VI. Other

THYROID FUNCTION IMPROVES

Laser improves the function of the thyroid based on lab values with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis

BLOOD PRESSURE LOWERED WITH LASER

Laser applied to acupoints lowered blood pressure

PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IMPROVED

LLL applied to skull decreased depression and anxiety

LASER THERAPY TAKES PAIN, DISCOMFORT OUT OF POST-CANCER CONDITION

Low-Level laser therapy promises to be a valuable weapon in the fight against lymphoedema, the painful and permanent swelling of an arm which frequently follows breast cancer operations. Doctors at Adelaide’s Flinders University (FU) have conducted trials which have produced the first clinical evidence that infra-red laser can improve tissue conditions rapidly in the affected area.  ssociate professor Neil Piller told the university magazine,Flinders Journal, that loosening the tissue encouraged the regrowth of lymph vessels. The results are very exciting,” Dr. Piller said. “This is the first time anyone specifically has set out to trial lasers in this way. Previously, information about the possible efficacy of lasers has come as a by-product of research into such areas as wound treatment and arthritic conditions.” Lymphoedema results from deliberate or accidental removal of lymph nodes or vessels. It affects about 15 per cent of women sometime after a breast cancer operation. In the FU trials, 15 women with prolonged or severe lymphoedema were given 16 half-hour laser treatments over 10 weeks. ”  All had arms swollen to between 140 and 180 per cent of normal volume. In all cases, the treatment reduced the amount of oedema, the volume of fluid and the circumference of the arm above the elbow. Tissues in the upper and lower arm were softened and patients reported less pain, tightness and heaviness, and far greater mobility. “Giving them 16 treatments actually was overkill,” Dr Piller said. “Since the trial ended, we have achieved significant results from just three or four treatments, or in some cases one or two.”