LASER IS AN ACRONYM OF "LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION"

Stimulated Emission: 1917
Albert Einstein first proposed the process that makes lasers possible called "Stimulated Emission."

Holography: 1947
Gabor developed the theory of holography, that requires laser light for its realization. He received the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physics for this work.

Maser: 1954
The first papers about the maser were published in 1954 as a result of investigations carried out simultaneously and independently by Townes and his coworkers at Columbia University in New York and by Basov and Prokhorov at the Lebedev Institute in Moscow. Their work continued throughout the '60s and the '70s. For this work they were awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Laser: 1958
The optical maser or the laser dates from 1958, when the possibilities of applying the maser principle in the optical region were analyzed by Schawlow and Townes as well as in the Lebedev Institute. Laser spectroscopy was developed by Schawlow and his co-workers at Stanford University and, around the same time, Bloembergen and his coworkers developed nonlinear optics which is a very special application of laserspectroscopy. For this they were awarded the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Ruby Laser: 1960
The first laser was operating in 1960. It was a ruby laser generating strong pulses of red light.

Semiconductor: 1963
Alferov and Kroemer proposed in 1963, independently of each other, the principle for semiconductor heterostructures to be used later in semiconductor laser which today, by far, is the most common laser. For this work they were awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Corning Glass: 1970
Optic fiber made of corning glass has such low losses that telephone calls and telecommunication can be transferred for kilometers with the help of laser light.

Laser Cooling: 1980
In the '80s Chu, Cohen-Tannoudji and Phillips worked with laser cooling of atoms. For this work they were awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics.


The physicist Albert Einstein had described the theory of stimulated emission as early as 1917, but it would still take 30 years before engineers began to utilize this principle for practical purposes. Scientists were amazed by this technical breakthrough but laser technology itself had no real purpose. This is not exceptional, discoveries may need time before being put to use. Today laser is used in communication, industry, medicine, and environmental care and research. Laser has become one of the most powerful tools for scientists in physics, chemistry, biology and medicine throughout the world. One area that is considered to be very interesting is in the different methods to cool and capture atoms by using laser. We don't know yet what this knowledge and technology will be used for in the future, but we do know that future applications will be based on today's research.


What is the Laser?

There are many different types of lasers. Two main groups stand out:

1. High Power (Medical) Lasers: they are used to cut, coagulate and evaporate tissues. These lasers are often called surgical lasers because they can replace the scalpel of the surgeon.

2. Low Level Lasers: they can be used for the stimulation of cell function. They are also called bio-stimulating lasers or Low Intensity Lasers. Their biological effect is not thermal, as is the case with surgical lasers.


Conditions that respond well to Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT): There are more than 50 positive Double Bliind Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) Studies that show clear evidence that LLLT is highly effective for the following conditions:

• Chronic Pain	• Acne,Eczema
• Acute (traumatic) Pain	• Skin Conditions
• Neck, Back Pain	• Wounds and Burns
• Tendonitis	• Non-Healing Ulcers
• Sports Injuries	• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Painful Trigger Points	• Fibromyalgia
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome	• Lymphedema
• Tennis/Golfer Elbow	• Osteoarthritis
• Migraines

 

How the Laser Works

Low-level light therapy uses cold laser light energy and/or LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) to direct bio-stimulating light energy to the body’s cells without injuring or damaging them in any way. Low-level lasers supply energy to the body in the form of non-thermal photons of light. The optimal window of energy lies between 600-900 nm.

Photonic energy (electromagnetic/light energy) is absorbed by the photo acceptor sites (receptors) on the cell membrane, triggering a secondary messenger to initiate intracellular signals that initiate, inhibit or accelerate biological processes such as wound healing, inflammation, or reduction of pain and cell growth.

When used at specific rates, the laser optimizes the immune responses of the tissues. This has both anti-inflammatory and immuno-stimulative effects . It is a scientific fact that light transmitted to the blood in this way has positive effects throughout the whole body, supplying vital oxygen and energy to every cell.

Laser: The Aladdin's Lamp of the 20th Century?

It was in the year in 1966. Dr. Endre Mester, professor of surgery at the Semmelweis Hospital in Budapest, received a new and an exciting device: the Ruby laser. He had been given funds in order to research if light from the laser could be used to combat cancer. He conducted a series of experiments, first on cell cultures, then on rats, in order to ascertain that laser light--this new and unknown type of light--would not give rise to dangerous or unexpected results. He removed (shaved) the fur from the back of a number of rats. He then applied different dosages of laser lights to half of the shaved area. The other half was left untreated, for comparison reasons. With small light dosages nothing happened. With larger dosages the fur grew back faster on the treated half: the laser light had a stimulating affect! With even larger dosages this stimulating effect disappeared, and with even higher dosages the opposite effect occurred: the fur on the untreated half re-grew faster. An inhibitory effect was obtained.

The research group under Dr. Mester conducted several experiments. With a new group of rats a surgical wound was created on each side of the body. Only one wound was treated with laser light, the other wound was left untreated. A certain dosage of laser light stimulated wound healing, while a significantly higher dosage of laser light proved to inhibit wound healing. The results of this research were published in 1967 in Hungary, but remained largely unnoticed in the Western countries.


Laser is an acronym of "Light Amplification
by Stimulated Emission of Radiation"

 

Laser Auriculotherapy: Laser Auriculotherpay is the stimulation of points in the external ear and, in some cases meridian points in the other parts of the body, to aid many health conditions, especially pain, stress, and addictions. The term Laser Auriculotherapy often refers to laser stimulation of the ear reflex points. Tender points on the ear can also be stimulated with direct pressure, magnets, electrical stimulation, and ear pellets.

Laser Auriculotherapy and Addictions: Explanations for the effectiveness of auriculotherapy in the reduction of addictions derive from both Western Neurology and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The first evidence of auriculotherapy in reducing the cravings of drug addicts came from China in the 1970s.

The Western Neurological explanation for reducing addiction cravings with laser auriculotherapy is based on the recent neurological observation that the ear represents a door into the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems. It has been found that laser treatments and auriculotherapy are effective at creating relaxation of many physiological systems, which can reduce cravings, pain, muscle spasms, and stress reduction.

Laser Auriculotherapy, Acupuncture, and Laser Therapy: Laser Auriculotherapy is the use of a laser, which is applied to tender points in the body. It is considered to be one form of acupressure, but there are both differences and similarities between acupressure and auriculotherapy.

Acupuncture is a form of complementary medicine involving primarily the stimulation of acupuncture meridians that run the length of the body. Some of the meridian energy lines connect to the external ear, thus creating the field of auricular acupuncture.

Auriculotherapy, on the other hand, focuses not on the acupuncture meridians but on the ear as a localized reflex technique that modulates the central nervous system and endocrine organs. Many laser auriculotherapy practitioners also treat some body points as an adjunct to their ear protocols.

History of Laser Auriculotherapy: The earliest written records of ear acupuncture date back to acupuncture writings in 500 BC. The style in which auricular acupuncture is practiced today in china is actually based on more recent discoveries that occurred in France in the 1950s by Dr. Paul Nogier. Since then, the use of specific ear points as a reflex system to treat many health problems has been utilized practitioners in many parts of the world. More recently, it has been discovered that lasers are an ideal modality to safely stimulate these points, especially to aid those suffering from addictions of all types and pain syndromes.

Auriculotherpay and Allopathic Medicine: While ear acupuncture has been practiced in Asia for over 2,000 years and auriculotherapy has been used in Europe for the past 50 years, it is quite unknown in the United States, most MDs do not know or understand enough about auriculotherapy to make an informed comment on its effectiveness.

In 1997, a consensus panel of the U.S. National Institutes of Health gave approval to the practice of acupuncture. They included an evaluation of those studies which supported the use of ear acupuncture for pain relief and addiction treatment. As more research accumulates on the efficiency of auriculotherapy, it is expected that even more doctors and researchers will acknowledge the benefits of laser auriculotherapy.

The Autonomic Nervous System: The nervous system is composed of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. One important part of the nervous system is the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) conveys impulses from the blood vessels, the heart, and all of the organs in the chest, abdomen, and pelvis through nerves to other parts of the brain. These impulses elicit largely automatic or reflex responses, thereby eliciting appropriate reactions of the heart, the vascular system, and all the organs of the body to variations in the environmental temperature, posture, food intake, and stressful experiences. Thus, the ANS is a regulator of homeostasis and balances the body’s nervous and hormone systems.

There are two major components of the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic nervous system stimulates physical activity, “fight or flight” responses, and heave emotion. Stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, creates relaxation, healing, digestion, and sexual arousal.

One reason that this nervous system is so intimately involved with laser auriculotherapy is because these nervous pathways convey stimuli resulting in largely unconscious, reflex, bodily adjustments such as in the digestive functions of the stomach and intestines, the rate and depth of respiration, and dilation or constriction of the blood vessels. Thus, they can aid in the regulation of eating and smoking addictions.

Endorphins and Auriculotherapy: Endorphins are naturally occurring morphine-like molecules that relieve pain in a manner similar to opiates. They have been used as one explanation for how auriculotherapy serves to relieve pain. Research has shown that stimulation of ear acupuncture points appears to cause the systemic release of endorphins while balancing the ANS.

Laser Auriculotherapy and Pain: One cause of chronic pain is due to the constriction of connective tissues when muscles are in spasm. It is believed by those that practice auriculotherapy that chronic muscle spasms may be due to pathological brain reflexes that perpetuate this condition. By stimulating ear reflex points, the pathological brain patterns can be electrically reset to stop the unwanted activation of spinal reflexes. Pain sensations that are due to irritated nerves can also be relieved by the normalizing of pathological, hypersensitive reflex pathways. In addition to these neurological explanations, it is also theorized that pain relief from auriculotherapy is achieved by the release of endorphins into the blood.

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