In wake of the opioid epidemic (overdose deaths in 2020, 91,799), doctors and patients are turning to a FDA cleared, non-drug approach to treating pain called photobiomodulation (PBM). PBM uses red and near-infrared light to stimulate cell growth and reduce inflammation. It is increasingly being used at cancer centers, on veterans, and on individuals who want non-drug alternatives. Scot Faulkner is a senior advisor to the PBM Research Foundation. He discusses how there have been over 800 randomized clinical trials showing the effectiveness of PBM and how the treatment is changing the lives of millions of patients.

PBM has been around for about 60 years. It is now getting more attention as patients and physicians seek alternatives to prescription pain medication which can lead to chronic dependence. Since its inception, PBM has been used on 100 million people. Patients can get treated at centers or self-treat at home using FDA approved devices. Faukner discusses how PBM provides a long-lasting solution to pain by repairing the cell structures that lead to pain, how much the treatment costs, how long it takes to be effective, and training providers to use PBM, including a new center that opened at Shepherd University in West Virginia.

For more information:
 https://pbmfoundation.org

Clinical trials:
 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=&term=Photobiomodulation&cntry=&state=&city=&dist