Photobiomodulation, or PBM, is the use of near Infrared (nIR) light to stimulate cellular repair and blood flow in tissues.
PORT MOODY HEALTH
WHAT IS PBM?
Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT)
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The ways in which PBM works has been studied extensively in the last 20 years and the best-known mechanisms are:• Stimulation of mitochondrial activity through the activation of cytochrome C to make more ATP (this means that light activated cells will increase energy production).
• Stimulation of Nitric Oxide (NO) production which causes blood and lymphatic vessels to dilate and improve flow to and from the intended area.
• NO also stimulates many other metabolic pathways important in wound healing and repair.
Further to these immediate cellular changes are the more durable and longer lasting effects that have come from the activation of transcription factors and signaling mediators. In a review that was published in 2016 by Freitas and Hamblin, there were more than 14 different proposed mechanisms for the activity of PBM.
WHAT CONDITIONS BENEFIT FROM PBM?
Some conditions that have been researched and shown improvement with PBM include:• Non-healing wounds (such as diabetic wounds)
• Infections
• Dental infections
• Fibromyalgia pain (and pain in general)
• Arthritis
• Neurodegenerative conditions (such as Parkinson’s, MS, Alzheimer’s, stroke, concussion)
• Depression
• Fractures (to speed healing)
• Surgical healing times and reduction of complications
• Neuropathy
• Hair loss
• Edema
Photobiomodulation is typically applied 2-5 times per week depending on the goals of treatment, the condition being managed, and consists of a 20 minute treatment. This can be done simultaneously with intravenous therapies to support the therapeutic goals.
We acknowledge that Port Moody Health – Integrative Medicine and Cancer Care clinic operates on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Musqueam, Squamish, Stó:lō and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. We thank those who continue to live on these lands and care for them along with the waters and all that is above and below.
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