ThE InTravEnous LasEr bLood IrradIaTIon - InTroducTIon of a nEw ThErapy

The method of intravenous laser blood irradiation was first introduced into therapy by the Soviet scientists E.N.Meschalkin and V.S.Sergiewski in 1981 [32]. Originally this method was developed for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Improvement of rheologic properties of the blood as well as improvement of microcirculation and reduction of the area of infarction had been proved. Further reductions of dysrhythmia and sudden cardiac death occured [4,21]. At first only the heliumneon-laser (632.8 nm) was used in this therapy. For that a power of 1-3 mW and a period of exposure of 20-60 minutes were applied. The treatments were carried out once or twice a day up to ten appointments in all. In the years after many, for the most part Russian studies showed that heliumneon-laser had various effects on many organs and on the hematologic and immunologic system. The studies were published mainly in Russian which were little known in the West because of decades of political separation, and were regarded with disapproval. Besides clinical research and application for patients the cell biological basis was developed by the Estonian cell biologist Tiina Karu at the same time. An abstract is to be found in her work “The Science of Low-Power Laser-Therapy”. [19].