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Frequently Asked Questions
1.
Can laser therapy cause cancer?
The short answer to this is no! No mutational effects have been observed
resulting from light with wavelengths in the red or infra-red range
in doses used within laser therapy. (Tuner and Hode, Laser Therapy:
Clinical Practice and Scientific Background, 2002) There is no evidence
at this time to indicate that laser treatment will either harm or
benefit patients with malignancies. Thus, if there is already a tumor
present, laser therapy will not enhance the growth of the tumor. It
is believed that the local immune response caused by laser therapy
equals or exceeds the stimulation of tumor growth, counteracting all
mutational effects.
2. Can laser therapy stimulate bacterial growth?
The answer to this is fairly similar to the above case. Bacteria growth
is not stimulated by laser therapy, but neither is there any real
bactericidal effect in laser light. However, there is on-going research
being performed the effect of laser therapy on bacterial elimination,
examining individual bacterial response to laser therapy. As that
research becomes available, Laser Light Canada will present these
results.
3. Does laser therapy give a false sense of health?
It is incredibly important to recognize that the underlying problem
must always be treated. Though pain may disappear after laser therapy,
if the existing problem is not treated, you are essentially putting
a band-aid over the problem.
4. Why does laser therapy sometimes make the patient tired?
Occasionally patients will report tiredness after laser therapy. In
the book Laser Therapy: Clinical Practice and Scientific Background,
Tuner and Hode report this is most likely due to the release of metabolites
and the result of easing long-standing pain.
5. What is a treatment reaction?
Treatment reaction, or pain reaction, is seen frequently in patients
suffering from chronic conditions. It is seen as a feeling of pain
the day after treatment. This is due to the clinical effects of laser
therapy, such as improved microcirculation and removal of waste products.
This does not indicate an overdose, and the pain is usually short-lived.
6. Can laser therapy cause tissue damage?
Reasonable doses given in the course of laser therapy have proved
to cause no macroscopic or microscopic damage to tissues (Tuner and
Hode, Laser Therapy: Clinical Practice and Scientific Background,
2002).
7. Can laser therapy cause eye damage?
The DioBeam Low Level Laser is a GaAlAs laser, which is a class 3b
device. Class 3b indicates that there is a certain risk of eye injury
involved with the use of the laser. Reports of eye injury is very
minimal and in fact, the restrictions of the use of class 3B lasers
as therapeutic instruments have been lifted in Europe since no reports
of eye damages from these lasers have been reported (Tuner and Hode,
Laser Therapy: Clinical Practice and Scientific Background, 2002).
However, because GaAlAs lasers have a collimated beam and are in the
wavelength that would not provoke a blink reflex in strong light,
it is advised not to look directly at the laser light or to wear protective
glasses. Protective glasses give the patient a sense of security and
prevent the therapist from any claims of damage from patients.
8. When would I use a pulsed light?
Research has indicated that when using laser light to treat chronic
pain, there may be a slight nerve adaption resulting in your treatment
results starting to plateau. To eliminate the probability of this
occurring during the treatment of chronic conditions, we recommend
that you alternate your treatments between continuous and pulsed light.
There will be no difference in the treatment results but the pulsed
session will take slightly more time. Alternating your treatments
will ensure you are getting the best results possible.
9. How many times will I have to treat a patient?
If you are treating an acute condition, one treatment will suffice.
The earlier you can treat the patient after the treatment, the better
the results will be. If it is a chronic condition, the length of time
for treatment will vary depending on the extent of the injury and
how long ago the injury occurred.
10. What happens if my unit requires repair?
The Oralase, Clinical Unit and Home Unit all have a one-year warranty.
The DioBeam 830 has a two-year warranty. If you do run into problems
with these units, contact Laser Light Canada and we will send you
a loaner unit to use while yours is being repaired.
11. Are these units approved for use by Health Canada and CSA
All of our products have Health Canada and CSA approval.
12. How long will the battery last?
The working time for the Lithium Ion battery is 60 min. Clinically
the battery will last approximately 1-2 weeks. There are two batteries
to ensure there is always a charged battery.
13. Can the light guides be sterilized?
The glass light guides should be heat sterilized; the plastic light
guides are for one time use. |
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