The Healing Tool We Didn't Know We Needed: Exploring Laser Therapy for Healing in My Mom's Health Journey

There are a multitude of things that I have learned in regard to healing with gadgets at seminars. At the annual Parker Seminars that Vanessa and I attend, there are SO many vendors who tout the latest and greatest innovations when it comes to health and wellness. At the last one we went to in March, it was especially taxing for Vanessa and I... the classes started early, and were about at 15 min walk from our hotel. This meant that every break, every lunch, every morning and evening we would walk about 10-15 minutes. If you did the math on that, it was about an hour-2 hours of walking per day on top of dense information and not the best sleep-- and by the 3rd day in a row, we were... achy. I thought it was the perfect opportunity for us to try all the new cool tools that the vendors had out. Vanessa in particular had a headache and shoulder/neck soreness. After trying a few things out, I asked her how her headache and shoulder were after each free trial. She would say it was a little better, or it would switch sides, but it never really subsided. Then I thought well, I know her spine, so I decided afterward to adjust her. I ended up adjusting her neck and she said it instantly made her headache go away and her shoulder felt lighter. It taught me a very important lesson- that there is still nothing out there that can beat a good adjustment.

So I got a laser. Now I know many of you might be thinking... But Dr. Zhu, you JUST said that you tried a bunch of different tools and gadgets in the name of science and that there's still nothing better than a quality chiropractic adjustment! Yeah, I did, and I still stand by that. So then why did I just drop a load of money on the most expensive handheld laser on the market right now? Short answer: My mom made me do it!

Not many know about this, but over the last month, my mom's health took a turn. Long story short, what we thought was a case of mild pneumonia ended up being a heart valve defect needing major surgery, where she had a stroke during the operation and had a seizure when she was intubated... needless to say she went through a LOT in a short amount of time and it snowballed FAST. I felt extremely helpless because there was NOTHING I could do to help her at the time. If you know me, I do NOT like feeling helpless when it comes to health, especially of a cherished loved one. It prompted me to ask myself a very important question: What do you do for someone when you cannot adjust them? So I went into a bit of a spiral (as I often do, ask Vanessa) into any and all information on how to help naturally speed healing and recovery, especially when adjustments aren't able to be provided. That led me to lasers- specifically low level laser therapy (LLLT). I was reading research, listening to lectures, attending virtual seminars, health podcasts, to understand the viability of this intervention that could help my mom's healing during this sensitive time.

Let me say, everything I read and heard was nothing short of promising... on the verge of "too good to be true" territory. So much so that I borrowed a laser from my colleague (thank you Dr. Wu at Icon!) to test on her. While she was bedridden, she mentioned how her left leg was numb and more difficult to move. We were all very skeptical so this was the time to see if LLLT would help or not. I input a "numbness" setting that had an auto timer of 15 minutes and pointed it to her leg. Within 2 minutes of using the laser, she said that she already felt like the numbness was better and instinctually started to move her leg more. That was enough for me to pursue getting one... and ours just came in two days ago.

Fresh out of the box! GVL laser

Of course, once I got it, I made a house call to my mom. After being at the hospital where she went to ICU, transferred hospitals while intubated, had her surgery, back to ICU, moved to regular hospital room, transferred to post acute rehabilitation center, she is now thankfully home. When I asked her how she was doing, she said that she had muffled hearing and head pressure where it was like she was under water. She also said that all the medication she is on (she's on 10 medications right now) upset her stomach and make her feel nausea and low appetite. She also noted that even her taste is affected where she thinks everything tastes the same. I went to work with using the laser on specific settings for the affected lobes of her brain, her Vagus nerve, and gut. Eager to know how she was doing, I asked her if she felt any difference, and was met with a semi-cynical "I'll let you know tomorrow." The next day I got a call from my dad saying "Mom wanted me to call you and say that she woke up this morning and her hearing was better and that she didn't feel under water." Jaw Drop. When I visited later that day, she also noted she had a little less upset stomach. Needless to say I'll be making daily house visits from now on.

My mom has a great sense of humor, she likes to keep things light and often does that by hiding her discomforts, but before the laser came in she DID say "if this works even a little, then it's worth it." I totally agree. I continue to learn more about LLLT and its applications. There are so many gimmicks out there in the name of health and wellness that when I find a legitimate non-invasive, highly researched and effective means of healing and repair, I feel a moral and ethical responsibility to explore it in depth. And after vetting it, I feel obligated offer it to enhance the life and longevity of my community. Come check it out, try it with chiropractic, and meanwhile I will be sure to keep you posted on what I see!