Therapeutic Laser Topics

Advantage of Using Therapeutic Laser

Therapeutic Laser is a form of therapy that has many different uses. Initially lasers were used in veterinary medicine for surgery. It was discovered that dialing down the energy that is delivered results in a therapeutic effect. The power can be delivered over an area using a cone rather than the more concentrated probe that is used in surgery. However if the role of the therapeutic laser is to deliver the effect down an ear canal then a modified probe can be used.

The protocols used for various conditions are as varied as there are conditions to treat. There is no set protocol because the patient need and response varies the treatment used. Some cases need more intensive treatment whileas other conditions can be less intensive. If the condition is acute then more intensive treatment would be of value. Chronic conditions that are treated usually have taken awhile to develop so the treatment can be less intensive. As the patient responds the treatment is modified to get the best results.

Some of the conditions that are amendable to treatment are osteoarthritis, muscular conditions, fractures, tendon and ligament injury, intervertebral disc problems as far as the neural-muscular system. Use of the laser in inflammation and infection located in the body has also been done. Dermal conditions such as lick granulomas, scarring, wounds, and lacerations have healed faster with therapeutic laser. Benign and malignant masses are amenable to treatment as well. The response is based on the individual and changed as the treatment continues.

Treatment time varies but usually is only ten to fifteen minutes. Usually the patient is treated once or twice per week. Treatments are lengthened or shortened depending on response.

In some cases the addition of essential oils are included. The oils used are varied depending on the condition to be treated. Oils such as peppermint, frankincense, clove, myrrh, eucalyptus, and ravensara are used. The treatment protocol is individualized for laser and essential oils. Caution must be used due to the fact some oils are very sensitive to light although it activates them to work better for more complete resolution of the problem. Such things as stomatitis, tumors, arthritis, bladder, and sinus problems are just a few of the conditions that have been helped by oils and laser combination. U.S. Department of Agriculture agrees that plants are of benefit in Infections

It comes as no surprise that the government has found the simple oil of citrus has antibacterial properties. Through testing on animals that have found that the use of this oil has killed such common bacteria as Staphlococcus, Pseudomonas, E. Coli, and others. Using large animals in the studies they have done they were amazed that the use of citrus peels, specifically Orange peels, resulted in less morbidity of the animals. The citrus peels were nontoxic yet very effective in the antimicrobial kill percentage. This is important because there are more and more antibiotics that are no longer effective for the ever changing bacteria in the environment. Not to ignore the danger of animals used for food having antibiotic residue. If consumed by humans the antibiotics have detrimental effects on the body due to their chemistry long term or by contributing to the overall worldwide antimicrobial resistance trend. Many animals have to be removed from the food chain due to this problem. Imagine if all that was needed was to use something as simple as citrus in the form of peels or essential oils to protect against infection. At MaRiLa veterinary clinic the use of essential oils for infections is common. The number of essential oils available is only limited by the number of plants in the world. Many times an oil can be used for mutiple reasons. This is one advantage of these products. An antibiotic is usually limited to just that use. Essential oils are multipotent and useful. They are safe for all animals. Toxcicity is only seen with substandard oils. Only the purest oils are used for medical conditions. In fact using substandard oils could make many conditions worse since the extender used in the oil can be toxic to animals. This fact has lead to false reports of pets being effected adversely by essential oils when in fact it is the extender that is too blame. Hopefully with the government recognizing the value in natural products more studies will be done. With this it can only be hoped that the holistic care industry will finally be given the validation it deserves. It will mean that substandard products and the associated toxicity will be regulated. The companies will have to prove their claims and show proof of the data. The end result will be an industry that is recognized as valid, with studies and data to prove their claims, and less toxicity for the animal world. A lot of companies may not be around when the data does not support their claims nor should they be if the supplement does not support the claims. A holistic approach , if used, has to be as valid as conventional methods otherwise the animal is not receiving standard of care, the owner is throwing away money , and the end result is increased morbidity/mortality.

Monica Gertrude having therapeutic laser on her spine.

Laser Therapy and Essential Oils

The family pet has recently been able to enjoy the many benefits of less invasive and more natural methods of care for various problems. Essential oils although used in the past have now been just recently rediscovered and even more recently been using them in animals. There are many essential oils that have been found to be helpful, accepted, and end of being the best treatment for conditions long term. There is no resistance to the oils and if pure no toxic effects as with conventional medications. Although the oils have been written to be dangerous to the family pet they are in fact not. It always is interesting when it is stated that the oils have caused irreversible problems or death in a pet when at the same time conventional medications and the side effects are accepted as this is the way it is. Laser therapy has been around in human medicine for awhile. It is in the same category as ultrasound, TENS, hydrotherapy, heat therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic. These are the treatments that alleviate the need for drugs or reduce the amount of drug needed. They improve the body’s ability to heal itself. Not all modalities work in all problems. Not all patients respond in the same way to all treatments. The same is seen in medications. Some people respond to pain relievers and others need a different approach. One area that has been gaining in popularity is the use of laser. If directed at a problem area at a low power the laser invigorates cells and tissue to heal. Recently the use of laser therapy has been used with essential oils to promote healing more quickly. Marila Veterinary Clinic has seen many positive effects with combining the two therapies.

The use of this combination has improved the results more than the modalities done separately. The most common use in this regard has been in pain management, skin problems such as lick granulomas and wounds, masses, spinal problems. The most common oils used for pain- panaway, relieve it, mountain savory, peppermint, helichrysum, cloveThe most common oils for skin and wounds- geranium, Melrose, lavender, spruce/pine for the anti-itch ability, The most common oils for ears – bergamot, exodus II, immunpower, lavender, Melrose, Melaleuca, geranium,The most common oils used with infections- thieves, immunpower, exodus II, melaleuca, eucalyptus, clove, thyme, oregano, basil, The use of oils is at the same time as the laser especially when dealing with masses, infections, or wounds. The use of the oils is before or after the use of the laser in such cases as pain, spine, or arthritic concerns (Tramadol). The essential oils are used either full strength or diluted depending on the type of oil. Some oils are deemed to have light sensitivity when on the skin. These oils are diluted whiles other oils are not. They are diluted with pure carrier oil as usual. The level of laser emitted is also decreased in intensity when used with the oils to provide a safe treatment. The length of time remains the same. This provides a therapeutic response. As time goes on the number of cases and used increases. The standards for treatment get more defined. Laser treatment can use acupressure sites to stimulate and get better response. Applying the essential oils to these areas and then using the laser allow the oils to penetrate better. The acupressure points communicate on the surface and to the internal organs to improve health. The laser is able to pinpoint these areas and the results are encouraging. Personally I have used the above techniques with and without essential oils. The results are impressive. Cases:10 yo lab mix female who has chronic spondylosis and in last 24 hours is recumbent. Diagnosis – IVD protrusion and inability to walk. Treatment-Laser treatment low setting, continuous beam applied to sacrum, along back, and over hips. Used for 10 minutes total. Conventional therapy of muscle relaxants and NSAIDS used as well.The dog 5 hours later was walking but still weak. About a week later she was back to normal.

6 yo female cocker with chronic ear problems. Radiograph revealed both bullae are thickened and some fluid is seen in the middle ears. The dog has a head tilt. Treatment consisted of placement of a combination of lavender, bergoment, Melrose, melaleuca at 50% dilution placed in the ears. Follow up with laser treatment with laser ear probe. Used in canal and withdrawn over 4-5 seconds. Repeated 4 times.

6 yo male welsh corgi who has cutaneous lymphoma and IVD along lower spine. The dog drags the Right hind limb paw and has worn the nails down. He now wears a boot. Apply 50% panaway, relieve it, and mountain savory along the spine in a mini raindrop technique. Applied oils along the right inner and outer leg. Laser therapy was applied to the sacral area and along the whole spine . Moved on to hip and around the inner and outer leg. The treatment protocol was a combination of essential oils and laser. The session was repeated weekly. The dog improved with use of the leg in both strength and less pain. After weekly sessions of the oils and laser the pet was placed on maintence treatments.

6 yo cat with an ear polyp that was protruding from the ear canal and was visible. The cat was a farm cat and the owner did not have a lot of money. Normal diagnostics could not be done. The cat had indications of kidney disease; brother of cat is in renal failure. Surgery was not an option at this point. The ear did not have any infection so a combination of essential oils was used during laser treatment and continued at home. The oils were injected diluted into the polyp and placed topically. The laser ear probe was used into the canal and around the polyp for 5 minutes. The treatment was repeated with the laser a week later. The cat responded well and the polyp decreased in size. The cat remained healthy with no adverse effects except increased drainage from the ear. As a combination therapy the use of laser and essential oils is encouraging. Both methods on their own have positive results. Combining them only adds to the dramatic outcome. As the use of oils and laser become more mainstream, the avenues in which this technique is used will continue to expand.We offer this combined technique at MaRiLa Veterinary Clinic.