CKD and PBM Spring 2022

Chronic Kidney Disease and Photobiomodulation (aka Low Level Laser Therapy) Where do we Now Stand?

Now that the pandemic seems to be somewhat weakening its grip on our lives, it is time to step back to pick up where we left off. It has now been 9 years since we treated our first Chronic Kidney Disease patient, a cat named Nomar. Suffice to say that we haven’t looked back. With nearly two hundred cats and dogs (as well as a handful of humans who have decided to self treat using our parameters), it has become clear that the benefit of Photobiomodulation in treatment of kidney or renal disease can no longer be ignored. Although we can’t say with certainty that these patients live longer when treated with Light Therapy, we can say that they obviously live better. They have an improved quality of life (QOL). It is not much of a reach to suspect that longevity is improved as patients who live better, often live longer. The need for appetite stimulants, at-home subcutaneous fluids and other supportive measures can often be dialed back when the pet is treated using the correct light parameters. We have taken an open source approach in providing our protocols to anyone who inquires and have received multiple reports from other practitioners who have witnessed similar results. So where do we go from here?

Since many of our inquiries come from outside Massachusetts (as well as the US) we are exploring options of home treatment by the pet owner under the supervision of a veterinarian. The idea is to have an owner source their own unit (we help them with that) as long as they are willing to utilize professional oversight to help them understand probe placement and provide periodic chemistry updates. It is too early to say whether this approach will be as effective as in office treatment, but we are confident it will significantly help the patient’s QOL. First reports seem to bear this out.