Friday, July 31, 2015

Laser On Adhesions..How Would That Even Work?


Months ago, I received the advice to go check out a doctor that performs Chiropractic Neurology. I was told that he uses a laser to treat adhesions. He works outside the body, making it much less invasive than the most popular treatment, surgery. My response was, "laser on adhesions..how would that even work?" I was intrigued and also extremely hopeful that it could be the solution to fix my abdominal pain.

It took me a few months to get in, but the doctor was extremely helpful and sat down with me for quite a long chat and went over what he does and whether or not he could help me. He went over my medical records before I got to the appointment (which any good doctor will do) and was armed with a plan of attack in mind.

He made mention of the fact that I am a bit of a tough case. And it was refreshing that he knew the difference between my case and the folks that have normal scar tissue growth. He knows that I am a "super grower" as I have called it before. Everyone grows scar tissue. Not everyone keeps growing it until it takes over your entire abdomen. Nevertheless, he did think he could help me. So what exactly does he do? How does it work? Can it really help me?

To give you the most accurate information, I am taking the following verbiage straight from his website. I'm not great with remembering names of procedures or equipment, and I want you to know where you can find the information. But, I also want you to know exactly what to look for in your city or somewhere close if you decide to seek out this treatment. Maybe you want to come out to sunny Tucson for treatment?

There are a couple of different ways he goes about tackling adhesions. The first way is to use Laser Therapy or Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). To do this, he uses Helium-Neon (HeNe) and Laser Diode/Infrared equipment. What does that mean to me and probably most of you? He uses a laser. :) His website also states that research has shown LLLT creates photobiostimulation which activates enzymatic processes in our cells that promote cell metabolism (a fancy way to say it increases cell function) that eventually increase/release key hormones from the pineal gland whose primary source of stimulation is light energy. LLLT has been successful in treating carpal tunnel syndrome up to 85% of the time and other non repetitive stress disorders. Fibromyalgia seems to respond well as does trigeminalneuralgia, scar tissue, complications from surgery, torn cartilage, nerve damage and headaches, muscular injuries, open wound and diabetic lesions. And clinical research continues to be done on hundreds of different conditions.

The second way he tackles adhesions is to use Physio-Therapy.  He uses an ultra sound, which is the use of high frequency sound waves which increase blood flow for increased nutrition and fuel delivery and to soften scar tissue and break up adhesions. It also softens scar tissue and relieves pain. Another part of Physio-Therapy is Electrical Muscle Stimulation. There are many different types for many conditions and I highly recommend you go over to this page of his website for a little more about this.

He also uses Massage, Nutrition, Acupuncture, Applied Kinesiology as well as personalized techniques! He is certainly a man of many talents and I am quite sure there are more of these type of doctors around the country or in your area, but obviously, I can't say for sure. You would want to do a search in your area.

But now that I have given you the information about what exactly he and possibly other Chiropractic Neurologists do...here's another little story that relates.

I happened to run into a friend of a friend that has actually been receiving treatment from this very doctor and she had nothing but positive things to say about him and the treatment. It was almost as if I was supposed to see her that day and I was supposed to hear it. However, I believe she suffered from normal scar tissue growth which everyone gets. She hasn't had continuous issues with adhesions and had multiple surgeries to keep getting "cleaned out". So, if you have normal scar tissue growth, I believe these types of treatments could help you. Obviously, I'm not a doctor. But I am someone that has undergone multiple surgeries and have researched this condition thoroughly. And I live with them, day in and day out.

So what about those of us who are "super growers"? Can it help us as well? The doctor was very honest with me. It would not be a quick fix. Because of the growth rate of my adhesions, it would be an uphill battle..but not impossible.

Now for a little bad news. Because these are "alternative treatments"... what does that mean? Yep, you guessed it..THEY ARE NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE! (Yes, I am yelling) Ugh! Of course! So the bad news is that these treatments are a little on the expensive side. If you have the money to try it, I highly suggest it.

Some people have had great success with other treatments such as Myofascial Release and Acupuncture. I did not. It was a lot of pain to endure and didn't seem to benefit me at all. And I will never try it again! If you have normal scar tissue growth, though, you may fall in with the success stories from these treatments. 

I am in the process of trying to work this Chiropractic Neurologist into my budget, because I do think it could work. And I am willing to try almost anything to get my life back. Speaking of back, :) this treatment is also used on backs. I have the lower back of a 90 year old (or at least that's how it feels) I have herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis and slight scoliosis! He was actually a little more on the positive side for my back and thought he could help the back issues quicker than the adhesions..but I am going to stay positive and give it a go.

If anyone gets to the treatment before I do, please come back and comment to let us know how it's going. If no one else gets to it before I do, obviously, I will be back to let you know of my progress..as slow as it may or may not be due to financial constraints.

I would like to thank Dr. Nathan Conlee for talking to me like a human being, not just another patient. And for giving me some great information and insight. But above all else, giving me hope. Hope is hard to come by when you have chronic pain. Thank you for the hope!

All medical verbiage was taken directly from Dr. Conlee's website. Go check him out for yourself..only you can choose what's right for your own body. But hopefully this gave you some food for thought.

~ Until next time...




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