The laser therapy market in North America is a fast-growing industry, slated to grow over 650 million between 2020 and 2027. Because it represents a promising, safe and effective treatment option for conditions ranging from pain to foot fungus, many physicians consider integrating laser therapy into their services and treatment plans.
While laser therapy offers so many benefits, many patients have no idea it’s an option for them. It’s up to doctors like you to educate your patients and help them find the treatment options that can provide the best outcomes. Learn how to sell laser therapy to your patients and market this promising treatment option from the experts at Erchonia.
As with marketing any business or product, your first step is to know your market. You need to understand who is a good candidate for low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and what benefits appeal most to them. While many patients like that it is a painless, effective, noninvasive and drug-free treatment option, the way you frame these benefits may depend on who you’re talking to. When you understand your target market’s needs, you can tailor your pitch and manage each patient’s expectations.
Some patients who are good candidates for LLLT include:
As you begin implementing laser therapy, carve out a niche by focusing on one of these groups first. Many physicians have found success picking three to four patients within a particular group to offer the treatment to first. You can use these trial patients to master the marketing process and gain experience implementing individualized laser treatment plans.
Focusing on one niche at a time can also aid word-of-mouth marketing. Athletes may share their experiences with others on their teams or in their networks. Likewise, older patients may talk about their laser therapy with family and friends in the same age range.
The science of laser therapy is still relatively new, and many patients have never even heard of it. It may not be something your patients know to ask about, which is why physicians need to educate their patients through marketing collateral and digital content.
Create pamphlets, posters and other collateral for your office, and talk to your supplier for any laser therapy marketing resources you can offer on particular products. Brochures and posters should educate patients on how LLLT works and help them understand the different classes of lasers and what they’re for. You can also consider sending similar collateral via direct mail. Online, you can curate educational webpages on your LLLT services and even promote them with paid advertising, email blasts and social media content.
While your promotional materials should highlight the benefits and outcomes for patients, it’s also important to demystify the laser therapy process. Offer evidence from clinical trials and help your patients understand exactly how this process works and why it’s effective.
With your marketing materials in place, consider how to introduce them to patients. Often, when a patient arrives with a condition that’s a good candidate for LLLT, you can have staff present them with a brochure before the physician sees the patient. You might also host an LLLT info session to talk about the procedure with interested patients and distribute more collateral.
Think of your technicians and staff as key influencers in the treatment option decision-making process. Your patients may ask staff members questions about laser treatment before you’ve had a chance to introduce it to them as the doctor. They might also seek more information after meeting with you about it. In either case, ensuring your staff understands and truly believes in the treatment is crucial.
Give your team the resources they need to understand LLLT from a clinical technician’s perspective. Consider directing them to clinical research or educating them yourself. You can also sign up your team for our laser therapy webinars to get everyone familiar with the technology and its applications. Consider letting your staff try the treatment themselves so they can become evangelists for it. When they know how LLLT works and have experienced the benefits themselves, they’re more likely to talk it up to your patients.
When introducing laser therapy at your practice, deciding how to price the service is essential. One benefit to patients is that LLLT is cost-effective compared to other invasive procedures, so it’s critical to frame your cost structure appropriately.
A package deal is an excellent marketing strategy for laser therapy because it keeps patients engaged in treatment. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that LLLT can provide short-term pain relief. However, treatment is a process. Offering laser therapy as a multi-session package deal encourages patients to continue the full treatment plan so they can see results over time. It also prevents them from discontinuing treatment because they didn’t see results right away.
Laser therapy is an unfamiliar treatment option to many patients, which is why it’s so helpful for patients to try it out while they’re considering it. Consider offering a free laser day or letting existing patients get their first laser treatment for free. This can give your existing patients added value by letting them be the first to try the new technology. It can also give you the chance to talk with patients in more depth about LLLT’s benefits as they’re receiving the treatment.
If you own or are considering a laser from Erchonia, we offer many resources to help you implement the treatment into your practice. We offer the Erchonia Marketing Portal, which you can use to print ready-to-use laser therapy marketing materials or use our graphics to create your own marketing materials.
We want to be a trusted partner for practitioners using Erchonia LLLT products. That’s why we offer educational seminars on laser therapy applications and other helpful training and education resources through our eCommunity. As an Erchonia customer, you’ll also be able to list yourself as an Erchonia laser provider on our website.
To learn more about Erchonia laser therapy products, reach out to our team today.
Millions of Americans suffer from muscle and joint pain. According to a study published in March 2020, health care spending increased from an estimated $1.4 trillion in 1996 to $3.1 trillion in 2016. Among the conditions included in the study, back and neck pain had the highest amount of health care spending, followed by other musculoskeletal disorders. In other words, the need for pain-relieving treatment has been on the rise for quite some time.
One way to help patients find relief from inflammation and pain is to use laser therapy. The American College of Physicians strongly recommends that clinicians use non-pharmacological treatments such as laser therapy to treat conditions like chronic low back pain. Laser therapy can positively affect musculoskeletal pain and help patients feel better and heal faster. By using laser therapy, physicians can treat patients effectively and avoid prescribing opioids or surgery for pain.
Doctors can offer laser treatment by applying cold or hot lasers. The main difference between cold and hot lasers is maximum power output. However, greater power also increases the risk of injury. It’s worth weighing the pros and cons of hot and cold lasers, so you can choose a device you’re comfortable using and that will offer the most significant benefits to your patients.
In this post, we’ll explore what laser therapy is and how hot lasers differ from cold ones. If you need assistance selecting a cold laser for your practice, we’ll be happy to assist you at Erchonia.
First, to understand how laser therapy works, it’s essential to know what lasers are. Lasers are beams of light that travel at specific frequencies. Light is composed of photons, which are particles consisting of electromagnetic radiation. During laser therapy, a physician places a handheld laser device to the patient’s skin or directly above the affected area. The photons penetrate the skin and underlying tissues, triggering cellular activity and resulting in pain relief, muscle relaxation, decreased inflammation and tissue regeneration. Using lasers to treat pain is called photobiomodulation.
Physicians can use laser therapy can treat a vast range of musculoskeletal conditions, such as:
Laser therapy is also used in veterinary care to treat arthritis and soft-tissue injuries and promote healing after surgery.
Laser therapy is beneficial in treating musculoskeletal conditions for the following reasons:
Hot lasers are known as Class IV lasers. Class IV lasers have a power output above 500 milliwatts (mW). At a lower power range, hot lasers are used for therapeutic purposes. Higher-intensity Class IV lasers can cut tissue during surgical procedures. Class IV lasers are called hot lasers because they can rapidly increase tissue temperatures.
Doctors might prefer hot laser therapy, also called high-intensity laser therapy (HILT), to quickly provide topical heating for tissue and muscle relaxation. This allows physicians to help patients feel temporary relief. Depending on a patient’s needs and condition, they may start feeling better only after a couple of HILT sessions. However, patients with severe injuries or chronic pain may need additional treatments.
Cold lasers are also known as low-level lasers, and they are among Class II and Class III lasers. Cold lasers have a power output of less than 500 mW. These lasers are called “cold” because they do not generate a thermal effect.
Using cold lasers for therapy is often referred to as low-level laser therapy (LLLT). While cold lasers use less power than Class IV lasers, they have a broader range of FDA market clarences. Physicians apply cold laser to the treatment areas for several minutes, normally ranging from 5-20 minute sessions. They can treat multiple points in a single session, which makes this method especially efficient for patients seeking treatment.
LLLT is nothing new. According to an article published in the MedCrave Online Journal of Orthopedics and Rheumatology, LLLT has been shown to reduce inflammation, swelling and pain, and promote healing in musculoskeletal conditions for over 40 years.
Recent studies continue to support the benefits of LLLT. For example, a meta-analysis from 2019 examined published randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effects of LLLT on fibromyalgia. The researchers concluded that LLLT is a safe and effective treatment for fibromyalgia.
Another meta-analysis from 2019 reviewed randomized controlled trials to determine if LLLT is an effective treatment for plantar fasciitis. According to the study’s researchers, LLLT significantly reduces heel pain, and its results last for three months after treatment.
A 2019 study published in the Journal of Pain and Relief explored the use of the Erchonia FX 635 Class II laser on low back pain. The study found patients continued to experience decreased pain 12 months after treatment. The researchers concluded that LLLT effectively treats low back pain and is a safer alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications and opioids.
Chiropractors, physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons and other health care providers might choose LLLT to safely treat their patients’ pain or inflammation without the risks associated with more powerful lasers.
Veterinarians may also use LLLT to treat dogs with chronic pain and conditions like osteoarthritis. According to a study published in March 2020, preliminary findings suggest that LLLT improves the quality of life for dogs with osteoarthritis and increases client satisfaction.
Class IV lasers are categorized by the FDA under product code “ILY”. This category started as a heating pad and has expanded to thermal lasers, which are intended to “provide topical heating for the purpose of elevating tissue temperature for temporary relief of muscle and joint pain and stiffness, arthritis pain, or muscle spasm, the temporary increase in local blood circulation and/or promoting relaxation of the muscle”.
LLLT is a non-thermal process and classified under FDA product code NHN, powered light-based laser non-thermal instrument with non-heating effect for adjunctive use in pain therapy. Blinded and controlled trials are required for new 510(k) indications. LLLT is FDA cleared for Neck & Shoulder, Carpal Tunnel, Plantar Fasttiss, knee, low back, and overall nociceptive musculoskeletal pain.
An article published by Harvard Medical School titled “Biphasic Dose Response in Low-Level Light Therapy” concludes LLLT delivered at low doses tends to work better than the same wavelength delivered at high levels, which illustrates the basic concept of biphasic dose response or hormesis.
If you’re considering investing in a therapeutic laser, there are plenty of factors to consider other than whether a laser is hot or cold. With so many options on the market, it can be challenging to select a laser device that meets your needs. To help you through the process, here are some factors to consider and questions to ask yourself:
If you’re a health care provider searching for a safe and effective way to help your patients recover from musculoskeletal injuries and pain, laser therapy is an excellent alternative to medications and surgery. Cold laser therapy allows you to treat patients effectively without the risks associated with high-intensity lasers.
At Erchonia, we can help you select a cold laser device to meet your needs. As a developer and manufacturer of low-level lasers, we are committed to advancing LLLT through clinical and scientific research. We are continually innovating to ensure we offer the high-quality technology clinicians and patients expect.
We offer several types of laser devices designed to relieve pain and treat various musculoskeletal conditions. For example, our XLR8 handheld laser uses LLLT to stimulate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and reduce oxidative stress. Health care providers can use the XLR8 to treat chronic pain, providing a safe alternative to pain medications. The cordless handheld design also makes transporting the device between rooms easier, which reduces setup time and increases productivity.
Our FX 635 laser is the world’s first laser designed to treat chronic low back pain. Using low-level laser technology, the FX 635 reduces inflammation and promotes recovery allowing your patients to finally find relief from back pain. It can offer targeted and precise relief due to its laser diode arms, and it can work well alongside other treatments like muscle massages.
If you’re ready to find a dependable product from the leader of LLLT technology, let us know. Contact us today for information about our low-level lasers, or check out our clinical research to learn more.
Even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt our lives and our practices, your
continuing education requirement remains constant. Rather than see your CE courses as yet
another disruption during this time, see them as an excellent opportunity to advance your skills,
enhance your knowledge, and position your practice for growth. And if you’re finding yourself
with some unexpected downtime due to the pandemic, use it wisely to speed up your skills and
enhance your knowledge.
Erchonia is now providing continuing education offerings as in-person courses, teleseminars,
and webinars. By expanding their online offerings, Erchonia is making their classes more
accessible and convenient than ever before. Taught by experts and backed by the leading
manufacturer in laser technology for chiropractors, Erchonia courses are a great and cost
effective way to stay up to date and meet your continuing education requirements.
In-person courses remain a great way to learn from Erchonia. Their new online programs save
you time and expense. Their online teleseminars and webinars are easy to work into your busy
schedule. And if you’re not available to participate live from your home or office, not a problem.
You can catch up with them at your convenience by using the replay link you get along with
your registration.
Laser therapy is a dynamic area—new equipment, new techniques, and new therapeutic uses
are being developed all the time. Our seminars help you keep up with the latest developments
while also enhancing your laser technique and teaching you cutting-edge new applications.
Taught by the industry’s top speakers, Erchonia seminars focus tightly on the latest information
you need for professional growth and better patient outcomes. With our vast range of topics,
you advance your skills, improve your practice, and get accredited continuing education conveniently and at a reasonable cost.
With 18 different market clearances for their laser devices from the FDA, Erchonia is uniquely
positioned to offer accredited low-level laser therapy courses. The Erchonia seminar series covers all aspects of modern laser therapy, from the basics of using low-level hand-held lasers to
clinical applications and therapeutic interventions. You’ll learn how to add laser therapy to your
practice and optimize its potential for your patients. You’ll get expert instruction on laser basics
in our seminars, including choosing and updating the latest laser equipment and using it safely
and effectively. More advanced topics covered by our nationally recognized experts include:
• Clinical use of lasers for upregulation of stalled metabolic pathways
• How laser therapy helps protect and heal the body’s barrier systems
• Improving joint health and reducing pain with laser therapy.
• advanced laser treatments for musculoskeletal conditions and reducing inflammation
• Laser therapy during the stages of healing.
• Vagus nerves stimulation with laser therapy.
Laser therapy modalities are incorporated into all Erchonia courses, both in-person and online,
but the courses go beyond that. You’ll learn cutting-edge approaches to patient health, such
as the latest thinking about the gut-brain axis, pain management, nutritional therapy, pediatric
care, and new approaches to the management of common clinical syndromes. As one of our
most popular instructors, says, “Erchonia lasers can revolutionize your practice. I believe they
should be part of every chiropractor’s armamentarium.”
In addition to courses that help you meet continuing education requirements, Erchonia provides
targeted courses in practice management. You’ll get the practical information you need to take
your business to a new level. Topics covered include strategies for introducing laser therapy into
your practice and ways to manage personal liability.
Industry leaders teach Erchonia courses with national reputations for innovative thinking and
new techniques for optimal patient care. They share their knowledge in carefully designed
classes that make the best use of your time. They’ll help you improve your skills, learn new
ones, and build your expertise in new practice areas. These continuing education courses are
an excellent opportunity to access some of the country’s best instructors, even if you can’t
be present in the lecture room. You’ll be prepared to hit the ground running as your practice
expands to new bounds.
Back pain is a common condition experienced around the world, with 80% of adults in Europe and the U.S. experiencing some type of back pain and up to 20% developing chronic back pain.
If you have chronic back pain, you have alternatives to more traditional treatments. Back pain treatment options include non-invasive methods that can help you find relief.
Chronic back pain lasts for at least three months. This pain may persist in some people for years. Chronic pain can cause what doctors call the “terrible triad,” a series of symptoms including sadness, sleeplessness and suffering. Many adults with chronic low back pain experience a decrease in activity levels or an inability to work due to their pain and related symptoms.
Causes of chronic pain in the back vary among individuals and can include injuries, infections, tumors, arthritis, nerve problems or vertebrae issues. The origin of the pain may inform your doctor of the best specialist to visit. For instance, if you have problems with the vertebrae, you may get a recommendation to see an orthopedist. However, if your nerves cause pain, you might go to a neurologist.
Even with an evaluation and treatment from a doctor with traditional medicine, some people continue to suffer from chronic low back pain. Finding alternative treatment methods to ease suffering is vital to their health and well-being. The good news about many non-invasive pain-relieving methods is that you can combine them to find the best means of easing discomfort. Here are some common alternative therapies to take note of:
Massage therapy feels good and could help with pain relief. It may benefit those who have chronic back pain caused by injuries, fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis.
Don’t confuse massage therapy, which focuses on pressing the muscles, with spinal manipulation, which is a common treatment given by chiropractors. Studies back up the use of spinal manipulation for many types of chronic back pain. For instance, 85% of patients with spondylolisthesis — a condition where a vertebra slips onto the one under it — as the cause of their back pain showed a reduction in discomfort.
Additionally, 90% of those with a diagnosis of sacroiliac syndrome, a condition affecting the sacroiliac joints near the low back, reported less pain from spinal manipulation.
Biofeedback involves using relaxation exercises to create changes in measured biological functions. The patient has monitoring devices connected to them to give data about blood pressure, muscle tension, breathing and heart rates, brain waves and skin temperature. By practicing meditation or similar exercises, the patient learns to take control of automatic bodily functions. With greater control, patients using biofeedback can reduce stress and pain associated with excessive tension. Some studies support biofeedback for improving pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia and headaches.
Chronic back pain could ease through laser therapy. A study of the FX 635 low-level laser showed a 58% reduction in back pain two months after treatment. This laser uses an effective low-level treatment that reduces inflammation. Because it has such a focused beam, the doctor can target the laser directly at the affected spot. Additionally, you can use laser therapy in addition to other forms of non-invasive treatments for back pain. Find a provider near you!
The gentle stretches and meditation of yoga make it ideal for those with chronic back pain. The meditative aspect helps reduce stress while the stretching and movement can decrease pain. It has enough evidence to support its use for fibromyalgia, back pain and arthritis that some doctors prescribe it as part of a treatment regime.
Relaxation therapy can help reduce muscle tension and stress and meet your psychological needs when dealing with back pain. Some people with chronic back pain may experience irritability, depression or frustration. Therefore, meditation and other relaxation techniques that address the psychological effects can help your overall health.
Change your lifestyle to meet your physical limitations. Trying to exceed your physical limits could cause strain and additional pain. Don’t give up regular movement or a healthy lifestyle, but avoid activities that cause significant pain. If you need assistance finding the right balance of activity in your life, talk to your doctor or a physical therapist.
Physical therapy differs from regular exercise. During appointments with a physical therapist, you will learn movements and exercises to strengthen and stretch specific areas of your back that need help. Types of work you may do with a physical therapist include core training, posture exercises, pain limitation testing, flexibility training and aerobics.
Everyone has unique physical therapy needs, so you cannot simply read about exercises or attend a class. Ask your insurance if you need a referral from your physician to make an appointment with a physical therapist.
TENS is a non-invasive technique that sends low-voltage electric currents through the skin to ease pain. In theory, the electricity passing through your skin blocks some of the pain signals from reaching the spinal cord and brain. Additionally, it could promote production of the body’s natural painkillers, like endorphins.
Despite conflicting scientific evidence for the effectiveness of using a TENS unit, patients often report some pain relief while using it. Plus, it does not have side effects and is safe for most people to use. Some doctors consider it safe enough to use with easing labor pains without harming the mother or child. However, those in early pregnancy or people with pacemakers or conditions like epilepsy should not use TENS units.
Acupuncture could produce results for those suffering from chronic pain, including back pain. Researchers combined information from 29 previous studies that included a total of 18,000 patients. Overall, the results showed an average of 50% of participants in all the studies received pain relief from acupuncture.
When starting with acupuncture, you may want to schedule weekly visits with the provider. Based on how your pain responds to the procedure, you could spread out the appointments to obtain maximum relief.
While you can get most of the above treatments outside of doctors’ offices, you need a physician to administer laser therapy. Ask your doctor if they offer laser treatment for back pain. If your current doctor doesn’t offer laser treatment, request it or search for a physician in your area that provides back pain therapy with lasers.
If you want to integrate any of the above non-invasive treatment options for chronic back pain into your plan, talk to your doctor about which will work best for you. As a patient, you have several options for back pain, including laser treatment and other alternative methods. Exercise your right to get the best, most comprehensive care possible by having a conversation with your doctor about these non-invasive methods of pain relief.
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For millions of Americans, pain is a regular part of life. According to a 2016 report, an estimated 50 million American adults suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain may last for weeks or years and feel like an ache, burn or sting. Pain is one of the primary reasons people go to the doctor, and it links with problems such as anxiety, depression, dependence on opioids and overall reduced quality of life.
Chronic pain can be difficult to treat depending on the cause, and sometimes, there is no known reason for the condition. However, specific treatments, such as laser therapy, can help bring fast relief for common ailments like back pain. Laser therapy is a safe and effective solution to relieving pain and healing the body without invasive surgery or potentially harmful medications. Over 4,000 studies demonstrate the positive effects of laser therapy, and it’s earned approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a range of conditions. Still, we don’t fully understand the science of laser therapy for pain, and scientists need to conduct more research to outline how it works. In the meantime, we’ll explore what we currently know about laser therapy’s effects and how it might help you enjoy long-lasting relief from acute or chronic pain.
Laser therapy, also called low-level laser therapy (LLLT) or cold laser therapy uses visible light radiation to produce a photochemical reaction within the body’s cells. LLLT does not emit heat and is why you might also hear people call it cold laser therapy. The treatment uses wavelengths within the visible light spectrum that falls between 400 to 760 nanometers (nm). These wavelengths can penetrate the skin and soft or hard tissues and have clinically proven to have a positive benefit on inflammation, pain and healing.
During an LLLT session, a physician will align the laser-emitting device over the painful area. The low-level laser will then penetrate your skin without causing pain or damage. Your cells will absorb the light energy and convert it into cell energy, suppressing pain and reducing the inflammatory pathways. The entire therapy procedure may only take a few minutes, but you might need to return for follow-up treatments a few times a week for a month or so. Published data shows that results have lasted up to a year.
The lasers used in LLLT are not like those used to perform surgeries. Laser surgery devices use around 300 watts and can cut through the skin. Cold laser devices use between five and 500 milliwatts. The FDA considers cold lasers to be non-heating instruments.
Although there is much to learn about how lasers work for pain management, laser devices are nothing new. In 1967, Hungarian surgeon Endre Mester discovered the ability of laser light to stimulate healing in mice. He then used his findings to treat skin ulcers in human patients. Since then, advancements in LLLT have allowed physicians, dentists, physical therapists, chiropractors, occupational therapists and other medical professionals to treat various conditions. Now, patients can purchase laser therapy devices and find relief from pain and inflammation at home.
When you undergo LLLT, you expose your skin to photons, or particles of light that carry electromagnetic radiation. A portion of your cells, called the mitochondrion, absorbs the photons. This phenomenon causes your mitochondria to accelerate adenosine triphosphate production, which helps fuel cellular processes in the body. Some tissues, like muscles, have a lot of mitochondria because they need energy.
In addition to giving your cells an energy boost, LLLT improves circulation and speeds up tissue healing. Only cells and tissues that are normally dormant absorb the light energy emitted by an LLLT device, and it does not affect healthy cells.
For LLLT to work correctly, you need to choose the right device, because specific wavelengths are more suitable for particular treatments. For example, visible wavelengths in the 400 to 760 produce a photochemical reaction, while infrared wavelengths 760+ work through a photothermal effect, producing heat and potentially harmful side-effects. Use our Find a Provider Form to find our laser near you!
Coping with pain can be a frustrating, time-consuming and sometimes risky experience. For example, turning to back surgery to relieve pain carries the risk of complications. Health experts recommend trying non-invasive treatments such as LLLT before agreeing to get an operation.
There are also issues with taking pain medications to find relief. Doctors typically suggest medicine such as acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain, but these often come with undesirable side effects or do little to help. For more severe pain, a doctor might prescribe an opioid, which carries a high risk of misuse. Patients who do not feel comfortable taking medications and who want an effective way to treat pain or inflammation might look toward LLLT. Here are some of the benefits:
The Erchonia Laser is the only LLLT to receive FDA Clearance to treat overall nociceptive Muscle skeletal pain which includes a vast range of conditions, such as:
There is nothing to fear about LLLT, but there is potential to explore. If you’ve been living with chronic pain or are seeking an alternative way to heal from an injury, you might consider LLLT. If you’re curious about cold laser therapy for purposes other than pain relief, you’ll find it has limitless uses. For example, we can also use LLLT in body contouring applications and acne treatments to help you look and feel better. If you still have questions about lasers and how they work for pain management, we are here to help at Erchonia.
At Erchonia, we are proud to be leaders and innovators in the field of medical equipment manufacturing. We specialize in delivering high-quality low-level laser products to medical professionals and clients. We care about our clients, and we want to help you or your patients find relief from pain quickly, easily and effectively. To learn more about our products or how LLLT works, please reach out to us today.
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Kirk Gair, DC
As we are hunkered down and wondering when we will emerge from quarantine like Punxsutawney Phil, the famed groundhog who predicts the return of spring, we need to be proactive and start planning how we can actually take advantage of this unique event in history to propel us forward as a profession and create opportunities for our office to grow as well.
Historically, “essential” businesses have thrived following recessions, and our designation as an “essential” business can be leveraged as people are going to need our help now more than ever.
Think about the negative effects all the stress, bad eating at home, and inactivity from lockdowns will have on Americans. They are going to emerge with more bodyfat (like the fabled “freshman 15” from college dorm life), more inflammation, more pain, more neuroinflammation, more of everything bad. They are going to be scared to go to traditional medical offices for fear the virus is still lurking there so they will look for alternatives like chiropractic.
If nothing else, this pandemic has shown us how ill prepared most of the country and world has been and the need for everyone to be as proactive with their health as possible before the next one hits. When you look at the stats of what pre-existing conditions were linked with the most complications, you can see where there are some of the biggest opportunities to help people by sharing the chiropractic lifestyle that sees health as so much more than merely the absence of disease.
While everything got shut down out here in California relatively early, I made sure that I was doing everything I could with diet, supplementation, chiropractic, and laser therapy, to make sure my immune system was supported, and I shared that information with my patients. Unfortunately, a large part of the population didn’t value these things as much as they should have prior to this pandemic, but they must come out of this realizing that they cannot take their health for granted
anymore.
I realized I needed to be proactive to plan for what we do next, as that was what not only got my office through the financial crisis in 2007, but also led to huge growth.
California was hit particularly hard then. We had already been hurt in 2004 when Governor Schwarzeneggar, “The Governator” as we called him, basically carved us out of the work comp system. The recession was the final nail in the coffin and we saw record numbers of chiropractic offices go out of business.
I had been sharing office space with another doctor at the time, and our different approaches to the crisis led to wildly different results. He let fear freeze him, and said he was going to “wait to see how everything turns out.”
I told him I planned to trade in my single laser for a base station that had 3 lasers, get a new lease on a different office at a hugely discounted rate, and start promoting my unique laser and chiropractic combo to a group that always needs care, which is athletes.
He thought I was crazy and being too risky, while I saw the opportunity to grow and gain the patients from the offices that closed from not having a plan. The results were that we thrived and got busier than ever, and he ended up quitting chiropractic completely due to lack of a plan and waiting to act until it was too late.
So how am I looking at the worldwide event and planning accordingly? Here is my personal game plan as I am not going to sit around “wait” to see how things go.
Currently I am ramping up my social media, email campaigns, and appearances in online summits and master classes because I know most of my patients are stuck at home and are hungry to learn what they can do to help themselves and their families. Most of the time people are caught up in their daily grind of work and taking kids to school and sports events and don’t have time to read or listen to what you send to them, but now they do, so take advantage of it and position yourself as the expert who has future technology and information now.
When the US becomes open for business again, most Americans will not be in a position to miss work for any reason whatsoever as they will be struggling to pay the bills and keep food on the table for their family. I am preparing my marketing efforts to target construction workers who have been off of the job 6-8 weeks, for service industry workers who have had their hours cut in half due to social distancing, for flight attendants who have been furloughed. These industry workers that help drive the US economy will still be in pain from the years they have been lifting heavy construction equipment, working long shifts on their feet, or sitting in an uncomfortable jump seat for several hours a day. These
patients will still need our help and will not have the ability to take time off work.
80% of adults experience Low Back Pain at some point in their life, and it accounts for the number one reason for work-related disability. These patients suffering from low back pain will not want to pursue back surgery due to the recovery time, they will not want to receive injectables due to the cost. Our profession is in the best position to help these patients, so we need to let them know we are there for them.
Nurses or Doctors who have been working countless hours and insanely long shifts to keep up with the COVID-19 demand at their hospital will be in pain. These frontline workers will need our help now more than ever.
I have already positioned myself as the go to sports guy in my area after the last recession, and now I plan to double down on that. When you combine chiropractic with low level lasers, you can do some amazing things to not only help them recover from injuries but also enhance their performance. I have laser techniques I use that literally change function within a few minutes, and athletes report throwing harder, running faster, and hitting better. I have webinars with research citations and case studies that are free if you are interested to learn more.
One study I cite is from the Journal of Biophotonics, which said that the performance boost from laser therapy on athletes was similar to performance enhancing drugs, and they were not sure if lasers should be allowed in international competition because it gave lasered athletes an “unfair advantage.”
And what athlete doesn’t want an unfair advantage? Look at what Lance Armstrong did to win, or the recent Houston Astros. At least with lasers there is no ethical quandary or side effects.
Young athletes across the USA have been shut down, and when they come back they are going to go at it full speed. This will lead to a lot of injuries that will need your help! Plus, they are going to want to make up for lost time and lasers added to chiropractic care can accelerate their performance like nothing I have ever seen. These athletes and coaches talk a lot and will do a ton of marketing for you when they know you are their “go to” sports chiropractor. The Joint cannot compete with this combo, and these patients will pay cash as they are doing all they can to get a scholarship to college in a way that is different from Lori Loughlin’s method!
First off, no laser or supplement is FDA cleared for “immune boosting.” However, we do know that a healthy diet, proper supplementation (especially when based on lab tests), and chiropractic care, can help keep a body functioning at a high level to minimize the risk of being a weakened host.
What most people are unaware of is the volume of research on lasers that goes back to the 1960s on their ability to have a positive effect on immune markers and to seem to provide some support for various pathways.
For example, did you know that by 1974 the USSR had made low level lasers part of their state sponsored standard medical care program? Most do not.
Most people do not know that violet and blue lasers have been shown in studies to have antimicrobial and antiviral effects, or that those effects require lower dosages when used on living tissue vs when outside of living tissue. One study in the journal Food and Environmental Virology from 2017 by Tomb et. al., showed 405 nm wavelength having a virucidal impact on feline calicivirus and norovirus. But you don’t hear about that very much.
There was news coverage as well about the potential benefits of Viagra for Covid patients because of Nitric Oxide. Well, lasers stimulate the production of nitric oxide, as well as
glutathione, which was also shown to be beneficial. Numerous studies show modulation of IL-6 and IL-10 in a favorable manner as well, but again they don’t get much press.
The lasers that I use have full body clearances for dampening not only pain but also inflammation, and if people paid attention to the news they heard how those inflammatory
cytokine storms were the deal breakers in how people responded.
Patients are going to come out of this pandemic having a better understanding of just how important it is to lower inflammation and do all you can to support your immune system. This creates a unique opportunity for us as we have a special skill set that mainstream care is far behind in understanding.
Well, first off, we know from previous recessions that one thing that always has a demand is the beauty side of things. An article from Reuters during the last recession quoted researchers from TCU who found that a downturn in the economy has a positive impact on the beauty industry, in what has been dubbed the “lipstick effect” and that price is not an issue.
According to Prof Sarah Hill from TCU, whose research is published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, a downturn in the economy has been linked to an upswing in beauty sales since the Great Depression.
Furthermore, The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery stated that despite the recession, Americans shelled out almost $10.5 billion to get pretty, and there was only a 2 percent decrease in the total number of procedures.
Dr. Richard Fleming, a facial plastic surgeon and co-director of The Beverly Hills Institute in California said a fresher look enhances job prospects.
“From executives to everyday working people in the corporate world particularly, they look at improving their appearances as an investment in their future, because appearance does count,” he said. “If they don’t look as good as the person with similar qualifications, my bet is on the person who looks more rested and looks better than the one who looks tired.”
Fleming said even the unemployed shell out the bucks to get cosmetic procedures.
“While people are out of work, they’re not doing it for personal reasons because they want to look better,” he said. “They’re doing it because it’s more competitive than it was before the recession. That’s their stimulus – spending money trying to get in the workforce.”
About 85 percent of the total procedures were nonsurgical ones, according to American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. These types of procedures, such as Botox and chemical fillers to reduce wrinkling, cost less than major surgeries.
“People might not have money for more involved procedures which last longer,” Fleming said. “But they do have money for fillers, Botox, that kind of thing.”
So what is my plan of attack, and what do cosmetic surgery stats have to do with chiropractic? Here are some big points I’m targeting based on prior data:
With the above cosmetic stats in mind, one of the big things we are going to promote once the stay at home orders are lifted is our Zerona Z6 non surgical laser body contouring packages. People are posting memes all over social media about their before and after quarantine weight gain, and they are going to want to get that off ASAP, especially with summer right there.
We are going to offer these packages where the patient can use Varidi, which is not credit based, to finance their fat loss packages over 6 or 12 months while we can get the full money up front.
This will create a nice boost in cash flow, and according to the stats from the last recession, with people trying to get an advantage over others for a job while coming out of quarantine we expect this to be a big boom for our office.
This is a time when you can get some awesome technology added to your practice that you may have been thinking about for a long time but didn’t have the time to learn about or didn’t like the interest rates. Right now you can add these pieces of equipment or office upgrades at insanely low price points or interest rates
You also have the time to finally watch webinars and take online courses for CEU while learning how to master and implement lasers and other technologies into your practice. I would turn the
“negatives” of this slowdown into “opportunities” and start planning now!
Erchonia Low Level Laser, the Future of Medicine
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Erchonia Corporation
Contact:
Click here for the published interview. Interview conducted by:
CEOCFO: Mr. Shanks, we spoke almost three years ago and at that time you told us you believe low-level laser is the future of medicine. How has that developed over the last three years at Erchonia?Mr. Shanks: Since the last time we spoke, we have obtained several new indications or FDA 510k market clearances. In 2018 we were cleared for lower back pain. The clearance was obtained through a blind and controlled clinical trial; In June of this year we received another indication from the FDA for overall neuromuscular pain, and last week for chronic neck and shoulder pain.
CEOCFO: How does low-level laser work?Mr. Shanks: A simple analogy would be if you look at Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), such as Advil® and Tylenol®, NSAIDs reduce pain by reducing inflammation. They are Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors or they reduce inflammation through a process called, TNF-alpha. These drugs are designed to suppress immune function and reduce inflammation; low level lasers can prove better results without suppressing immune function. Both have similar mechanisms of action, drugs create biochemical affect, low level lasers create a photochemical affect.
CEOCFO: Why has it been so difficult to treat chronic back pain and how have you been so successful in developing the right treatment?Mr. Shanks: If you are going to take an NSAID or an opioid, all you are really doing is treating the symptom; you are not treating the condition. Therefore, you are going to have to keep taking the drug pretty much forever because you have not dealt with the root cause of the problem. We believe that low-level laser therapy deals with the root cause of the problem and we base this on clinical trial and our long-term follow-up.
CEOCFO: Is this done by a medical professional?Mr. Shanks: Right now, all of our pain lasers are by order of a physician, so we only market to doctors.
CEOCFO: How often would somebody need a treatment?Mr. Shanks: It depends on the condition. For instance, we were just FDA cleared for submitted data on a neck and shoulder study that we just completed; we documented pain reduction of about 60% in one treatment. For our low back pain, which is a more complex condition, the protocol was 8 treatments and for plantar fasciitis it was 6 treatments.
CEOCFO: What is the feeling in the medical community?Mr. Shanks: There is a lot of skepticism based on this technology not being taught in most medical schools and are shining a light on a patient and there is no sensation.
CEOCFO: Regarding the back pain, is your device something an orthopedist, chiropractor or therapist would be able to use? How wide a range of medical professionals do you target?Mr. Shanks: We market to chiropractors, physical therapists, podiatrists and doctors that are treating pain management. What we are seeing lately is a lot of practitioners have been referring out their pain patients because how strictly opioids are regulated at this point. Medical doctors are becoming more and more open to low level laser, the doctors do not want to turn a pain patient away, so they refer them out. Therefore, we think that is a big market for us in the future.
CEOCFO: How do you reach the market?Mr. Shanks: We do our own seminars and we advertise to doctors to come to a specific location where we teach them over a weekend how to treat based on our research. We do about ten to twelve seminars a month. We will also do national trade shows such as PAIN Week, Physical Therapy, Obesity tradeshows along with Chiropractic and Podiatry tradeshows.
CEOCFO: What is the physical equipment?Mr. Shanks: We market mechanically scanning and handheld devices; these lasers are designed to go right to the area of pain. Most of our research lately is with mechanically scanning lasers for lower back pain, plantar fasciitis and overall muscular skeletal pain, we try to build devices which are as simple as targeting the area to be treated and pushing a button.
CEOCFO: Is there any potential downside with low-level laser treated?Mr. Shanks: There are no known side-effects. The worse thing is you are not going to respond to treatment. There was a great article published in JAMA last year where they looked at chronic pain for over a year and they showed NSAIDs reduce pain by 26% and opioid reduce pain about 20% and stated based on the side effects they did not recommend treating chronic pain with drugs. Whereas, we have been able to document about a 50% pain reduction without side effects.
CEOCFO: Do you reach out to the public, to patients to encourage them to ask their doctors and chiropractors about your low-laser therapy as an alternative treatment for their pain?Mr. Shanks: That would be effective, but we are a small family business, so we do not have the money like the drug companies to start paying for TV advertising to market directly to patients.
CEOCFO: What are you looking at next?Mr. Shanks: We are now looking at autism and Alzheimer’s disease and peripheral neuropathy. Then sometime in the late fall we will be looking at tinnitus or ringing in the ears.
CEOCFO: Would you tell us about the autism and Alzheimer’s treatment you are working on now?Mr. Shanks: We have already completed a blinded and controlled clinical train on autism, and the results were phenomenal. The FDA did not accept that data, so I am meeting with them again in September to start the project again. However, this is not unusual, as many of our clinical trials go through the same process. With Alzheimer’s, we are in the middle of it and hopefully by the end of the year I will know what the results are. With peripheral neuropathy we are starting our second clinical trial and it will hopefully be completed in 2020.
CEOCFO: Where in the body are you targeting with autism?Mr. Shanks: We are targeting the brain itself. Based on we PUBLISHED measuring connectivity in the brain with Quantitative Electroencephalogram (QEEG) or EEG, looking at pre and post treatments and documenting that the laser seems to be connecting the brain activity. Basically, in autistic kids the connectivity might not be what should be a normal child. This research is going to help explain scientifically what we are seeing clinically.
CEOCFO: It seems there is no condition a low-level laser might not help!Mr. Shanks: My opinion is that any condition you can treat with a drug, you can treat with a low-level laser. I think the laser is more effective and there is no downside. If you go on PubMed, you are going to find over nine thousand articles published on low level laser and there are no known side-effects. CEOCFO: Is cost a big factor for the clinicians that are using your equipment or do they realize the value?Mr. Shanks: Cost is always a factor but once the doctors purchase the device, the cost of the device completely goes away, because of the value they are seeing based on the results the patients and seeing.
CEOCFO: No disposables to be purchased along with the equipment?Mr. Shanks: There are no disposables. We warranty our devices for two years.
CEOCFO: What is your geographic range today?Mr. Shanks: We just kicked off in Japan today for another one of our devices for toenail fungus, and we have distributors in most countries in the world.
CEOCFO: What should we expect a year from now at Erchonia?Mr. Shanks: Hopefully, we are going to be talking about my 510(k) for autism and Alzheimer’s disease. Those will be my next big ones out, and I hope will be cleared by sometime in 2020.
CEOCFO: How do you deal with some of the frustration when you know in your heart it is going to work but there is so much proof that goes into approval?Mr. Shanks: I can remember the day that I got my first 510(k) clearance in 2002 for chronic neck and shoulder pain, I think the struggle is worth it once we obtain the FDA 510k letter. You just have to keep your eyes focused on the prize and if you look at all the negativity and all the naysayers, I would probably never been in this business.
CEOCFO: Final thoughts?Mr. Shanks: If you have not heard of low-level laser therapy, I think in twenty years everybody will be exploring this technology. It is the future of medicine. If you look at the results just on pain, and measure low level laser compared to drugs I believe that we have demonstrated a more cost effective and efficacious treatment.
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“If you have not heard of low-level laser therapy, I think in twenty years everybody will be exploring this technology. It is the future of medicine. If you look at the results just on pain, and measure low level laser compared to drugs I believe that we have demonstrated a more cost effective and efficacious treatment.”- Steven Shanks
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FDA Clears Low Level Laser for “Whole Body” Pain
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing clearance to the Erchonia Corporation for its FX 635 low-level laser as treatment for “whole body” musculoskeletal pain, the manufacturer has announced. The 510(k) clearance will allow the marketing of the device to provide temporary relief from pain that is chronic and nociceptive in adult patients. The decision was based in part on a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of more than 200 patients with this type of pain. Results showed that those who received the laser therapy without any adjunctive treatment had a 49% reduction in pain post-treatment. This is greater than the results from the large SPACE trial, published in JAMA in 2018. That trial showed a pain-reduction rate of 20% for opioids and 26% for non-opioids, which were mainly NSAIDs, the manufacturer notes. Charlie Shanks, vice president at Erchonia, noted in a press release that previous FDA clearances the company has received for its therapeutic laser technology were limited to specific areas of the body. Now, the company has “the only whole-body indication based on Level 1 clinical data,” he said in a press release. “Based on these results, the fact that there are no known negative side effects, and that it’s non-addictive, our low-level laser technology should be considered” by clinicians treating these patients, Shanks added. Promotes BiostimulationOn its website, under the subcategory “Lasers for Pain,” Erchonia notes that the FX 635 was previously cleared by the FDA to treat heel pain associated with plantar fasciitis and chronic low back pain. For the latter indication, the device uses “low-level laser technology and patented laser diode arms to precisely target lower back pain centers. It reduces inflammation while promoting biostimulation at a cellular level in the musculoskeletal point of the pain’s origination,” the manufacturer writes. It notes that today’s market clearance was based on the earlier mentioned trial in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, as well as on previous trials of patients with chronic neck and shoulder pain (conducted in 2002), heel pain (in 2014), and low back pain (in 2018). “Erchonia’s other 510(k) market clearances for post-surgical pain in 2004 and 2008 were not part of this FDA submission as they were acute pain studies, not chronic pain,” they add.
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“It’s new technology on the market to help patients and it’s good exposure for the students”
Kent State College of Podiatric Medicine received a donation of two high-tech lasers to be used at the university and Cleveland Foot & Ankle Clinics.
Erchonia Corporation, a global leader in developing low level laser therapy technology, donated their FX 635 and Lunula Lasers to be used in a clinical setting.
This donation makes Kent State the third podiatry college in the nation to have the opportunity to work with these lasers. The New York Podiatric College was first, followed by Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago.
The FX 635 laser is used to treat chronic lower back pain and heel pain due to plantar fasciitis. The Lunula laser is used to treat onychomycosis [toenail fungus] and is the first and only non-thermal, “cold” laser to receive FDA market clearance for treating toenail fungus.
David Tucek, sales manager at Erchonia Corporation, hopes to push forward the future of medicine beyond what is standard in the United States by donating these lasers to Kent State.
“The standard in the United States right now is surgery and medications like opioids, things of that nature,” he said. “We’re hoping to give a non-invasive option, that in the majority of cases for pain related conditions, has a much better efficacy than medications or surgery.”
Based out of Melbourne, Florida, Erchonia Corporation has been developing and manufacturing low level medical lasers for 23 years.
Every laser manufactured by Erchonia Corporation is pain free with zero side effects and there have been zero adverse effects in the history of the company, Tucek said. All Erchonia’s lasers are also FDA cleared through level one clinical studies.
Erchonia Corporation connected with Kent State in December 2017 when they attended a conference hosted by Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine in Orlando.
“We really appreciated the people at Kent State and the event they put on,” Tucek said. “We’re working currently with New York and Chicago and Kent State was one of those we said we really wanted to work with. We really liked what they’re doing and trying to accomplish in podiatry and really wanted to partner up with someone like Kent State.”
Patrick Riley, director of advancement at Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine, works to continue advancing medical education efforts in the college.
“It’s new technology on the market to help patients and it’s good exposure for the students,” Riley said. “We’re very happy Erchonia chose us to give this donation to.”
Maria McGinnis is a reporter. Contact her at mmcginn9@kent.edu.
“With many people suffering from heel pain or toenail fungus, it’s important for our future doctors to understand what treatment options are out there and how Erchonia is making a difference.”
INDEPENDENCE, OH June 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ –Erchonia Corporation, global leader in the manufacturing and development of low-level lasers, has donated two of its high-tech lasers to Kent State Podiatry College to be used at the university and at the Cleveland Foot & Ankle Clinics.
Podiatry students will be able to use Erchonia’s FX 635 and Lunula Lasers in a clinical setting. This is the third podiatry college in the nation to have the opportunity to use these lasers. The first was the New York Podiatric College, and the second was Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago.
“We are honored to help give these students hands-on experience with our latest FDA cleared technologies,” says Steve Shanks, president of Erchonia Corporation. “With many people suffering from heel pain or toenail fungus, it’s important for our future doctors to understand what treatment options are out there and how Erchonia is making a difference.”
The FX635 Laser is used to treat both chronic lower back pain and chronic heel pain related to plantar fasciitis, and the Lunula Laser is used to treat onychomycosis (toe nail fungus). The Lunula Laser is the first and only non-thermal, “cold” laser to receive FDA market clearance for onychomycosis.
“The college is excited to partner with Erchonia Corporation and include this technology in our Cleveland Foot & Ankle Clinics to educate our students and treat patients,” said Dr. Allan Boike, Dean and CEO of Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine. “As the leader in low level laser therapy, we look forward to providing alternative treatment modalities for patients suffering from chronic heel pain and inflammation, as well as onychomycosis. Our goal is to work with our faculty and students to initiate clinical trials and provide better patient care options.”
About Erchonia Corporation
Based in Melbourne, Florida, family-owned Erchonia is the global leader in the manufacturing and development of low level laser therapy technology (“3LT”). From humble beginnings in a garage in 1996, Erchonia today develops and sells the most advanced, non-invasive 3LT medical equipment on the market in over 50 countries. With 14 different market clearances from the FDA, Erchonia remains passionately committed to effective, research-based 3LT solutions for a wide variety of conditions — from managing chronic pain to promoting fat loss. For more information, please visit www.erchonia.com.
Steven Shanks