2014 NAALT/WALT Meeting Education Breakout
WALT-NAALT Joint Conference
Education breakout session report
Wednesday October 10, 2014 Arlington, VA USA
Co-Chairs: Pat Trimmer and Arun Darbar
Attendees: Scott Benjamin, Peter Jenkins, Raminta Mastis, James Carroll, Chip Godine (unable to attend – Liisa Laakso)
We attempted to list 8-10 key concepts that would be essential for a novice to understand photobiomodulation. We generated a working list that will need further refining from other key organizations.
Why have a list of key concepts? This list of key concepts can be used in a variety of education situations – the general public and mainstream conferences, politicians, new users…
- Photobiomodulation, also known as light therapy or laser therapy
- The delivery of light to a body to generate a response, improve health and healing.
- Light energy in the form of protons is transferred to all tissues of the body.
- Photons are absorbed by cells and tissues and initiates chemical changes that can be propagated beyond the initial site that is illuminated.
- Photons interact with tissues through reflection, absorbance, transmission, scattering and propagation.
- Wavelength, intensity and exposure time alter the chemical changes induced during photobiomodulation.
- The composition of the tissue influences the chemical changes initiated by interaction with photons.
- Photobiomodulation triggers natural healing processes, reduces pain and accelerated healing and repair of injury.
- Photons can be delivered to tissues using many different light sources and devices.
- Light is life.