Definition of Laser Acupuncture and All Kinds of Photo Acupuncture
Research Unit for Complementary and Integrative Laser Medicine, Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, and TCM Research Center Graz, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 39, EG19, 8036 Graz, Austria
Medicines 2018, 5(4), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines5040117
Submission received: 22 October 2018
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Revised: 25 October 2018
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Accepted: 29 October 2018
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Published: 30 October 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Laser Medicine and Traditional Acupuncture Therapy)
Abstract
:This editorial contains a general definition of laser acupuncture and all kinds of photo acupuncture accepted by the World Association for photobiomoduLation Therapy (WALT).
The number of studies on laser acupuncture listed in the SCI and PubMed databases is steadily increasing. Altogether, in PubMed, the most important medical database (www.pubmed.gov), there are 921 publications on this topic as of 20 October 2018. However, at the moment, there is no common accepted definition of the term laser acupuncture.
On 5 October 2018, the following general definition of laser acupuncture was developed and discussed during a consensus session (Chairman of the session: Prof. Gerhard Litscher) at the 12th International WALT (World Association for photobiomoduLation Therapy) Congress in Nice (Figure 1), in France. In this session, the chairman, all invited speakers, and, in addition, 28 experts from around the world agreed. The next day (6 October 2018), among other things, the proposal was presented by the chairman in the context of another consensus session and the entire executive board of WALT (Chair: Prof. Praveen Arany, President of WALT and Co-Chair of the Congress and Prof. Rene-Jean Bensadoun, Co-Chair of the Congress) also approved the proposal. Here is the definition:
Definition of Laser Acupuncture *:
“Photonic stimulation of acupuncture points and areas to initiate therapeutic effects similar to that of needle acupuncture and related therapies together with the benefits of PhotoBioModulation (PBM)”
*) and all kinds of Photoacupuncture
The basics of laser acupuncture are well described in scientific literature [1,2,3,4]. In addition, it has also been shown that laser acupuncture and needle acupuncture in healthy participants are able to produce different brain patterns [5]. Laser acupuncture activates the precuneus relevant to mood in the posterior default mode network, while needle acupuncture activates the parietal cortical region associated with the primary motor cortex. Further investigations are warranted to evaluate the clinical relevance of these effects [5].
It is also appropriate to indicate here that WALT guidelines will be coming out shortly (Summer 2019) on the current state of knowledge with primarily human treatment studies specifically, but also evidence from lab studies.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to express his thanks to all invited speakers of the laser acupuncture session, especially to Volkmar Kreisel MD, Michael Weber MD, and Jasmin Stadler MD, and to all participants. A special thanks is dedicated to Prof. Roberta Chow from Sydney, Australia, for her valuable help in the discussion within the laser acupuncture consensus guideline session.
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflict of interest.
References
- Litscher, G.; Litscher, D. Scientific Aspects of Innovative Laser Medicine. In Laser Acupuncture and Innovative Laser Medicine; Bahr, F., Litscher, G., Eds.; Bahr & Fuechtenbusch: Munich, Germany, 2018; pp. 13–77. [Google Scholar]
- Litscher, G. Laser acupuncture and heart rate variability—Scientific considerations. Medicines 2018, 5, 43. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Litscher, D.; Wang, J.; Litscher, G.; Li, G.; Bosch, P.; Van den Noort, M.; Wang, L. Gender differences in laser acupuncture—Results of a crossover study with green and yellow laser at the ear point Shenmen. Medicines 2018, 5, 24. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Litscher, G. Laser acupuncture research: China, Austria, and other countries—Update 2018. Medicines 2018, 5, 92. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Quah-Smith, I.; Williams, M.A.; Lundeberg, T.; Suo, C.; Sachdev, P. Differential brain effects of laser and needle acupuncture at LR8 using functional MRI. Acupunct Med. 2013, 31, 282–289. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
Figure 1.
World Association for photobiomoduLation Therapy (W.A.L.T.). 12th International Congress, Nice, France, 3–6 October 2018 (© WALT).
Figure 1.
World Association for photobiomoduLation Therapy (W.A.L.T.). 12th International Congress, Nice, France, 3–6 October 2018 (© WALT).
© 2018 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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MDPI and ACS Style
Litscher, G. Definition of Laser Acupuncture and All Kinds of Photo Acupuncture. Medicines 2018, 5, 117. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines5040117
AMA Style
Litscher G. Definition of Laser Acupuncture and All Kinds of Photo Acupuncture. Medicines. 2018; 5(4):117. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines5040117
Chicago/Turabian StyleLitscher, Gerhard. 2018. "Definition of Laser Acupuncture and All Kinds of Photo Acupuncture" Medicines 5, no. 4: 117. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines5040117
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