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Shine a light on pain treatment
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| Pamela Swanson, right, treats Ken Carlson’s arthritic shoulder with pinpoint accuracy. (BRETT CROXTON/Big Bear Grizzly) |
By BRETT CROXTON
Almost everyone will be confronted with big health questions at some point in his or her life. Some choose surgery or medication, but for those who are wary of such treatment techniques, there are other options out there.
Pamela Swanson is a Low Intensity Laser Therapy technician. LILT, as it is known in the industry, is the practice of applying red and infrared light to injuries and wounds to essentially jolt the body’s cells into the natural healing process. “Basically the light will stimulate the cells, which may be diseased or otherwise not functioning properly, into working the way they’re supposed to,” Swanson said.
Swanson received training in Canada for the company she now works for, Meditech, two years ago. After spending four months receiving additional experience in Orange County, she started her Big Bear practice.
Swanson said LILT can be helpful in treating chronic musculoskeletal conditions, arthritis, fibromyalgia, sports-related injuries, ligament, muscle and tendon strains and sprains and more ailments. Swanson even treats herself to LILT occasionally. “I have a really bad back, so sometimes I’ll give myself a treatment,” she said. “It’s great for pain relief.”
For Ken Carlson, 68, it’s all about attitude. “(Laser therapy) has definitely helped my pain,” he said. “It’s changed my whole life, my whole mental attitude has changed.” Carlson, owner of Village Pizza, said he’s had severe arthritis in his shoulders for 10 years. He started using alternative methods of dealing with the pain and limited range of motion about 18 months ago.
He started with acupuncture administered by Dr. Chaohua Fang, who shares many patients with Swanson, and has been receiving laser therapy from Swanson for six months. “I was on Celebrex and seeing Dr. (John) Bulrice, and my goal was to get off the Celebrex because of the health risks,” Carlson said. “And a shoulder replacement is expensive and extremely painful. I didn’t want to go through the recovery and physical therapy needed after surgery, so Dr. Bulrice suggested maybe I look into alternative options.”
Carlson said that with Bulrice’s approval he began acupuncture treatment and felt relief immediately. “Holy cow, there’s such a large difference,” Carlson said of the disparity between the relief he experienced with medication and that he received through acupuncture and laser therapy. “I would have (used alternative options) from the get-go if I had had any idea.”
Carlson said he was getting ready to retire from working in his pizza parlor and wanted to be sure he could continue to do the things he enjoyed. “It was so bad when I started (laser treatment) I couldn’t even wear a T-shirt to treatments because I couldn’t raise my arms to put the shirt back on,” he said. “Now I can go fishing and work on cars, do the things I love to do.” He added that when he has an arthritic flare-up, he can get a treatment and the pain will be gone by the same evening. “I can sleep pain-free the night of a treatment,” he said.
“It all comes down to quality of life,” Carlson said. “Thanks to (laser treatment and acupuncture) I’m able to do the stuff other people take for granted. A lot of it is mental. As you age, you get angry over your loss of abilities, but now I can spend the weekend with my kids and grandkids and be able to keep up and participate. I’m not the mean old guy.”
Carlson said he’s glad he didn’t get his shoulders replaced 10 years ago. “(The artificial shoulders) only last 10 years, so if I had done that, I’d be back to square one by now,” he said.
For more information on pricing or to book an appointment, call Swanson at 909-273-9267 or Fang at 909-556-8087.
Contact reporter Brett Croxton at 909-866-3456, ext. 142 or by e-mail at bcroxton.grizzly@gmail.com.
Pamela Swanson is a Low Intensity Laser Therapy technician. LILT, as it is known in the industry, is the practice of applying red and infrared light to injuries and wounds to essentially jolt the body’s cells into the natural healing process. “Basically the light will stimulate the cells, which may be diseased or otherwise not functioning properly, into working the way they’re supposed to,” Swanson said.
Swanson received training in Canada for the company she now works for, Meditech, two years ago. After spending four months receiving additional experience in Orange County, she started her Big Bear practice.
Swanson said LILT can be helpful in treating chronic musculoskeletal conditions, arthritis, fibromyalgia, sports-related injuries, ligament, muscle and tendon strains and sprains and more ailments. Swanson even treats herself to LILT occasionally. “I have a really bad back, so sometimes I’ll give myself a treatment,” she said. “It’s great for pain relief.”
For Ken Carlson, 68, it’s all about attitude. “(Laser therapy) has definitely helped my pain,” he said. “It’s changed my whole life, my whole mental attitude has changed.” Carlson, owner of Village Pizza, said he’s had severe arthritis in his shoulders for 10 years. He started using alternative methods of dealing with the pain and limited range of motion about 18 months ago.
He started with acupuncture administered by Dr. Chaohua Fang, who shares many patients with Swanson, and has been receiving laser therapy from Swanson for six months. “I was on Celebrex and seeing Dr. (John) Bulrice, and my goal was to get off the Celebrex because of the health risks,” Carlson said. “And a shoulder replacement is expensive and extremely painful. I didn’t want to go through the recovery and physical therapy needed after surgery, so Dr. Bulrice suggested maybe I look into alternative options.”
Carlson said that with Bulrice’s approval he began acupuncture treatment and felt relief immediately. “Holy cow, there’s such a large difference,” Carlson said of the disparity between the relief he experienced with medication and that he received through acupuncture and laser therapy. “I would have (used alternative options) from the get-go if I had had any idea.”
Carlson said he was getting ready to retire from working in his pizza parlor and wanted to be sure he could continue to do the things he enjoyed. “It was so bad when I started (laser treatment) I couldn’t even wear a T-shirt to treatments because I couldn’t raise my arms to put the shirt back on,” he said. “Now I can go fishing and work on cars, do the things I love to do.” He added that when he has an arthritic flare-up, he can get a treatment and the pain will be gone by the same evening. “I can sleep pain-free the night of a treatment,” he said.
“It all comes down to quality of life,” Carlson said. “Thanks to (laser treatment and acupuncture) I’m able to do the stuff other people take for granted. A lot of it is mental. As you age, you get angry over your loss of abilities, but now I can spend the weekend with my kids and grandkids and be able to keep up and participate. I’m not the mean old guy.”
Carlson said he’s glad he didn’t get his shoulders replaced 10 years ago. “(The artificial shoulders) only last 10 years, so if I had done that, I’d be back to square one by now,” he said.
For more information on pricing or to book an appointment, call Swanson at 909-273-9267 or Fang at 909-556-8087.
Contact reporter Brett Croxton at 909-866-3456, ext. 142 or by e-mail at bcroxton.grizzly@gmail.com.
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