Laserneedle Medicine - Editorial

The history of laserneedles reveals the astonishing speed with which this innovative technique has spread into a vast variety of medical applications. The number of treatments, especially in acupuncture as well as in medicine in general, has grown almost exponentially since the realization of the first laserneedles in the year 2000 [1,2].

The development of these precise and easily controllable optical energy sources is closely linked with the scientific investigation of their peripheral and central effects which is performed at the Medical University of Graz. In addition to these verified, reproducible measurable effects which have been proved in numerous double-blind studies, such as the specific changes in blood flow velocity in the brain, the application of laserneedles on the patient’s body guarantees the traditional doctor-patient-relationship and promises sympathy and empathy. Furthermore the needle equivalence in the area of acupuncture could be shown for several effects and parameters.

The future development of laserneedles will take place mainly in the area of acupuncture applications. What will be in the front are data, numbers and facts for a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms, as well as the availability of technically even better laserneedles with accessories suitable for combined therapies in which laserneedles are only one part of the therapy concept. In any case, laserneedle medicine has to match its possibilities with the current standards of well-established or alternative biomedical practices, in order to contribute to an improvement of quality in medicine.