Seeing is Believing

Believing in something ahead of the mainstream can lead to a feeling of isolation, whilst others behind take time to catch up. What I 'know' based now on experience, and backed up by scientific research on light, and initially prompted by an intuitive recognition that this was profound, is not usually enough to shift others out of their comfort zone, or contrary beliefs. Curbing my enthusiasm, backing off, keeping quiet, is sometimes necessary whilst others 'catch up'. Its taken me some time to really get this!

Here's a nice story to illustrate this process. Some close friends of my daughter's, who run a meditation centre, were vaguely aware of my interest in light, but had no need to think about it one way or another. Some years later, when they asked my advice on what to do about their young son's health problem, I suggested treatment using LLLT. This was not taken up, and that was fine. There were plenty of other options available, and they lived in another country.

Then two months later I had an excited phone call with the following story. One of them had been in a garage in London, negotiating a purchase, and noticed an article on the wall about light. The strange thing was the photograph in the article looked very like the friend he was staying with in London! When he looked closer he saw that the article was about my company. Moreover, the garage owner came to life when talking about light, saying it had taken away his shoulder pain, and displaying the article was his way of telling the world. My daughter's friend's son had shoulder pain. That night he mentioned to his host that the photo looked like him, still not quite believing the coincidence, and yes, indeed, it was! The model in the article was our now mutual friend, though at the time the photograph was taken they had not known each other. Suddenly, the health benefits of light took on a new and validated meaning. My daughter's friends were now receptive to the potential of light in a way that had not been possible beforehand.

Why is there such a disparity between the US and the UK in the use of LLLT?

Did you know 30,000 practitioners use Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) in the United States, many of them chiropractors? By contrast there are around 140 Low Level Laser units in National Health Service departments, here in the UK, mostly Physiotherapy Departments. Most LLLT machines are gathering dust for lack of consistent servicing, and enthusiasm to deliver. Even if physiotherapists use LLLT, there is a limit to HOW it is used, because physiotherapists don't see wounds, burns or the myriad of other health issues that LLLT can help, outside their boundaries of expertise. LLLT training for physios is only delivered at Master level. Other practitioners outside the NHS, here in the UK, are few and far between: chiropodists and podiatrists, a scattering of osteopaths and chiropractors, and a handful of Scenar therapists.

Physiotherapists in the UK do use Ultrasound, delivering the same frequencies as light, but via sound. Ultrasound is only 35% successful, whereas LLLT has a much higher success rate, does not depend on the use of creams, and can be used over metal plates because it does not cause heat. I have been told that Ultrasound was accepted in the NHS before the need for double blind placebo controlled studies. Although there are thousands of double blind placebo controlled studies on LLLT, some 'prove' it is ineffective, by selecting the wrong treatment times, and power output, and frequencies. See http://www.laser.nu   for an excellent discussion of this by Tuner and Hode.

The good news is the availability of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) on the NHS at centres such as the National Medical Laser Centre, part of the University College Hospital in London. 

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/surgery/nmlc/ 

PDT uses laser light combined with a drug which makes cells more sensitive to light to destroy cancer cells.

WHY IS THERE SUCH A DISPARITY BETWEEN THE US AND THE UK IN USE OF LLLT?

I had a Light for Health stand at a Chiropractic Seminar at the end of January, a practice building seminar for 100 chiropractors and 50 practice administrators. I also had a stand at the British Osteopathic Association's Annual Conference in November. What were the differences in terms of attitude to light as a healing modality? 

Well, both groups were wary, and understandably cautious, of yet another 'fad' if they had not heard of it before, especially if there was an investment to be made, and further training.  OK - it has been around for 30 years but new things take time to be assessed!

When the osteopaths tried it on themselves many of them felt it, energetically, and were a bit surprised. One osteopath already had a Low Level Laser and spoke enthusiastically about what it could do, though admitted that he did not use it to the full extent.  The chiropractors who had been trained in the US were enthusiastic to find out more, because of their direct experience of people they knew getting good results. Chiropractors from South America, Holland and Norway (basically from abroad) were curious and open to learn.

Well, I am in touch with one osteopath in this country who uses LLLT with great enthusiasm! (see previous blog) Change is an uphill struggle, but I will be meeting up in a few days with two women determined to get things moving in the UK. They have been learning from a pioneer of LLLT in the UK, Gordon Farmer. See future blog to report on that meeting. 

Its so uplifting to find other 'laser bores' out there. We cant wait to meet up and share experiences with the knowledge that our passion for this healing modality will be understood and shared!  All three of us have direct experience of what light did for us and our families. My mother had late onset MS, and the U2 LED light pad stopped her muscle spasms on her legs, allowing her to sleep. When I got lazy and stopped applying the light on my once weekly nursing home visits the spasms came back. So I started again and they stopped again! Christine Carroll was helped to relieve her migraines, and got her mother's arthritis to the point where she was painfree and mobile again, and Wendy Boast's lungs were greatly  improved after LLLT. Both these wonderful women now have set up as LLLT therapists, and have created an organisation with Gordon Farmer called the UK Institute for Therapeutic Laser. Watch this space for more information on this!

Gill Jacobs, Light for Health

The photo above was at the October 2008 CAM Expo show in Earls Court, London, with Yvonne Dobson, LLLT practitioner

Wounds and Low Level Laser Therapy

Use a plastic cover over the head of the Q1000, place on top of the wound as close as you can go without hurting, and use for one 3 minute cycle ON MODE 3 1 times a day for two to three days. If the bone is infected and the wound is small in diameter, more like a hole, use the 808 probe and insert in the hole. Use for only 20 seconds, because this is more powerful (300mW as opposed to 3mW of the Q1000). Otherwise don’t use a probe.

Mode 3 has some antibacterial frequencies and should help, but remember the Q1000 laser does not kill bacteria – it flushes them into the blood stream where the immune system takes care of them, but if there is not ample circulation, that won’t happen. Always start with Mode 1 of the Q1000 on the Proprioceptive points (jaw, near ear and under ear, lymphatics on chest, shoulder blade, trouser pocket on buttock and in the groin) before using over the wound, to increase circulation. Peeling of the skin is common around an infection. Increased circulation will reduce this.


WHEN THE WOUND GETS PINK AT THE EDGES BACK OFF AND ONLY LASER 1 OR 2 times a week. This is a good sign that healing is taking place, with granulation in the bone and tissue, and this is when you reduce treatment. This should take about 12 days to happen, but everyone is different.

Too much lasering on an open wound such as this could push the healing over the top and down the other side of the Bell Curve.

Once the wound is scabbed over reduce to once a week.

Try to be on a good balanced supplement program. High strength enzymes, such as Serrapeptase are excellent in combination with the laser. Go to http://www.goodhealth.nu/uk/1781/ to order and get further information. It will deal with the debris from the broken up scar tissue, and will help with pain. They need to be taken away from food.

Gill Jacobs, Light for Health Ltd

Finger Wound/Q1000 Low Level Laser

1) April 2007 2) 31 days later 3) September 2007

Jonathan first experienced extreme pain in his middle finger on his left hand in April 2007. His local hospital diagnosed a streptococcus bacteria which had infected his joint. He was given intravenous antibiotics, and admitted. He spent the following week in hospital with a second operation four days after the first. Inbetween he was informed that he may lose his finger, or may choose to have it removed because there was no guarantee that he would be able to use it should it re-grow.

Two days after he had been discharged from hospital he heard about the Q1000.

At this point he was quite unwell and his finger was still swollen with two large open wounds. He was returning to the hospital twice a week. These appointments involved the filing out of all dead flesh and redressing the wound. Just before he started using the laser he asked the hospital staff about light low level laser treatment. They told him that they often did more harm than good. At the same time they were telling him it was still quite likely his finger would be amputated. We decided that we had nothing to lose by using the laser.

He started using the laser for three minutes a day. Almost immediately the hospital staff remarked how well the wound was healing. On one occasion they cautioned that the skin was growing too quickly for the wound, so he changed the setting and only lasered once every other day. Within about three weeks a nerve had re-grown. The hospital continued to be impressed. He introduced the 808 probe in addition on the alternate days. After one week with the 808 the hospital decided he only now needed to attend once every two weeks, instead of twice a week.

By September of 2007 the finger was almost completely healed, with just a problem of movement in the second joint, where the tendon was cut, and scar tissue remains. It may have healed faster but we could only rent the laser for two months. The doctors were impressed with how it healed. They were completely unaware that we used the Q1000, though we intend to tell them eventually.

Emma Martin, London

Gill Jacobs comments: You can see Jonathan talking about his finger and LLLT on the Light for Health website: http://lightforhealth.co.uk on the Q1000 Testimonial page.