Then Low Intensity Laser Therapy may be the answer!
A drug free therapy for injuries!
The Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Blue Jays have used Low Intensity Laser Therapy for their injured players with excellent results.
In addition, many athletes from the world of golf, hockey, tennis and increasingly ballerinas, figure skaters, gymnasts and other performers in artistic sports are experiencing the positive effects of this therapy.
Across Canada, the United States, Europe, South America and Asia, BioFlex is being used by an increasing number of physicians, chiropractors and physiotherapists.
The technology is currently being utilized in thirty countries.
Laser Therapy has evolved from predecessor lasers to modern laser therapy systems.
Clinically verified Laser Therapies eliminate pain and inflammation in acute and chronic conditions. Laser therapy is drug free, pain free, non-invasive, with no known side effects.
Probably the greatest beneficiaries of this technology are individuals that suffer from back pain and arthritis. This includes athletes suffering from myofascitis, facet joint syndrome, sacroiliac joint dysfunction and disc herniations with nerve root compression. More significantly, dramatic effects are obtained by sufferers of chronic degenerative osteoarthritis accompanied by spinal/foraminal stenosis with attendant neurological complications. It promotes healing for many physiological conditions, is used by most professional sports teams to repair injuries, and is one of the most effective methods of healing available today.
With "back problems" laser therapy should be the universal treatment approach and clearly establish its role as the treatment of choice.
Laser therapy is the use of monochromatic light emission from a low intensity laser diode (250 milliwatts or less) or an array of high intensity super luminous diodes (providing total optical power in the 1000-2000 milliwatt range). Conditions treated include musculoskeletal injuries, chronic and degenerative conditions and wounds.
The light source is placed in contact with the skin allowing the photon energy to penetrate tissue, where it interacts with various intracellular biomolecules resulting in the restoration of normal cell morphology and function. This also enhances the body’s natural healing processes.
The Technology
This dynamic emerging technology utilizes superluminous and laser diodes to irradiate abnormal tissue with photons. These are particles of energy that are absorbed by a variety of micro-molecules within the cell, a process which initiates a number of positive physiological responses. In essence, light energy is converted into biochemical energy.
The result - normal cell morphology and function are restored.The process is curative and as logic dictates, symptoms disappear.
Light in its various forms has been used for healing from the time of the ancient Egyptian and Greek civilizations. With recent advances in the engineering of devices and the development of appropriate protocols for effective therapeutic application, dramatic benefits and treatment of many complex medical conditions are achievable. The BioFlex System combines numerous sophisticated engineering advances with the capacity to control all parameters such as frequency, duty cycle, energy density, duration, etc. An infinitive range of protocols can then be delivered to tissue in standard fashion or a customized basis.
The monochromatic coherent and polarized characteristics of the therapeutic light beam permit penetration of deep tissues without affecting normal cells. Again, it should be noted that the end result is curative with regard to the pathology, rather than symptom modulation, the conventional approach for the management of pain.
The Advantages of Low Intensity Laser Therapy
* Non-invasive
* Non-toxic
* Easily applied
* Highly effective
* Cure rate > 95%
* No known negative side effects
Some of the physiological effects of low intentisty laser therapy
Short Term Effects
* Production and release of beta-endorphins (these are morphine like substances produced by various cells in the body that inhibit the sensation of pain)
* Cortisol production is increased (cortisol is the precursor of cortisone). This enables the body to combat the stress associated with trauma or the disease process
* The short-term effect is significant in 5-10% of cases during or after the conclusion of the initial treatment, but is not as important as the long term or cumulative effect
Long Term Or Cumulative Effect
* ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production is increased resulting in improved cellular metabolism
* DNA (deoxyribonucleicacid) production; protein building block of tissue is substantially increased
* Neurotransmission is facilitated due to elevated levels of serotonin and aceytylecholine
* Mitochondrial activity is stimulated resulting in cell replication etc. (i.e. replacement, regeneration and repair of abnormal cells)
* Modulation of macrophages, fibroblasts and other cells
* Angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels)
* Regulates cell membrane potential, essential in Na, Cl and K ion transfer (electrolyte balance)
* Cytokines and other chemicals enhancing cellular communications are released
Other Effects
* The immune response is stimulated
* Lymphatic drainage is improved
* The histamine response is positively altered
* Production of growth hormone is increased
* The body’s natural healing processes are enhanced The beneficial physiological changes noted above are the result of tissue regeneration and cellular stimulation. Many other positive activities are modulated including the humoral and cerebral spinal fluid effects which are highly significant and are currently under investigation in research laboratories to accurately delineate the scientific aspects of this process.
Laser Therapy Appointment
You will be asked to fill out an intake form, pain assessment form, and consent form.
Laser therapy will be explained and your condition will be assessed.
Normally, you can receive your first laser therapy session the same day. All laser therapists are certified. Laser therapy is applied in 3 steps using superluminous diodes and a laser diode. Each has a specific purpose in the treatment. The total time varies between 30 minutes to one hour depending on the pathology. At each visit, the therapist will ask for any changes to your condition. Laser therapy is customized in order to treat your condition as fast as possible.
Academy Natural Health Clinic
4920 Dundas Street West, Suite 303
Toronto, Ontario
M9A 1B7
PHONE:416 234-1451
FAX:
Extract article by Dr. Kahn, MD, FRCS(C) on back-ache
MAINTENANCE and PREVENTION
Muscle strengthening, stretching and maintenance programmes based on exercise are helpful. In
the advancing years, these should be moderate in degree but daily and vigorous; generally one
half hour plus in duration (i.e. stretching, swimming, walking, Pilates, Yoga, etc.). This will keep
the muscles strong and the tissues flexible. For optimum health this measure should be
complemented with a balanced diet, vitamin and mineral supplements and the avoidance of
inappropriate stress both physical and mental.
If the above methodologies are instituted in a disciplined, systematic fashion, most pathological
conditions are minimized, delayed or avoided completely. Once symptoms have become
established and cannot be controlled by conventional measures (i.e. analgesics,
anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS), muscle relaxants and cortisone) a serious problem develops. The
aforementioned measures simply mask or modulate symptoms but have no healing effect on the
cells which compose the various tissue structures.
In due course, surgery may be necessary (i.e. joint replacements, laminectomy, discectomies,
fusions, etc.). In essence these therapies have limited curative benefit with regard to cellular
health and indeed in most cases produce a long term deleterious effect that may be more harmful
than the original disease.
All conventional therapies currently in use modulate symptoms but do not cure the pathology.
Surgery attempts to repair the problem and is sometimes successful, but more frequently than not
it falls short of its objectives and may make the condition worse and irreversible.
Over the millennia as man evolved from homo sapiens into homo erectus, he has been
increasingly plagued by the all-inclusive term known as "back ache". Transformed over the
centuries from an active hunter/farmer with a powerful musculature, based on the axiom of
"survival of the fittest", the human race has become largely sedentary and in the age of
technology, relatively immobile.
The result - muscle atrophy, diminished bulk, tone and flexibility; good posture is relegated to
the past, and the spinal column literally collapses. This deterioration creates numerous
biomechanical imbalances. The result of these developments places increasing stress on the
vertebrae, discs and ligaments that form and maintain the basic infrastructure of the body.
The spine, which is the pillar of the architecture, is no longer supported by a vibrant musculature.
This is comparable to the bricks and mortar around a steel skyscraper and when this breaks down
it results in numerous pathological conditions which can be extremely painful and physically
restrictive.
The inherent problems are compounded by weekend or periodic strenuous activities on the part
of the individual whose tissues are dormant during the week and are then subjected to physical
stress for which they are not prepared. The recommended "minutes" of stretching prior to activity
is really of minimal help. This is one of the major mobility problems facing bipeds in the age of
technology. As people live longer, tissues are also subjected to the "wear and tear" of the aging
process, characterized as "degenerative osteoarthritis". The combination of disuse due to the
sedentary factor and degeneration of the tissues as a result of aging, produces multiple problems
of the joints, cartilage and soft tissues of the spine, for reasons which are readily apparent. The
spine supports the weight of the upper body and the functional stress imposed by the lower body
and by virtue of its perpendicular state the complexity of the discs, vertebrae, facets, etc. make it
the largest and certainly the most vulnerable structure in the entire body.
As degeneration progresses there is increasing osteophyte formation, chronic and acute
inflammation of the surrounding tissues, scar tissue formation, joint contracture, etc. Other more
ominous complications accompany these events (i.e. stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal
with compression of the cord and the foramina through which nerve roots exit from the spinal
canal).
In high level athletes the process is dramatically accelerated. Excessive exposure to high levels of
activity speeds up the wear and tear phenomenon. It is not unusual in our practice to see fifteen
year old gymnasts with spinal X-rays and symptoms that resemble someone in the 6th or 7th
decade of life; a rather elementary conclusion one might add. Whether secondary to activity,
trauma or degeneration, back-ache has become one of the major healthcare problems in our
society and the economic impact is astronomical.
Few individuals go through life without back problems and the burden on the healthcare system
increases exponentially as people live longer and increasingly develop arthritis. The elderly
whose problems all too frequently are neglected, often end up in a wheelchair; the younger and
healthier members of society following traumatic episodes lapse into a lifetime of inactivity.
Both add to the socio-economic burden.
Back problems are seldom simple and often complex. Even a routine disc herniation occurring in
a teenager while sneezing during a moment of relaxation of the musculature, results in nerve root
compression and scar tissue formation. Chemicals released from the disintegration of the
nucleosus pulposus may cause acute/chronic irritation of nerve roots much as osteophytes, disc
fragments and scar tissue result in nerve root compression, often with loss of sensation or even
motor paralysis.
The process is invariably accelerated in professional athletes and those who have performed
many years of intense manual labour.
CLASSIFICATION of THERAPIES:
Symptom Modulation: Definitive Therapies:
- Analgesics & NSAIDs - Surgery
- Muscle relaxants - Laser
- Cortisone
- Interferential Current
- Ultrasound
- Diathermy/ Ice
- Manipulation
- Massage (shiatsu, swedish, etc.)
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING to BACK PROBLEMS
1) Lack of exercise accompanied by loss of muscle mass, tone and flexibility
2) Dietary imbalances, depriving tissues of the proteins necessary to maintain muscle bulk
3) Depletion of hormone production (i.e. H.G.F. Estrogen, Testosterone)
- concomitant with aging, systemic diseases, etc.
4) Obesity which further increases the stress factor of the spinal column
5) High level sports accelerating the wear and tear process
6) Vehicular accidents resulting in STI, fractures, whiplash type injuries, etc.
PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
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CONCLUSIONS
Probably the greatest beneficiaries of our technology are individuals that suffer from back pain
and arthritis. This includes athletes suffering from myofascitis, facet joint syndrome, sacroiliac
joint dysfunction and disc herniations with nerve root compression. More significantly, dramatic
effects are obtained by sufferers of chronic degenerative osteoarthritis accompanied by
spinal/foraminal stenosis with attendant neurological complications.
Many of the patients who come to us, either through word of mouth or referred by healthcare
providers, arrive in wheelchairs or utilize canes; many have been bedridden for years. Usually
after five to twenty treatments which are totally noninvasive, painless and easily applied, they
become ambulatory and voluntarily lose their drug dependencies along with their mechanical
supports. More significantly they experience the elimination of pain and regain mobility and
quality of life.
Included are patients who have been taking up to thirty Tylenol tablets per day and over the past
years have taken as many as fourteen medications at the same time. The latter in itself often
results in addiction problems, sometimes worse than the basic pathology.
The most promising and least known technology
The therapy acts by converting light into biochemical energy, resulting in normal cell
morphology and function, which causes symptoms to disappear. Aside from the gradual
elimination of inflammation, various degrees of the ablation of scar tissue, and osteophytes at all
levels, there appears to be little question that a thin layer of cartilaginous regeneration can occur.
With "back problems" laser therapy should be the universal treatment approach and clearly
establish its role as the treatment of choice.
Contact Us
Academy Natural Health Clinic
4920 Dundas Street West, Suite 303
Toronto, Ontario
M9A 1B7
PHONE:416 234-1451
Academy Natural Health Clinic is a regulated Naturopathic Health Clinic that prescribes natural therapies including Low Intensity Laser Therapy in the treatment of pain and inflammation.
