the skin. In addition they have to manually scan (back and forth) the patient with these devices to keep from burning the tissue. The mechanism in which they are heating the skin proves that they are not penetrating deeper; according to Tunér and Hode 2002 Laser Therapy book, they state “because 980nm has a lower penetration capacity, more energy is absorbed in the upper part of the skin and the risk for overheating is greater.” They also state anything over “1 watt is excessive” in laser therapy3.

An additional article available in this publication titled Basic Principles of Low level Laser Therapy6 stated “super pulsing allows for deeper penetration;” the laser they were referencing was a 10 to 100 watt laser used at relatively low power which is conflicting with laser classifications due to the fact that it references a class IV laser which is not considered low power. These Class IV lasers are the same lasers used for resurfacing and tissue ablation without the focusing lens and the reason they super pulse them is because they are targeting a specific chromophore on the surface of the skin in which research has proven to be a topical treatment, that if left on the skin would burn or ablate the subject. The author goes on to state “that it is well suited for medium and deep tissue, such as joints and tendons,” but offers no research or references.

Let’s look at the research. Every laser has a plateau where it reaches bio-inhibition (Farok Al-Watban has published this in several wound studies) or it reaches a point where the application of laser is no longer effecting the physiological structures that are targeted. This concept is well published and we have already talked about biostimulation and its peek. In review of the published research we observe results for different power outputs, the indications of such devices and the consequences of excessive use. There are numerous studies and clinical results that compare different power outputs using the same wavelength only manipulating the time treated which is measured in J/ cm2. The first example published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery 2006 is a study using 685nm and 830nm laser on tissue repair in tendons on mice. In this study they used difference fluences and divided them in 6 groups, 2 placebo groups, 2 groups of 685nm laser (red) at 3 joules and 10 joules and 2 groups of 830nm (infrared) laser at 3 joules and 10 joules. Then they compared the results, the best results were with the 685nm at 3 J/cm2 and the results with the greatest consequence to healing were with 830nm at 10 J/cm27. This study leads support to the fact that higher power and longer wavelengths do not lead to better outcomes. Similar findings have been published since at least 1989, when Shiroto stated that “an increase in irradiation dose may decrease biostimulatory effects.”8

As mentioned previously the first FDA market clearance was for chronic neck and shoulder pain. The laser in this study was a 5 mW 635nm line generated beam (Erchonia). The treatment time was a total of one, 4 minute treatment. The results showed a difference in pain by 64% decrease in all patients treated in comparison to the placebo group, along with increased muscle strength and range of motion. The second market clearance for carpal tunnel was using a 100mw 830nm laser (Microlight). In this study they treated the patient three times a week for five weeks with each treatment for 15 minutes and at the end of the study there was a difference in pain of 6.6% between real and placebo patients. This information was taken from company submissions to the FDA. These studies also prove that less laser energy produces more efficient results. These were biostimulation lasers not high powered lasers. There is no tangible information available with high powered lasers for a therapeutic indication.

Another myth with laser therapy is depth of penetration which seems easily disproved from the studies already noted, in addition to a 2001 MRI study by Rodrigo Neira, M.D. published in the America Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Journal (insert picture)9. This study showed that an 8mw 635nm laser that was held 6 to 8 inches from the skin could emulsify deep fat (6cm) and break up the appearance of scar tissue. Dr. Rodrigo proved this by showing abdominal MRI at 0, 4 and 6 minutes on T-1 and T-2 weighted sequences. This was later confirmed in a 2004 study published by Robert Jackson, M.D. in the AACS journal10. These results are a stark contrast to the article published in Dynamic Chiropractic titled Basic Principles of Low Level Laser Therapy where the author stated that “red light at 640nm has been shown to effect skin, so it might be effective in treating cuts, scars, and trigger points. Usual depth of penetration is less than 10mm.6 The author offers no research and this contradicts what the FDA gave clearance for and the two aforementioned articles prove is nothing more than a theory from the author. There seem to be many self proclaimed experts in laser therapy and the problem is none of them actually do any research. Tunér and Hode confirmed this with the author of this article, they like most other so called or self professed laser experts form opinions based on what they read and who they are working for and not based on their own clinical or cellular research which they themselves have accomplished. There are countless studies, too numerous to list all in this article, that mention secondary effects using low level laser that do not rely on power. The fact is that there are no studies supporting high powered lasers for biostimulation and most every doctor knows that if you are heating the skin you are creating free radicals which were proven in the ASLMS study in January 200611.

I believe every doctor should own a laser and eventually will, but there is an excess of inaccurate information from manufacturers and self professed laser experts that until more companies and laser excerpts actually do research these articles will continue to confuse the end user. You owe it to yourself before you invest in any piece of equipment to have the manufacturer provide you research that was done with the device you are looking to purchase. If they have no research or they hand you research done by others and claim they can do the same look else where. Just today I was called asking to provide research to a state board from a doctor that needed help because the state was telling him his device was experimental. If I had no cellular or clinical trial research to support the device he would no longer be able to use his laser, this has happened at least a half dozen times. Another consideration is if the laser manufacturer does not have liability insurance and something goes wrong you are left by yourself and in our litigious society it is almost certain someone is going to get sued. There is a reason low powered lasers are in a class by themselves (NHN), they have proven results.

Steven Shanks has been involved with 3LT™ since 1996 and was responsible for the regulatory work involved and writing of the study for the first FDA 510K(NHN) in 2002. He has since accomplished three additional market clearances, submitted for a 4th and is working on 5 clinical trials. He works along with several universities and private practitioners to advance the field of 3LT through clinical and cellular research.

References

1. Oschman JL. The Biological Basis of Low Level Laser Light Therapy (3LT™). Nature’s Own Research Association 2006.
2. Hawkins DH and Abrahamse H. The role of laser fluence in cell viability, proliferation, and membrane integrity of wounded human skin fibroblast following helium-neon laser irradiation. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 38: 74-83; 2006.
3. (FIND REFERENCE IN Tuner & HODE)
4. Tunér and Hode. Laser Therapy Clinical Practice and Scientific Background. Prima Books AB. 2002.
5. Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary. Merck Source. . Arndt Schulz Law. WB Saunders, an Elsevier imprint 2004. Viewed 4 September 2007. http://www.mercksource.com.
6. Kneebone WJ. Dynamic Chiropractic: Basic Principles of Low-Level Laser Therapy and Clinical Applications for Pain Relief. Viewed 4 September 2007. August 27, 2007, Volume 25 Issue 18.http://www.mercksource.com.
7. Carrinho PM, et al. Comparative Study Using 685nm and 830nm Lasers in the Tissue Repair of Tenotomized Tendons in the Mouse. Photomedicine and Laser Surgery. 24:6; 754-758; 2006.
8. Poentinen PJ. Low Level Laser Therapy as a Medical Treatment Modality. Urpo LTD. 2002.
9. Neira, R, et al. Low-Level Laser-Assisted Lipoplasty Appearance of Fat Demonstrated by MRI on Abdominal Tissue. The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. 18:3; 133-140; 2001.
10. Jackson RF, et al. Low-Level Laser-Assisted Liposuction. The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. 21:4; 191-198; 2004.
11. ??? ASLMS
12. www.fda.gov approval nhn 2007 current.
13. Rochkind (1992).
14. American Academy Cosmetic Surgery 2003 Neira, Jackson.
15. Ten lectures on Basic Science of Laser Phototherapy Karu 2007 page 277.
16. FDA website classification ILY 2007 current.
17. Tuner reply to Class IV High Power Laser therapy article.