Invariably a new technique or process is often fraught with counter-intentions that are usually seen throughout the field of study and across the board.  The relative benefit of such a process or new technology is directly proportional to the amount of consternation, doubt, and criticism that, it in fact receives. It takes all this on as its requirement to grow and to develop. 

This is the culmination of over twenty years of experience and application of healing technologies using a non-cutting or “cold” lasers on human beings and animals. This author has seldom seen a technology as valuable and inspiring, as this particular technology appears to be. Suffice to say you are witnessing the emergence of a completely new age in healing and certainly a total paradigm shift in veterinary health care.

The data transcribed in this article is designed to give you an introduction to the use of  cold laser therapy on the domestic animals.  The dog, the cat, and the horse can all be adequately treated with a number of modalities in a number of different disease conditions with healing equipment that does not even have to touch the animal’s body. 

This body of information is designed to give you an adequate blueprint for you to be able to take a specific disease condition, locate the healing solution that is designed to take care of that particular condition, and to prescribe a therapeutic methodology to treat that particular condition in an accelerated and complete fashion. 

Disclaimer; the information in here portrayed is based upon the use of a number of different types of lasers the most important of which is the Erchonia-style laser provided by Erchonia Medical Supply located in Arizona. Other types of lasers have been used with limited amounts of success and only the Erchonia PL5 laser will be referred to in the in this body of information. We believe the PLS Erchonia Cold Laser to be the “state of the art” at the time of this writing and to use other equipment, although possibly effective to some degree, would be “kind of like kissing your sister”.

This author has found the helium-neon style laser, firing at 635nm, to be the most effective and the easiest to use.  Its application rates and application modes are superior to other types of equipment and are available at the time of this writing. Other equipment has been tested and reproducibility and efficacy has found somewhat lacking in those models.

Cold Laser Light Therapy

• Monochromatic (a single wavelength in the 635 to 970 nm range)
• Coherent (traveling in a straight non-diverging line)
• Has a wavelength in red portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (cold)
• Polarized (concentrating it energy as a defined spot)
• Low power level (ranging from 10 to 7500 mw)

Unlike high-power medical laser, which are widely used to safety cut and remove tissue, the Low Level Laser penetrates the surface of the skin with no heating effect or damage. The energy is directed deep into effected area stimulating the body's cell which convert the energy into chemical energy to promote natural healing.

 lasers are often compared to " acupuncture with a laser beams." In most LLL treatments the laser beam is use to stimulate the body's acupoints or damanged area in an attempt to increase the blood supply to parts of the body. The energy from the laser may penetrate as deep as 2 inches into the body based on the power of the laser and other variables.

Cold Laser Therapy is considered an alternative Therapy like Acupuncture. Traditional medicine still more severe treatment options like Ultrasound And Tens. These treatments provide releif for many patients every years and may be used on combination with cold laser treatment for even better results.

Currently there are over 25 different cold lasers that have been cleared by the FDA for various types of treatments. Cold laser have been in use around the world for over 30 years and have 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 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 is "educated guess", it can be very useful to cover a larger area with an array. This increased the probability of energizing the problem area and also helps increase the energy in the area surrounding the problem area.

Comparison of Cold Laser, Acupuncture, Ultrasound And Tens Therapies

The following table compares several "alternative" therapies and tries to make distinctions for each technology. All these therapies are appropriate for some patients and all should be considered for dealing with special health issues. The information is presented here for general purposes. You should consult a local practitioner to help select the best therapy for your specific health problems.

..	Cold Laser	Acupuncture	Ultrasound	Electrical Stimulation
Pain Control	Joint, Head, Migraines, Muscular	Joint, Head, Migraines, Muscular	Joint, Muscular	Muscular
Benefits	Increase circulation, faster healing. May reduce inflammation. May permanently eliminate acute and chronic pain	Increase circulation, faster healing. May permanently eliminate acute and chronic pain	High-energy sound waves penetrate deep into tissue to cause tissue/muscle warming, increased vessel vasodilatation and increase circulation. Short-term changes in cell membrane permeability.	The electrical currents produce a mild current that can prevent pain messages from being transmitted to the brain. May raise the level of endorphins (natural pain killers produced by the brain).
Tissues Affected	Absorbed by all tissues including skin, subcutaneous, tendons, muscles, nerves and blood	Direct tissue contact, may result in bruising and bleeding	Absorbed by white connective tissue	Muscle tissue only
Treatment Times	2-6 Minutes	20-60 Minutes	5-8 Minutes	15-20 Minutes
Body Contact	Dry contact	Penetration of skin	Requires gel or water medium	Requires Electrodes
Patient Comfort	Soft sensation or no sensation	May experience pain or spasms while needles are in place	Discomfort with excess heating of tissues (especially is not moving electrode)	Mild to severe discomfort with tingling and potential burning
Use On Children	Ok for use on children	Usually limited to acupressure	Use caution	Use extreme caution
Patient Restrictions	Do not use over suspicious or cancerous lesions, or on pregnant women	Do not use on suspicious or cancerous lesions, or on pregnant women	Not for use with patients with circulation or neuropath conditions, pacemakers, cancer, or pregnant women	Not for use with patients with circulation or neuropath conditions, pacemakers, cancer, or pregnant women
Cautions	Eye protection Required	Proper sanitary procedures require since skin is broken	Potential tissue damage	Potential for burns and blisters Potential for cardiac arrhythmia. Electrode placement is critical
Administration	Very little training required for safe operation. No License require for  lower power levels.	Therapy must be performed by a well-trained professional to be safe and effective.	Therapy must be performed by a well-trained professional to be safe and effective.	Can be self administered but require proper training to be safe and effective.
Notes:	Also called Low Level Laser (LLL) Can be used in conjunction with other therapies	Can be used in conjunction with other therapies		"TENS" is the acronym for T ranscutaneous E lectrical N erve S timulation.

There is significant overlap between these therapies. In some cases, it may be best to use more than one therapy to maximize healing and shorted your recovery period. Always consult a professional when evaluating therapy options including cold laser therapy.

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