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Laser Therapy  -  How We Are Different

We are one of the few Certified Laser Practitioners in St. Louis. We are highly trained and utilize one of the only truly effective SuperPulsed Laser devices in St. Louis. The doctor performs all of the treatments. His results speak for themselves, and our patients recover more fully in less time than most laser therapy clinics.

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We are also one of the only centers to fully utilize a true Super-Pulsed laser that can pulse at rates up to 100kHz. These are the latest generation of lasers that penetrate deeply with a broad area and provide more benefit in less time and with less heat.

Class IV Laser Therapy

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Laser therapy been scientifically proven to reduce pain, reduce inflammation, reduce swelling, and accelerate the healing process while strengthening damaged tissue.

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Laser therapy produces a healing effect in the cells and structures of the body.  Unlike other therapies which mask or cover up the condition, laser light influences the cells of the body to speed up and strengthen the healing process.  The effect of laser therapy is not just temporary relief, it is cumulative over time, so the more treatments you have, the stronger and more permanent the effect.  Because laser light interacts with the cells and a natural healing process is generated, the results are quite long lasting.  In many cases, the problem may be permanently resolved.

 

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Laser Biotech
Laser therapy for arthritis, tendinitis, fascitis, bursitis, rotator cuff, whiplash, wounds, carpal tunnel

  • Neck Pain

  • Muscle Pain

  • Contusions

  • TMD

  • Tendinitis 

  • Sinusitis

  • Bursitis

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Plantar Fasciitis

  • Wound Healing

  • Arthritis (Osteo and Rheumatoid)

  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

  • Post Operative Healing

  • Repetitive Stress Syndrome

  • Accidents or other injuries

Before and Afters
Demo of Dr. Harasha and Laser Therapy
brian doing laser_compressed
Play Video
Before picture of hip

Before

After picture of hip

1 treatment in 1 day

finger injury_initial visit.jpg

Saw injury

finger inury_post 2 treatments.jpg

2 treatments in 6 days

Thermal before of ankles

High inflammation Before

Thermal after of ankles

Less inflammation immediately after treatment

forehead chronic wound.jpg

Chronic non-healing wound

forehead wound post treatments.jpg

6 treatments with medical care over 1 month

Before picture of fingertip

Before

After picture of fingertip

2 treatments in 5 days

  • Do you use Chinese, Japanese, Korean or other form of acupuncture?"
    Dr. Harasha utilizes primarily Chinese style acupuncture with a focus on older styles that use Meridian Therapy instead of the newer TCM style acupuncture.
  • Does Acupuncture hurt?
    Acupuncture is surprisingly comfortable. Although you may feel a slight stick when the needle first goes in, the sensation dissipates while the needles are working. If you are particularly uncomfortable with needles acupuncture can be done with electrically stimulation or even Laser stimulation.
  • Does insurance cover acupuncture?
    Insurance very rarely covers acupuncture and if it does only for certain conditions. Major medical plans are least likely to cover but motor vehicle accident cases are more likely to cover it. Remember, we are partnered with ChiroHealthUSA to allow you to be a member of their plan allowing substantial discounts to all non-covered services.
  • How much acupuncture do I need?
    This varies great by individual and by the problems being addressed. It is common practice in Chinese acupuncture to have 10 visit treatment plans. Some doctors choose to have people come every day and others choose every week. Dr. Harasha chooses to determine the frequency by first assessing the Acugraph results and your symptom changes. If good progress is being made the frequency can be reduced. A common protocol is 3 visits per week the first week, 2 visits the second week and 1 visit per week thereafter. This protocol helps bring the body back into balance and symptoms start improving, however it is important to maintain that balance so your symptoms do not return. Sometimes changes in diet and lifestyle can maintain that balance. Other times herbal medicine or continued acupuncture treatments are required. Dr. Harasha will work with you to find out what is best for you. ​ People usually enjoy how much better they feel and like having a maintenance schedule to keep feeling that way. Again, this varies by the individual and their lifestyle and ranges from once a week to once every 6 weeks. The most common is once every 3-4 weeks. For acupuncture, a bare minimum is coming in at the change of every season (every 3 months) because a lot of things shift in our energy at that time and it is very beneficial to ensure that shift goes smoothly to avoid the next season being uncomfortable.

Laser Therapy - More Information

There is a reason we chose the name Advanced Laser Therapy and Wellness. We can honestly say that Laser Therapy is our specialty and have taken a lot of time for training and mastering this modality. We also have purchased the best laser therapy device on the market so you are sure to get the best results possible.

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Who performs your laser therapy is of utmost importance. There are only a handful of practitioners currently Certified as Laser Therapy Practitioners (as of Aug 2021). This certification demonstrates that we understand the science behind laser therapy, understand the specifics of different laser devices (and can choose the best out there), and that we understand the art of performing this amazing therapy. We are much more advanced that ‘point and shoot’ laser therapists. Dr. Harasha performs all of the treatment sessions himself (no assistants). Most conditions we see are complex and require the skill and experience of the doctor to ensure the best techniques are utilized. 

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The laser therapy device is just as important as the practitioner behind it. Most devices on the market are far underpowered. Several of the more common devices even utilize a ‘robot arm’ that holds the applicator many inches off the skin and waves it back and forth. Some even try to perform laser through clothing which does not work at all. Laser loses power every centimeter it travels, it also loses 90% of it’s power at the skin. If someone is using a low powered laser off the skin there is hardly any power left to penetrate to the tissues you are treating.

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Laser parameters are very important also. Wavelengths are basically ‘colors’ of the laser and determine how well the laser penetrates through skin, water and blood. It is also believed that certain tissue types respond more to specific wavelengths. Peak power also determines how deep the laser will penetrate. Finally, average power determines the dose of laser. Laser only works if you get the correct dose to the desired tissue. Again – penetration is determined by the wavelength and peak power, while dose is determined by average power. Our peak power is 250W and average power is 35W.

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It should be noted that we are one of the only practitioners to utilize a high powered, truly Superpulsed Laser (there are at least 2 others but they are located west of Hwy 270). The Superpulsed Laser in our machine has an average power of 5W!. Our laser pulses at up to 100kHz (that means it goes off and on 100,000 times per second). Superpulsing eliminates heat build up at the skin and dramatically reduces the amount of power lost at the skin or through distances thus allowing the deepest penetration (up to 8-10cm) compared to other laser devices. It is also shown in research that you need to pulse greater than 30kHz to enhance gene expression and see the production of healing proteins.

 

Finally, as a chiropractor and acupuncturist, I am able to incorporate other techniques to improve the outcome of laser therapy. This could be instrument assisted soft tissue manipulation (IASTM)/gua sha, auriculotherapy, dry needling and other soft tissue techniques.

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The above factors allow us to give patients the very best laser therapy has to offer and we receive excellent results in a shorter time frame. New/acute injuries take only 6-8 sessions and older/chronic problems take 10-12 sessions to resolve. If you want to truly give laser therapy a try before trying a more invasive treatment, make sure you complete a whole treatment plan with the most trained doctor and best device on the market.

 

Good Questions to ask when choosing a laser therapy doctor/device

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  1. Are you certified?

  2. Who will primarily be performing the therapy – doctor or assistant?

  3. Will you treat me through my clothing?

  4. Will your Laser be applied directly on the skin and will it be controlled by a human or machine?

  5. What is the peak and average power of continuous wave laser?

  6. Is your machine a superpulsed laser?

    • How fast is the pulse speed? Greater than 30kHz?

    • What is the average power of your superpulsed laser?

  7. How many wavelengths does your laser have?

  8. Do you have to move the laser very quickly to prevent heat buildup?

  9. How much does each session cost and how many sessions will it take?

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