Laser acupuncture is a branch of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). A very important principle in LLLT is the Arndt-Schultz Curve which you can see above. The curve relates the dose of laser to the effects generated. Too little laser and nothing happens. Too much laser and you may actually get a flare up of the symptoms* or only a little therapeutic effect. Just the right dose and you get the maximal therapeutic effect. As I hope you can appreciate, finding the right laser dose is not easy.
Here is a case that beautifully demonstrates the Arndt-Schultz principle. Another GP referred an elderly lady to me for acupuncture of her bilateral shoulder pains that was due to severe tears of her rotator cuffs. She also had subacromial bursitis. The surgeons would not touch her as she had too many other co-morbidities including significant cardiac problems. She had a LONG list of medical problems and was on TWO pain patches plus strong oral pain medications. She was advised that she had maxed out the pain medication options and so it was my task to try and provide a natural alternative to pain relief.
I personally did not think I could help much when I first saw her but I’m glad I persisted.
LASER ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT**:
Session #1:
- 4 points on right arm. Result: 10 – 15 % pain improvement to right shoulder.
Session #2:
- 4 points on right arm; 4 points on left arm. Result: 2 days flare up of pain followed by 4 days of ZERO pain on both shoulders.
Session #3:
- 4 points on left arm; 2 points on left arm. Result: ZERO shoulder pain for whole week.
Update 18/04/2018:
Session #4: same points as session 3. She has now gone from two pain patches to one. Great progress. For ongoing treatments to see how high her therapeutic ceiling is.
She has stopped her strong oral pain killers. With the supervision of her GP and specialists, she will aim to reduce her pain patch doses.
What an amazing result! I hope you see the Arndt-Schulz principle in play. A difference of 2-4 points makes ALL the difference. That is why when patients first see me, I only ever do a few points to start off with and build up slowly. An important principle in both medicine and acupuncture: START LOW AND GO SLOW.
*My own experience is that after a flare up, usually there is some degree of positive improvement MORE than the original symptoms. However, flare ups usually turn patients off from treatment, and I am careful not too give too large a dose.
**none of my points were actually on her shoulders. With my style of acupuncture for the shoulder, only unless I am DESPERATE will I use an acupuncture point on the shoulder itself.
