Had they describe to you how much this would cost?

I asked the clinic if a device could be bought and the response was, " Sorry, they sold to health care providers only, and run about $40,000 each.

I tried PEMF therapy which is maybe sort of similar and it was 100$ a treatment and it did help quite a bit but it wasn't sustainable.

Like Mark said, some of these things would take daily use to really help, which means actually having a machine yourself.

Hi all, I went to Meditech for laser therapy this past June for treatment for PCS and an upper cervical injury. I also read the chapter in Dr. Norman Doidge's book on laser therapy, and was very optimistic that I had finally found a treatment that would help me heal, or at least improve my symptoms.

I am a very sensitive individual, can not tolerate medications, or even some supplements without adverse reactions. I figured this therapy could help me.
I met with Dr. Kim the first day, prior to treatment. He went over my health history, injury, symptoms, etc. (I fell on black ice in Jan 2011. Diagnosed with PCS, craniocervical instability, and herniated tonsils of the cerebellum).

Dr.Kim had me watch a video of a prior patient who had a concussion, and came to the center wearing dark glasses, and stuttering. After less than a week of treatments, he didn't need to wear the glasses, and was no longer stuttering. This young man was 3 weeks post-accident. So I asked if it mattered how long ago the injury occurred, and he said no.

I had 5 treatments at the center, 5 days in a row. The first 44 mins, they place a band on the occipital and cervical area. It contains an array of SLD (Super Luminous Diodes) of Red and Infrared LEDs. Each placement is 11 mins for a total of 4. The first placement, the band is vertical over the occipital/cervical area, and the other 3 are horizontal. Then they use an infrared laser (single diode) for 6-8 mins and move it on different areas of the head.

The SLD only penetrates about 3 cm, but I was told that it reaches the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which surrounds the brain and into the ventricles throughout the brain. This releases 'feel good' chemicals to help the healing process. The infrared laser that was used for the last part of the session, penetrated much deeper into the brain.

Well the reason I never posted on this, was that the treatment didn't work for me. I was TOO sensitive for it. After the first treatment as the day wore on, I started feeling wired, couldn't sleep at nite, and had anxiety.
When I went to the center the next day, I met with Dr. Kahn. Told him how I felt, and he adjusted the treatment. I felt better, not as wired. But what wasn't helping me was I knocked my Atlas out packing for the trip (I can not tolerate lifting/carrying much weight). So my head/neck had pressure/discomfort the first few days I was there.

I see an Atlas Orthogonal chiropractor, and know there are not many in the US, and had no idea if I could find one in Canada. But fortunately I found one in Markham, about an hour from Toronto. I didn't get to see him until Wed, after 3 laser treatments. By Friday, I was ready to leave and come back home.
I didn't feel any difference in my symptoms, and my head was still calming down from my Atlas being out, and aggravated.

I met with Dr Kahn on that Friday morning and he wanted me to stay for a couple of more days, but I said I had enough.
I rented an inhome unit, was given 2 different programs to use.

Dr. Kahn said he wanted me to come back in a couple of months.
The trip took a lot out of me. I thought I could handle the drive/trip alone. It set me back.
Then the inhome laser caused the same adverse reactions; insomnia, feeling wired, anxious.. Not the way the laser is suppose to make you feel !
After a few weeks of trying different settings, working over the phone with them, I stopped the treatments and emailed Dr.Kahn and told him what was going on.

He responded that clearly my tissue was too sensitive for the laser. And that he had only seen my reaction possibly 2x in the last 10 years. He told me to send the laser back. And that he would still like to see me back at the clinic, when I was ready, so that they could work more closely with me.

I never went back.. But I do believe that this treatment can really help people with PCS. It just didn't work for me. The technicians that worked on me at MediTech told me that people do make significant improvements after coming there.
They have a huge research center. One of the technicians that worked on me was also a research scientist there.
I believe Dr. Kahn is very passionate about what he does.

I believe you may need 8-10 sessions before you see improvement, but I could be wrong. The sessions were $90 each. The home unit rental was $350 for the month.
Looking at my rental agreement, it says the inhome unit is valued at $5500.

If you are thinking of going there, I would definitely give it a try. And you can rent the inhome unit afterwards. There are also other BioFlex laser therapists in the US, you can also check out.

Hope this info helps. Good luck !

The requirement to watch the video of a prior patient concerns me. This is often used to provide support for the placebo effect. The patient is so eager for a positive outcome from the video or other testimonials that the early results are skewed. With proper set up, placebo benefits can reach 60%.

I don't like to see salesmanship used in the treatment process. Many chiros do this. I have been subjected to it too many times.

You're entitled to your opinion about showing a video with a positive outcome.
But the place was very busy, with many patients being treated by multiple technicians..

I still highly recommend the therapy to anyone willing to try it. A couple of the people that worked on me, and that I talked to there, said people do see improvements and healing with the treatment.
I am not a good example, as I am so sensitive.

The therapy is very effective for pain and joint issues. The concussion side is where the placebo effect would be valuable.

The people that worked on me and the 2 doctors I saw, did tell me they have seen improvements and healing with patients dealing with PCS.. The week that I was there Dr. Kahn said he had 15 new concussion cases. And the military had also contacted him, and was sending him some patients.

I also asked if I would need treatments for the rest of my life, and they said no.
But again, due to my sensitivities, I was not a good candidate. As Dr Kahn said, my adverse reaction was very rare.

But for those that posted an interest in this, I would recommend it. You'll never know unless you try !

KeepinTheFaith, thanks for sharing your experience. How long did your adverse symptoms last? I assume they were temporary? I asked Dr. Kahn (or at least whoever was posing as him at their info email address) if they ever see people have adverse reactions or damage from the treatments, and he said "We have not experienced any adverse reaction or damage in our experience.", so your experience suggests to me he was lying, which is somewhat disconcerting.

Hi Laupala, the week I was in Toronto I had the adverse reaction after the first treatment. The next day they adjusted the settings, and I felt better.
But my Atlas was out, prior to arriving there, which was causing head pain, pressure and discomfort. So it also caused added anxiety..

I had 5 treatments, Mon-Fri, then came home. The adverse reactions had seemed to subside.
But after I started using the inhome unit, after 2 treatments, over 2 days, the anxiety, wired feeling, extreme insomnia started again.. It lasted 3-4 days.

I tried the laser again, and after another 2 treatments (and changing the program settings under MediTech recommendation), had the same adverse reaction for 3-4 days.

Tried the laser one more time, after shortening the duration of the treatment. But it still was not good.. I totally stopped, and called MediTech.

They gave me Dr. Kahn's email address, and told me to email him with what was going on with me. (Different email from their info email).. He got back to me and said he had only seen my reaction 2x in the past 10 years.

As I've said, I am a very sensitive individual. You may not have the reaction I had. Mine was totally opposite what I expected ! And I do feel they were surprised when I told them how I felt the 2nd day I was there.

I still have insomnia, but had it before I went there as well.

If you want more info, or want to send me a private message, feel free to do so..

I wish you luck and continued faith in your recovery...