If you thought the coolest things to happen to lasers were laser eye surgery and laser tag, maybe you ought to think again. A new use for lasers is emerging: laser acupuncture.
Acupuncture with lasers, or Low-Level Laser Therapy is a new method of treatment in which traditional needles are replaced with, you guessed it: lasers. While usage of lasers in acupuncture is only approved by the FDA for a handful of uses in the United States, the treatment is fully approved and beginning to pop up everywhere in Canada.
To the outsider it may not seem like lasers would have much of an effect, but they are actually quite good for acupuncture points that don’t require deep penetration. Instead of penetrating physically, a laser works by heating up the skin at the acupuncture point. Like needles, lasers can help reduce inflammation over time, accelerate the body’s repair process, and help treat chronic or acute pain.
There are also several other advantages to using lasers over traditional needle acupuncture. For one thing, lasers are an excellent way to treat patients who are needle-averse. Also, since the process is non-invasive, it can reduce the pain that often comes with needles, as well as reduce the chance of infection. Laser acupuncture can also treat many of the same ailments as traditional acupuncture.
So, if the process does become fully approved in the United States, do you think it will catch on? Would you consider offering it at your practice? Let’s hear what you think!
