Photobiomodulation: Evaluation in a wide range of medical specialties underway
Advances in photobiomodulation have propelled the use of therapeutic applications in a variety of medical specialties, according to Juanita J. Anders, PhD.
During the annual conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Dr. Anders, professor of anatomy, physiology, and genetics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md., defined photobiomodulation (PBM) as the mechanism by which nonionizing optical radiation in the visible and near-infrared spectral range is absorbed by endogenous chromophores to elicit photophysical and photochemical events at various biological scales. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) involves the use of light sources including lasers, LEDs, and broadband light, that emit visible and/or near-infrared light to cause physiological changes in cells and tissues and result in therapeutic benefits.
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Shining a Light on Mucositis
A new study conducted by St. Jude Nursing Research uses a painless therapy to help children avoid a common side effect of bone marrow transplantation.
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Photo by Justin Veneman.
Tug McGraw Foundation-Supported Study Provides Hope for Improving Cognitive Function in Veterans
A recently published Tug McGraw Foundation-funded study found that the use of red and near-infrared light therapy improved cerebral blood flow and cognitive functions in veterans with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI). The landmark study is among the first to demonstrate objective evidence for the reversal of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) deficits in chronic TBI patients. Independent researchers, in collaboration with brain imaging and analytics company CereScan® Corp., used quantitative functional brain imaging and neuropsychological assessments to analyze the therapy’s effectiveness.
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PBM Now Recommended for Treating Pain
JAMA lists low-level laser therapy as a recommended option for treating low back pain lasting more than 12 weeks.
—JAMA Patient Page
PBM Therapy and Wound Management Training Course a Success at Shep University
The Missions Tribune, June 16 – 30, 2021 | An interactive training course was offered at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown West Virginia. The course outlined a model for understanding Photobiomodulation Therapy mechanisms, discussed protocols, and reviewed case studies showing the effectiveness of PBMT as applied for wound care and oral mucositis.
PBMT has proven successful in areas that other therapies have not. PBM is the application of red and near-infra-red light over wounds, injuries, and joints to improve healing, relieve acute and chronic pain, and reduce inflammation. The application of monochromatic light also helps to induce tissue repair and has even helped reduce depression.
Published clinical evidence has shown the success of low-level laser therapy over many patients with issues from neck and other pain injuries to reduced opioid cravings in opioid use disorder patients.
Over 6,000 papers have proven PBMT reduces swelling and helps wounded areas recover faster. It helps reduce oxidative stress and improves cell metabolism. Another benefit is the light can be produced by laser or high-intensity LEDs. Unlike surgical lasers, PBM lasers have no heating effect.
James Carroll, founder and CEO of Thor Photomedicine, Ltd, Dr. Praveen Arany, B.D.S., M.D.S., M.M.Sc., PhD., Assistant Professor, Oral Biology and Biomedical Engineering School of Dental Medicine, Engineering and Applied Sciences University of Buffalo, N.Y., and Dr. Robert Bowen, M.D. Berkeley Medical Center Wound Care, Martinsburg, W.V. were speakers at the Erma Ora Byrd Hall. The program was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of an award IMPACT grant totaling $2.7 million.
Those in attendance, including 30 nursing students were shown the history of PBM, PBM mechanisms, and evidence for PBM in wound care, implementing PBM in wound clinics, dose and delivery in PBM treatment, a review of clinical cases, and demonstration and experiential learning with a PBM device.
Over 30 million treatments have been done worldwide with no side effects. A medical staff can be up to speed quickly on how to use the equipment. In a previous interview with The Missions Tribune James Carroll said, “We do full training in one day. We run training courses all over the U.S., all over the world.”
West Virginia is a leading state in opioids addiction. Shepherd University hopes to continue to use the Health Resources and Service Administration’s IMPACT Grant in part to help to find new ways of dealing with opioid addiction with patients that have suffered injuries.
Nursing students learn benefits of PBM as area is home to leaders in field
SHEPHERDSTOWN — With many leaders and early users of photobiomodulation in various ways sprinkled throughout the Eastern Panhandle, Shepherd University took the time to continue its efforts in the field with a recent presentation to nursing students on the benefits of light therapy and wound healing.
The university received a $2.7 million federal grant a few years ago to address rural health issues, several components being involved in the grant, including the light therapy aspect.
“PBM was discovered in 1967,” PBM Foundation’s Hon. Scot Faulkner said. “Basically, I like to say we’re warm-blooded plants. We need Vitamin D. We change color in the sun. We seem to be happier when it’s sunny versus overcast. As a result, different part of the light spectrum do different good things for the body.”
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Light-Based Therapy Shows Promise in Treating Mucositis in Pediatric Cancer Patients
A new light-based device for wound healing is showing excellent early results in the treatment of mucositis in pediatric cancer patients.1 The therapy, referred to as photobiomodulation, uses low-level lasers in the near-infrared range to stimulate and promote wound healing and regeneration. The device is being studied in the prevention and treatment of mucositis in pediatric cancer patients at WVU Medicine in Morgantown, West Virginia, and other centers in the United States.
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WVU Medicine Children’s, WVU Cancer Institute work to reduce pain in pediatric cancer patients
Chemotherapy is difficult for any child, but when it causes mucositis, a painful side effect that causes ulcers to form in the mouth, it gets even harder. These children often require more pain medications and longer hospital stays.
Ben Wilson, 11, of Dilliner, Pa., was one of those patients. He was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. The chemotherapy regimen he was on was known to cause mucositis, but it was his best course of treatment. When he developed mucositis, his mother, Alison Wilson, talked to Dr. Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, director of the WVU Cancer Institute, about the trouble Ben was having with sores in his mouth and how difficult it was to maintain a lengthy mouthwash regimen to try to treat them.
“We tried some preventive treatments, including cold therapy, where you have them eat a lot of ice and do a series of seven mouthwashes, ” Alison Wilson said. “The cold therapy didn’t help much. Plus, it’s hard to use seven mouthwashes in a day, especially if you’re a kid, and they don’t taste very good.”
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Let there be light – Study led by Mass. General suggests light therapy is safe and may help patients with moderate brain injury
Light therapy is safe and has measurable effects in the brain, according to a pioneering study by researchers from the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Senior investigators Rajiv Gupta, director of the Ultra-High Resolution Volume CT Lab at MGH, and Benjamin Vakoc at the Wellman Center led the study, which was supported by a grant from the Department of Defense (DOD) and published in JAMA Network Open Sept. 14.
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Photo courtesy of Massachusetts General Hospital