W.Gifford-Jones M.D.
Low Intensity Laser Therapy
Heals Chronic Wounds
Do patients recieve ineffective treatment when they could be cured by a lesser known technique? The answer? Probably tens of thousands.
I recently spent a day at the Meditech Conference in Toronto listening to experts discuss dermatological and wound ulcers that were resistant to treatment. There I saw startling photos showing how Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT) can often cure these conditions. Today there is something new under the sun.
An old joke in the medical fraternity is that dermatology is the best specialty as patients never die nor get better. But it's not so funny if you suffer from a chronic skin condition that refuses to improve.
Year after year these patients are prescribed a variety of pills, creams and other treatments with no significant effect. As a professor of dermatology at the University of Toronto admitted to me, "We often have no idea what we're doing."
Dr. Kahn, Director of Meditech Laser and Rehabititation Centre in Toronto, presented pictures of patients suffering from psoriasis, allergic contact dermatitis, acne, ringworm, impetigo, herpes lesions and warts that faded away with LILT therapy after 5 to 10 treatments.
But more dramatic was the effect of this therapy on chronic ulcers. Patients with diabetes had developed frightful-looking leg and foot ulcers due to atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries). These patients and those with ulcers resulting from injuries, chemical and thermal burns had been helped by LILT.
Today, with an aging population, more people are also suffering from what are known as pressure sores or bed sores. Some are young people who have been severely injured and face weeks of bedrest, or the elderly confined to bed.
Dr. Slava, Clinic Manager at Meditech, outlined the problems associated with the treatment of ulcers. Why doctors should stop packing ulcers with tight dressings and how it's more effective to elevate the leg, and leave ulcers exposed to the air, accompanied by daily irrigation with antiseptic solutions. And how laser treatment has a major effect on healing.
This is not a small problem. According to the World Health Organization two million Canadians have diabetes and this year seven percent will develop leg ulcers (150,000)! There are also 50,000 Canadians with spinal cord lesions. Half of these will develop ulcers.
The economic cost of caring for these ulcers is appalling. Dr. G Woodbury of the University of Western Ontario reports that the average cost of treatment in a health care facility is $27,000. Dr. Slava on the other hand, says it is $1000 at Meditech. Yet it's ironic that in spite of this financial benefit our health care system does not cover the cost of treatments at this facility!
What makes LILT so effective? Dr. Mary Dyson is Emeritus Professor of Physiology at King's College, University of London, England and an international authority on wound healing. She reported that LILT gives a jumpstart to the bodys natural healing process that delivers energy to the tissues that's transformed into biochemical energy. The result is increased blood supply and accelerated healing time.
Last year I also talked to Dr. Tina Karu, Professor of Laser Biology and Medicine of the Russian Academy of Science in Moscow, an expert on basic laser research, and also a proponent of this therapy. Professor Dyson, Karu and those at Meditech are not gypsies pedaling snake oil medicine. Besides, progressive photos of these cures can't lie.
One has to ask the obvious question. Why don't more doctors and hospitals use LILT? It's a question that Ministers of Health should be asking. But getting doctors to accept change is like trying to pull teeth out of a bull.
Last year I wrote about the benefits of LILT in treating sciatica, painful joints and other orthopedic problems. One of my patients could only walk a few blocks without severe pain in her ankle. Now after using LILT she walks downtown Toronto without pain. As has often been said,"The proof is in the pudding".
I hope this column helps those with skin lesions who cannot find relief from dermatologists. And those with ulcers that won't heal.
Why Would I Write About A Lame Racehorse ?
How would you like to own a racehorse who won hundreds of thousands of dollars? Im sure we'd crack open the champagne after each race. But how would you feel when the horse develops arthritis and chip fractures in the knee? Then, four veterinarians and two trainers tell you," This horse could not and should not run again". This is when we start crying in our champagne. But what has a racehorse to do with our own aches and pains? In one word, plenty.
Dr. Fred Kahn, founder of Meditech Laser and Rehabilitation Clinics in Toronto, told me he inherited this horse in an "ownership exchange" in lieu of receiving payment of an outstanding account. But when the horse became lame, he decided to see if Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT) would restore his horse's swollen, tender, joints.
Dr. Dennis Potosky, an orthopedic surgeon and expert on LILT at Meditech, began treating the horse three times a week. At the end of two months, the swelling and pain were gone, the horse was walking without a limp, and it was ready for the track. Since then it has raced four times and finished first in the last event, running six and one-eighth furlongs and leaving the field behind.
This is an amazing story. Under normal circumstances, this horse would never have raced again. But how does its success affect us? In the past, LILT was used for several years to treat a variety of common, painful conditions in humans. And like the horse, I've also had first hand experience with this therapy.
Several years ago I crawled out of bed one morning, unable to stand due to excruciating back pain. An MRI showed two ruptured lumbar discs. A neurosurgeon said he could operate, but there was no guarantee of success. Or I could play for time, hope the protruding discs would heal,and the pain might subside. Fortunately, I had read about LILT, contacted Dr. Kahn, and started laser therapy. A few weeks later I returned to my medical practice.
Since that time I've observed the effects of LILT on several types of patients. Some suffer from pain that has not been helped by conventional medical treatment and have been told they have to learn to live with it. In addition, they're taking toxic pain medication that can cause complications whereas LILT has no known adverse side effects.
The majority of patients at Meditech suffer from arthritis involving hip, knee or spine. A large number have degenerative disc disease with bulging discs, or spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the diameter of the spinal canal.
Both of these conditions cause pressure on spinal nerves and constant pain. Their quality of life is severly diminished.
Other patients who can be helped are those suffering from the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome due to long hours at the computer. And I've seen dramatic results in patients who have chronic, long-standing diabetic ulcers resistant to the usual treatment.
But it's not just the elderly who are helped by LILT. The clinic sees patients of all ages who have sports injuries. These problems usually respond quickly to laser therapy. I've also seen dermatology lesions such as psoriasis, allergic contact dermatitis, acne and herpes lesions fade away after treatment.
Dr. Mary Dyson, Emeritus Professor of Physiology at King's College, London, England, is an international authority on wound healing. She says that "LILT provides a jump start to the body's natural healing process." She adds that, "this technology delivers energy to the tissues that is transformed into biochemical energy. This results in increased blood supply and accelerated healing time."
Obviously what gives a jump start to humans does the same for horses. It's been aptly said that you can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Now, one could add it's possible to treat a crippled horse with LILT. He still may refuse to drink water, but it appears he will be quite willing to run like hell again and win a race.
And The Lord Said " Let There Be Light "
I recently welcomed the 4th International Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT) Conference in Toronto. I planned to talk about the life of a syndicated medical journalist, how it had changed my life, and leave. Fortunately, I stayed and heard international experts discuss this type of light therapy.
The majority of the patients treated with LILT are suffering from arthritis, back, hip, and knee pain that has failed to respond to other types of treatment. But I was suprised to hear of the variety of other problems helped by this therapy.
Dr. Fred Kahn, Founder of Meditech International in Toronto, reported that LILT can heal diabetic leg ulcers due to the hardening of the arteries and decrease blood supply. In view of today's epidemic of diabetes this is a huge benefit for these patients.
One diabetic patient had his right leg amputated. Later, decreased blood flow resulted in eight ulcers on his remaining foot. They refused to heal and he faced another leg amputation. After 10 treatments of LILT over a two week period seven of the ulcers had completely healed and blood circulation of the foot improved.
Lymphedema, a swelling of the arms or feet, is often resistant to treatment. It can occur following phlebitis of the legs or after radical surgery for breast cancer. Dr. Kahn presented cases where limbs had returned to normal size after 10 treatments of LILT.
This therapy can also be used to treat such diverse lesions as psoriasis, eczema, bursitis, arthritis, herniated disc syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, and rotator cuff tears.
Chuck Mooney, an athletic therapist who's treated professional basketball players, provided convincing evidence on the sucess of LILT. Owners who pay athletes tens of thousands of dollars a game want them quickly back in action after injury. He cited cases showing how LILT had decreased healing time and saved some athletes from surgery.
Other researchers presented data on the ability of LILT to speed the healing of herpetic lesions of the face and genital area. Lesions that usually recurred after three weeks of treatment could be delayed for 37 weeks.
Dr. Shimon Rochkind, a microneurosurgeon at Tel-Aviv University, is a world expert on nerve regeneration. His research shows that what we have always accepted as gospel truth is now longer the case.
Time and time again we've been told that some tissues of the body can regenerate, but it's impossible for spinal cord injuries. After all, Christopher Reeves of the Superman movies had the best care money could buy, but never walked again after a disastrous fall from his horse.
Dr. Rochkind showed motion pictures of a rat running around his cage. He then excised half a centimeter of the rat's spinal cord resulting in complete paralyses of the hind legs.
During the surgery Dr. Rochkind placed a circular tube containing a biodegradable transplant based on cell tissue-engineering technology around the severed ends of the spinal cord. LILT was then administered to the operative area. The final picture shows the rat has recovered partial use of one hind leg allowing him to move around his cage.
This is still "pie in the sky" research for the over 600,000 nerve injuries that occur every year in North America, often with catastrophic results. But it's the first earth moving step to restoring mobility for these victims and destroys the pervasive myth about non-regenerative nerve tissue.
One has to be cautious about new techniques, but firm evidence proves this is not another old-fashioned snake oil cure. I spoke with Dr. Mary Dyson of the Department of Physiology, University of London, England and Tiina Karu, Professor of Laser Biology of the Russian Academy of Science. They have both done extensive basic research on LILT and are convinced of its merits.
The appeal of LILT is that it's nontoxic, non-invasive, and safe. It seems logical to try LILT before resorting to the possible side effects of drugs and complications of surgery. After all, the Lord said " let there be light."
Natural Healing
Have you ever had to crawl on your hands and knees because of severe back pain? It's not a dignified position. But it recently happened to me. What caused this problem and how did I get relief?
We all love our mothers and I dearly love mine. But unfortunately she had scoliosis of the spine and passed this genetic problem along to me. Then in my final year at The Harvard Medical School I awakened one morning with the worst headache of my life. A lumbar spine puncture revealed poliomyelitis. Scoliosis and poliomyelitis is not a good combination to maintain a heathy spine. As a result over the years I've suffered from occasional attacks of sciatica, usually appearing for no apparent reason.
But I have followed my own advice over the years making sure that I had sufficient intake of calcium and vitamin D to help decrease the risk of osteoporosis. However, it's not possible to eliminate the wear-and-tear effects fo aging on the spine.
Several mornings ago I decided it was time to get out of bed. This was a terrible mistake and my luck ran out. Standing up immediately triggered a pain from Hell, the likes of which I'd never had before. It required my being admitted on a stretcher to the Toronto Western Hospital.
On such occasions doctors get a taste of what it's like to be a patient. I could have killed the x-ray technician who was annoyed at my inability to keep still ona hard slab while x-rays were being taken. Why couldn't he understand that I was in excruciating pain?
An MRI revealed two ruptured disks and spinal stenosis. Finally someone knew I had genuine pain and wasn't a drug addict looking for a morphine fix.
One of Toronto's top neurosurgeons gave me the bad news. Surgery offfered only a 70 percent chance of relieving the pain, but a 30 percent chance of making it worse.
Sir William Osler once remarked it's only a doctor who has suffered froma disease who truly understands the problem. He's right. Crawling on your hands and knees provides great insight about how one's life has changed. Moreover, being on the cutting end of a scapel always makes a surgeon cringe. He knows all the things that can go right, but also those that can go wrong.
A long sleepless night gave me time to weigh my options. I finally decided that since the odds were worse than gambling in Las Vegas, I'd go home hoping time would heal me.
At this low point I remembered a column I'd written about Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT).This treatment had eased the pain of patients who were suffering from a number of acute and chronic painful conditions.
So I called Dr. Kahn, founder of Meditech, in Toronto. Since I could not walk Dr. Denis Potosky, a Russian orthopedic surgeon, now working as a therapist with Dr. Kahn ( another reason we're short of doctors), treated me with LILT at my home for several days. The first few treatments provided no significant relief. But within a week I was able to drive to the clinic and four weeks later I was once again pain free in my office.
Researching and writing an article about LILT is one thing. Being a grateful patient who'd been spared a major surgical operation prompted further inquiry. At this point I'd also become a very curious patient, wondering how light therapy could result in such a dramatic relief of pain.
Studies at the University of London, England and other research centers show that it's important to decrease the duration of acute inflammation. This results in less scar tissue and chronic pain. LILT accomplishes this by giving a jump-start to the body's natural healing process. It delivers energy to the muscles and joints that's transformed into biochemical energy. The result is increased blood supply to the injured area, decreased swelling and accelerated healing time.
Low Intensity Laser Therapy to Relieve Pain
What can you do if you've tried every conceivable way to relieve pain? You've been treated by anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone, painkillers, physiotherapy, massage, and finally surgery. Yet the pain continues unabated. A technique, known as "Low Intensity Laser Therapy" (LILT) could be the answer.
Dr. Fred Kahn is Director of the Meditech Laser and Rehabilitation Centre in Toronto, and a specialist in pain control. He believes in curing the pain by curing the cause. I've talked to several of his patients about how LILT eased their pain and changed their lives.
PC, a 43 year old jogger, collided with a glass door on returning to her hotel. When the door shattered, a large fragment of glass penetrated her knee. It left her with osteoarthritis and a life on crutches. Doctors claimed knee replacement was her only hope to relieve pain. After 11 treatments with LILT over a 5 week period, PC threw away the crutches and returned to work.
GM, an 85 year old former World War II pilot, had four back operations. A surgical error caused nerve damage, another resulted in infection and 26 weeks in hopital. Cysts formed in his spine and he required a morphine pump to ease the pain. Now after a three month treatment with LILT he walks upright without a cane and is being taken off morphine. He says he's 75 percent improved and can't believe it's happened.
A 17 year old equestrienne had the misfortune of a 1000 pound horse falling and rolling over her hip joint. This left her with an audible click when she walked. Specialists told her they had little to offer but painkillers for her pain and drugs to treat her subsequent depression.
When seen by Dr. Kahn she had extensive soft tissue damage in the hip and thigh and so much injury to the joint capsule of the hip that it almost popped out with every step. After four treatments with LILT the pain had subsided and she stopped pain medication. She continued treatment three times a week until she returned to a normal gait.
LILT jump starts the body's natural healing process by sending energy into the muscles and joints that's then transformed into biochemical energy. This decreases swelling, accelerates healing time and increases the pain threshold.
Dr. Kahn says LILT also triggers release of endorphines, morphine like substances that inhibit the sensation of pain. It also increased cortisol, the forerunner of cortisone and angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels along with a number of other physiological processes.
The majority of patients seen at Meditech suffer from degenerative arthritis involving the lumbsacral spine. Sixty percent of these patients also have degenerative disc disease causing compression of spinal nerves or spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the diameter of the spinal column. In the process of evolution, learning to stand upright has exacted a toll on the human spine. Maybe we should have stayed in the trees!
Another large group of patients suffers from sports injuries. These younger patients respond quickly to LILT. At the clinic I also saw several patients suffering from the Shoulder-Neck-Arm Syndrome and The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome both related to long hours at the computer.
Others had rheumatoid arthritis and diabetic ulcers of the feet. Many patients have been told "You have to live with your pain." But this is not always the case. Rather, the use of low intensity laser therapy has proven to be a pain buster alternative, and improves over 90 percent of patients who have significant problems. And it does not involve the use of medication, a huge advantage today.
I discovered that Dr. Kahn, a dedicated physician, and I, share the same wavelenth. We deplore seeing patients drugged into oblivion by painkillers. And we both believe that surgery should be done only as a last resort.
Today doctors, even with the help of MRIs, often can't be sure of what's causing pain. In these instances, tincture of time along with a course of LILT may be the best solution.