Photonic Therapy - does it really work?

[Bishop]

There is an Australian Vet called Dr Brian McLaren who has developed a treatment for animals called photonic therapy. Apparently is uses red light (in lieu of needles) to stimulate acupuncture points. Some vets are now adding photonic therapy to their kits.

Dr McLaren is now showing people how to treat their own animals using this approach. A quick scan of the internet reveals many converts reporting having achieved good results.

The efficacy of acupuncture has been challenged largely on the basis that it is difficult to conduct clinical trials without the placebo effect. Animals do not suffer from the placebo effect. So does this really work?

I am interested in hearing from anyone who might have tried photonic therapy.

For more information, here's a photonic therapy website to get you started.

Thanks, Bishop

 

[cptrayes]

I don't know about use on accupuncture sites but there is plenty of research if you Google it showing great results on tendon injury and oedema in animals.

And I can tell you from personal experience that I am getting a superb result from using it on my horse's kicked tendon, which was huge and had not changed for two months. It is now reducing in size slowly but steadily as long as I use the machine every day. I know it's the machine and not general progress that would have happened anyway because if I move to every two days it gets worse again. You can buy the machines on eBay. If you have a tame engineer you can buy the diodes and make them for around £30.

Gotta go, time to zap his knee again now.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Animals can suffer from - or rather, benefit from, the placebo effect. Owners trying out a new drug/treatment will usually unwittingly change aspects of the animal's management that may have a beneficial effect eg more time spent with the animal, more careful attention to x, y or z, more notice taken of small changes/things. It needs double blind trials to be certain. But the power and value of the placebo should never be underestimated.

 

[cptrayes]

I completely agree that there is a placebo effect in animals and that is why, of course, homeopathy can be demonstrated to work. I am a complete sceptic, trust me

I can assure people though that there is no placebo effect in this case. The only thing that changes whether I use it once a day or once every two days is whether I use it once every day or once every two days. I think it is key that I'm not comparing no use at all with use, I'm comparing use every day, when it gets better and better by a tiny degree each day, or use every two days when the progress reverses. (There is no pressure involved in the application of the machine to the injury.)

I googled it before I bought the diodes and there is a fair amount of clinical evidence that red laser light is very effective in producing a stronger repair to tendon injuries and reducing oedema and that is just the result that I am seeing.

The acupuncture I would want to see a double blind, but for tendon injuries, particularly external damage as in the case I see with my own eyes, I would recommend cold laser wholeheartedly.

Incidentally they are now using pulsed red laser light on previously incurable human cancers and there are some extraordinary results being reported. Apparently the effect is the result of the light releasing oxygen. It also reduces the density of water, which is presumably why it is so effective at dispersing oedema. I suspect myself that this is all linked to the fact that light is the souce of all life on this planet, and there is some kind of response by cells at a primeval level to the kind of light that was around when life first arose. Any scientists out there have any other theories?

 

[Mike007]

I have trawled through the research and there is more to this than just the usual con artistry . An awfull lot more research is needed but it should not be dismissed out of hand .And for me, the ultimate sceptic ,to say that ,is practicly a glowing endorsement!

 

[HollyP]

My yard owner has a torch, it is VERY complicated but I do think it works...we havent used it for anything specific yet...altho we did start seeing if we could make the scarring on my mares legs any better (from YEARS ago before I got her...looks like barbed wire that noone bothered to treat) so these are VERY old scares and we used the torch on them (and the other standard points) for about 2 weeks if that...you;d never believe it but they started scabbing and under the scabs was pink skin! I didnt stick with it....things happen so she still has the scars but they are better...I really should carry on doing it but that impressed me enough!

x

 

[cptrayes]

The "torch" that Holly is describing is available on eBay. Search for cold laser. One diode pens cost about £60. I am using 3 diodes and getting a great result but there are also bigger ones for about £350 which are very similar to what a physio used on my horse earlier in the injury. It didn't help then, in fact there was a big increase in the swelling but we were also giving it high intensity massage so it might not have been the cold laser. It's certainly working now though. I must try it on my other boy's scarred foot!

Betcha I'm a bigger sceptic than you Mike !

 

[JustMeThen]

Hi, I've just found this old thread and couldn't PM you Holly, so I added you as a friend
Do you know what sort of machine your YO used please?
Thank you

 

[Lyndab22]

There is an Australian Vet called Dr Brian McLaren who has developed a treatment for animals called photonic therapy. Apparently is uses red light (in lieu of needles) to stimulate acupuncture points. Some vets are now adding photonic therapy to their kits.

Dr McLaren is now showing people how to treat their own animals using this approach. A quick scan of the internet reveals many converts reporting having achieved good results.

The efficacy of acupuncture has been challenged largely on the basis that it is difficult to conduct clinical trials without the placebo effect. Animals do not suffer from the placebo effect. So does this really work?

I am interested in hearing from anyone who might have tried photonic therapy.

For more information, here's a photonic therapy website to get you started.

Thanks, Bishop

Just saw this I'm currently having a lady doing photonic therapy on my gelding after surgery for an annular ligament desmotomy. I've bought myself a kit from ebay with a bound book in a big leather folder all of Dr mckarens points all. Lami ated and also for dogs and equine along with a big book. On human points, I bleive this therapy has helped my gelding enormously, he's had two gallops, in his paddock 13weeks after surgery, he's doing fab,