Hello Friends,
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about laser acupuncture. But by far, the most common question I get is this one:
“When should I use laser, as opposed to needle or other methods?”
You can pretty much use laser whenever you want to. Here are some pointers to keep in mind when making the decision whether to use laser.
Patient Acceptance: Always provide the treatment your patient will accept, as your patient’s mindset plays an important role in treatment selection. Some patients want and expect needles. They may even hope for a little needle discomfort, as this shows them they are getting a “real” treatment. “No pain, no gain” is their way of thinking. I rarely use laser acupuncture on these patients, because they won’t feel the expected pain, and may, therefore, question whether they were really treated. Do what the patient will accept.
Painful Points: On the other hand, most patients really aren’t looking for discomfort. They don’t mind needles, but would just as soon avoid pain, if possible. For these patients, I use laser on points that would otherwise be painful to needle. Jing-well points are a good example.
Children and Sensitive Patients: Laser is perfect for those who might be uncomfortable with needles. Children, especially, enjoy the laser treatment because the light shining into their skin and making them glow is really fascinating and fun. It makes for great conversations as children’s inquisitive nature leads to all sorts of questions.
Speed: Since laser can accomplish in a few seconds what may take 30 minutes with needles, I find laser an incredible time saver. In a time pinch, I reach for my lasers.
Contraindications: Remember, the only contraindication to laser acupuncture is use near the eyes. Therefore, laser can be used in many situations where needle would be inconvenient, unsafe, or contraindicated. So if there’s a point I don’t want to needle, for whatever reason, I reach for a laser.
This is just a brief overview, but I hope it gives you a better idea about using lasers. For more complete information, I’ve put together a free, 30-minute video training you can access at this link:
Enjoy!
I have used both red and green lasers, but have ordered one on line considerably more reasonable that you offered in your special! I think it is as functional! I do like them but use Mensomatic more than laser at the moment.
Hi Dr. Gonnerman,
You are correct that green lasers are very much cheaper than blue lasers because they are much cheaper to produce. In all my testing, however, I’ve never seen a positive effect from green laser; it just doesn’t seem to do much. I believe people started using green lasers simply because they were the only color available back in the day (other than red.) Now that true sapphire blue lasers are available, the field has changed. I find blue very effective.
Thank you,
Adrian
There was a good article about choice of wavelenght for acupuncture in Acupuncture Today.
In short the longer red-orange and the saphire blue are more useful. Possibly IR however we like to see what we are using. There are some top end expensive aqua and yellow laser pens I would like to try be they are very expensive to make.
http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=32725