Laser therapy
 

Can anyone out there tell me if you have ever used Laser therapy to help your neuropathy, I have full body SFN as you guys know and someone has suggested Laser therapy to me, but what kind of laser therapy are they talking about? I have done some research and there seems to many different types out there. What Doctors do this procedure? Mrs D. I also noticed that you talked about laser therapy on one of your posts a while back could you give me that information again? I can afford treatment so can anyone tell me where to go and what kind of treatment center I should be looking for? I really know nothing about this, so any help, as always, is appreciated. Thanks you guys, Jan

Cold laser is a spot type treatment.

For those with whole body problems, difficult at best.

I'd like to bring this up again...
What drugs are you taking regularly? Like blood pressure, etc?

Some drugs cause a "drug induced lupus" ... this condition eludes diagnosis and does not normally raise ANA.

http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/weba...=377&zoneid=17

I had a drug induce lupus from hydralazine when I was pregnant, which was used for hypertension.

Now I am having the past 2 weeks an "arthritis"flare, which I've narrowed down to my lisinopril! Going to the doctor today armed with this study...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11780682

There are many drugs known now that are potential culprits.

I quit taking my lisinopril last Monday, and already I am much much better.... this was so sneaky... and may also be a trigger for others here.

Thank you MrsD
 

The only meds I take on a regular basis is Gabapentin and I only started taking that after SFN had covered my entire body, before that I didn't take much medicine at all. The last Rheumy I saw thinks I developed this in early 2011 either due to a whopping cough vaccine or a virus caused it, it's the only thing after many tests that make sense to him. I would really like to go off the gabapentin but I'm scared to do it because it does help take the edge off of the pain, however if I can find another way to deal with this other than meds I want to try. I have tried almost every suggestion here with literally nothing working, although I still do the supplements. I was hoping these laser treatments might help. I don't know maybe I'm just grasping at straws, just so sick of feeling this way all over my entire body, it's hard but not impossible to live with this. So cold laser is done by what kind of Doctor? Thanks for your reply. Jan

Many Chiropractors do it...and some podiatrists.

The problem with it is where to point the laser, if you have such
global problems.

I am currently doing MORE research on bradykinin, which is the chemical culprit in my latest emergency. ACE inhibitor drugs cause an elevated bradykinin level, and this causes burning/swelling and joint pain.

So I would also ask if you have any tissue swelling with your burning. And redness at all?

I have redness on my forearms and neck. Increased joint pain which is like tendonitis sometimes.
There is a condition called angioedema, and this can be acquired like from drug reactions, or hereditary. Both increase bradykinin in tissues. Since I've had the one reaction during my pregnancy to another drug-hydralazine, the lupus angle is more likely for me. But hereitary angioedema... is difficult to track in some people. The only symptom I have that may point to that is gastrointestinal spells since childhood...but those were diagnosed as due to my twisted intestines. So it will be more testing at the doctor, I guess for me this year. :rolleyes:

Right now I am looking into reducing bradykinin somehow.
Bromelain looks promising and I am going to try that:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2203073

I had a huge sudden surge in burning, from this drug Lisinopril just recently, which is clearing up since I discontinued it. But I wonder if bradykinin is a culprit in all over burning some get here on PN.
Bromelain is not a dangerous substance... so you might want to try it too?

Not expensive and on sale now with free shipping at Puritan's:
http://www.puritan.com/vitamins-herb...FeZDMgod6BYAiQ

I'm ordering some today in fact! ;)

I bet Infra Red would be good. I know the big dome is. Just haven't decided to get it. Expensive and not sure I want one. It works for a lot of things. I would love one to use in case of colds, flu, etc.

Another laser therapy question, Glen and Mrs D.
 

Thank you all for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate it! I have another question for you, I have been put in contact with a lady on another neuropathy forum, I have personally spoken to her because she has the same kind of neuropathy I have, full body idiopathic small fiber neuropathy, she was nice enough to speak to me by phone, anyway she has been suffering with SFSN for 14 years, she told me that only heavy does of medication ever helped her, she was always on her computer looking for answers to as she put it "this nightmare that was now her life", one day she came across an article on a chiropractor who had developed a new kind of laser treatment called, FDA cleared class IV therapeutic laser, at first she thought to herself there was no way she would ever go to a chiropractor, in her words she said to me, chiropractors aren't real Doctors, and besides that she had been to many neurologists and "real Doctors, any way as time passed and she was only getting worse with her symptoms and trying many supplements and heavy meds, she decided to give this laser treatment a try, she had 20 treatments and spent about $8,000.00 dollars, at first she was very discouraged and mad because the treatments absolutely did not seem to be working, then she told me on her 21 st treatment she really started to notice a difference, and now a few months after treatment she is about 60 to 70% better and is weaning off of some of her meds, so my question to you is have you ever heard of this treatment, and would you be willing to go on their
website "realiefcenter.com" and tell me what you think? They only have 2 centers at this point in time who do this procedure, one in Minnesota and one in Arizona, this lady I talked to although not 100 % better is somewhat better. Anyway thank you for your time and thoughts, and for all of you here on the forum I am truly grateful! Blessings, Jan

Personally, I would be very skeptical. It's not that K-laser does nothing, it can provide temporary topical pain relief. According to the FDA, it is approved for:

Price (gulp), claims, contact by phone, vagueness on the website, they all throw up red flags for me, but then again, I am a skeptic. Your mileage may vary. ;)

PS: they also use this on dogs*... but there it only costs $50 per treatment.

* I'm not making this up.

OP if you search I have documented my results on this forum of the cold laser treatments.

I also had some relief.....lots actually. But it did not last after the treatments ended. within 6 months I was back to square one.

So while I will say that they gave me some short term relief it did not last.

I had about 20 treatments and paid about 2500.

GL