Fuel Ghoul

Endovenous Laser Removal Compared to IPL Intense Pulse Light Therapy

What's the difference between Laser and Intense Pulse Light or IPL when it comes to laser removal services?

LASER (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation)  is made up of light beams that are all the same size, a specific wavelength, and are focused together in a narrow channel.

Fuel Ghoul wrote about how lasers are used in dentistry when we profiled the Markham dentist with a powerful Biolase laser.  A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. This pictures shows a very simple schematic outlining the basic concept.

But this is hard to do.. And because its such a complex achievement, there is some dispute about when Lasers were actually invented, but the Laserfest website says Theodore Maiman invented the world's first ruby laser in 1960.

Comprehending the Ruby Laser

Ruby crystal can be grown artificially. The gem is composed of aluminum oxide, where some of the aluminum atoms have been replaced with chromium atoms. So.. if I understand this correctly, regarding the picture on the right, in a ruby laser, the Gain Medium would be a ruby - grown artificially in a cylindrical tube. That cylindrical and hopefully mathematically perfect ruby is then wrapped in a light source which pumps massive amounts of light radiation into the crystal matrix.

Only a fraction of this energy escapes through the Gain Medium to the Output Coupler, which joins the light streams together into a single 'beam'. In early demonstrations of the ruby laser, the output is a single pulse because it takes so much energy to make the light required around the Gain Medium and its hot. Some sophisticated cooling apparatus around the crystal array is required esp for contiguous beam lasers.

Ruby lasers were among the first instruments developed, and publicly tested, and are used today in many applications including healthcare.  Over the years, many thousands of scientists in various advanced nations have been working on improving the technology, and have improved the Gain Mediums. Lasers can now be divided into three categories: gas lasers, solid lasers and molecular lasers.

All three types of Lasers are frequently used in healthcare today.

Modern medical science uses lasers to diagnose disease and make precise incisions in human flesh. Eye surgeons harness lasers to correct vision. Dentists use lasers to do soft tissue oral surgery, and teeth whitening. Many other medical practitioners use some sort of photon scalpel to deliver light energy somewhere in the human body, and by using different wavelengths they can achieve different results. Most medical laser beams are so small, and so precise they allow doctors to safely treat diseased tissue without injuring the surrounding area.

Laser vein removal often uses radio frequency or laser energy to cauterize veins from the inside out..

Endovenous Ablation - Varicose Vein Treatment

Endovenous ablation is a treatment that uses radio frequency or laser energy to cauterize (burn) and close abnormally enlarged veins in the legs, a condition called varicose veins.

Normally, blood circulates from the heart to the legs via arteries and back to the heart through veins. Veins contain one-way valves which allow blood to return from the legs against gravity. If the valves leak, blood pools in leg veins which can become enlarged or varicose.

Endovenous ablation is an image-guided procedure that uses heat generated by radio frequency or laser energy to seal off these faulty vessels, diverting blood flow immediately to nearby healthy veins.

The heat kills the walls of the veins and the body then naturally absorbs the dead tissue and the abnormal veins are destroyed. It can be carried out in a simple treatment room rather than in the operating theatre.

Intense Pulse Light Therapy is not a Laser Therapy

Intense Pulse Light (IPL) systems work on the same principles as lasers in that light energy is absorbed into particular target cells with colour (chromophores) in the skin. The light energy is converted to heat energy, which causes damage to the specific target area. IPL systems are different to lasers in that they deliver many wavelengths (or colours) in each pulse of light instead of just one wavelength. Most IPL systems use filters to refine the energy output for the treatment of certain areas. This enhances penetration without using excessive energy levels and enables targeting of specific chromophores (these are skin components that absorb light).

 

IPL therapy is considered a non-ablative resurfacing technique, which means that it targets the lower layers of skin (dermis) without affecting the top layers of skin (epidermis). The results are not as dramatic as ablative resurfacing where both the dermis and epidermis are injured to produce a much more noticeable overall outcome. The advantage of IPL therapy is its minimal downtime – a patient can often have the procedure done in their lunch break and return to work immediately afterwards.

Lumecca IPL for Skin Rejuvenation

InMode Lumecca uses intense pulsed light to carefully target and treat skin conditions through selective photothermolysis. The Lumecca program improves the appearance of age spots, sun damage, vascular lesions, rosacea, and freckles. An improved skin appearance can be seen after the first session and multiple sessions deliver even better results. A strong sapphire-cooling tip provides a safe and painless procedure for clients. Lumecca can be combined with Fractora for a full-face treatment regime.

Selective photothermolysis is an optical technique used to ablate tissue in targeted regions.  The objective is to heat targeted tissue with a laser and destroy it without damaging surrounding tissue.  Targeted cells are damaged mainly through the absorption of light and the subsequent heating of tissue due to energy transfer.  Heating of the tissue denatures proteins and halts major cell survival processes.  

Skin tightening at Numi spa in Brampton shows the patient lying flat, protected with goggles and numbing gel, getting an IPL treatment at the hands of a skilled technician.

The clinic uses the InMode Lumecca machine which produces a high-output flash to produce a broad wavelength output of non coherent light between 500 to 1200nm. Light pulses generated by this device and others on the market are produced by bursts of electrical current passing through a xenon gas-filled chamber.  Xenon is the new ruby. The lamp output is then directed toward the distal end of the hand piece which releases the energy pulse onto the surface of the skin via a sapphire block. So you see the elements of a laser are still present - a light source connected to a gain medium and then some manner of output synchronicity device. You can read more about Numi Spa Laser Removal in this Brampton magazine. 

IPL is now among the most commonly used treatments for spider and thread veins, and some vascular birthmarks. Light pulses are targeted at the red-pigment (haemoglobin) in the blood which heats and destroys the pigment without affecting the skin or other tissues.

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Science of Baking Sourdough Bread with Flour from Sprouted Grains

As food education improves, Canadians are becoming more health conscious, and are turning away from commercial baked breads to buy healthier cereal alternatives. 2012 Canadian bread sales statistics as reported in Financial Post shows many health conscious shoppers have stopped buying glutinous white bread at the supermarket because there are other more attractive bread alternatives 'rising up' in local markets.  Among the most popular new choices are slow cooked sourdough breads made in artisan bakeries.  These micro bakers are getting larger slices because they win on taste and health benefits.

Shasha Bread CEO Shaun Navazesh bakes with Sprouted Grains

As reported in Toronto is Awesome magazine, Shasha bakes bread with flour made from sprouted grains.

On a cold December morning in 2014, Shasha Shaun Navazesh gave a public tour of the Shasha Bread Company organic food store and bakery in Etobicoke Ontario to show off the science of baking sourdough bread with flour made from sprouted grains.

We began our trek through this remarkable facility in the sprouted grains section of Shasha's large bakery.

ShaSha has been sprouting ancient grains since 1999. Today he sprouts Adzuki Beans, Mung Beans Lentils and Brown Rice which he dries and grinds into flour to make delicious sourdough breads. These organic ingredients are also sold separately in the Organic Food Store on the premises.

Sprouted grains, lentils and beans offer more Vitamin C to human digestive systems; the sprouting neutralizes the phytic acid in the seeds which means the vitamins and minerals in the meal are more readily absorbed by the body.

When the workers make sprouts in Shasha's specially designed high moisture chambers, they're actually starting the seed's germination process, which changes the chemical make-up of the biological package - Mother Nature's reproductive system kicks into gear to make a new organism.

Sprouting dramatically increases the amounts of vitamins and minerals in the lentils, especially B vitamins and carotene.

When sprouting grains to make sprouted grain flour, Shasha Bread company is careful not to allow the sprouts to grow too large. They begin dehydrating the grains shortly after the root tip appears.

To prepare for the next phase of this artisanal baking process, workers dry these activated grains using a fan in a dehydration room (not in the oven). The drying is slow and time consuming; days later these same grains and pods are collected and ground on stone wheels in a grist mill on site to become a wholesome 'sprouted flour' for baking.  

Shasha Bread Company Grinds Their Own Sprouted Grains

Although the flour mill occupies only a small part of the bakery, its a very busy work station on most days as so many of Shasha bread recipes require some of the many types of flour made on site. Rich in fiber, antioxidants and essential nutrients, flour made from ancient grains such as quinoa and amaranth are rapidly gaining in popularity. Also consumption of blended flours is increasing among consumers who wish to consume whole grains but are averse to the taste, flavor and texture of whole grain flour products.

With his finger on the power button, Raj the master baker explains how the grains are feed into the central hopper to travel through the machine and be transformed into fresh flour which is then bagged and labeled for the bakers in the next room. Stone ground flour is usually coarser than commercial flour reducing the loss of nutrients due to oxygen exposure. With several studies corroborating the health risks posed by excessive consumption of processed foods, consumers are increasingly including higher quantities of whole grain and fiber into their regular diet. Using this stone ground flour, the endosperm, bran, and germ of the sprouted grains are in their natural, original proportions allowing for higher and better nutrient absorption in the body.

Shasha brand Ezekiel bread is composed of over a dozen different types of flour so the grinder has a busy job.

History of Sourdough Baking - In the Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology M.G. Gaenzle writes "The origins of bread-making are so ancient that everything said about them must be pure speculation. One of the oldest sourdough breads dates from 3700 BC and was excavated in Switzerland, but the origin of sourdough fermentation likely relates to the origin of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent several thousand years earlier... Bread production relied on the use of sourdough as a leavening agent for most of human history; the use of baker's yeast as a leavening agent dates back less than 150 years."Sourdough remained the usual form of leavening down into the European medieval times until being replaced by barm from the beer brewing process, and then later purpose-cultured yeast.

Raj prepares loaves of sourdough bread made from the nutrient rich sprouted grain flour, and then leaves them to rise in a warm room. This is one of the principle differences between artisanal bakeries and commercial breadmakers; the urban bread factories make their bleached white product in under an hour. The flour is mixed, baked, sliced and bagged in too short a time period to allow what's left of the nutrients in the pulverized wheat flour to be released into the bread. Bakers like Raj take it nice and slow and let the bacteria in the sourdough bread break down the gluten and naturally rises up into tall heathly loaves full of natural vitamins and minerals.

 This is my favourite picture of Raj the breadmaker!

Today bakers in Toronto and all over Canada can buy dried BIO-Buds to add to their meals, and they can buy flour made from sprouted grains to make their baked goods.

These sprouted grains are dried and sold separately as BIO-Bud baking ingredients in the organic food store on the premises.

The Science Behind Velscope, the Screening Device Dentists in Barrie Use To Find Oral Cancer

Super Man is not the only superhero with enhanced vision. Green Arrow has telescopic vision, and Daken may have Chemo Vision? That's the ability to see pheromone output. And Hulk was dosed by gamma radiation so would he not then have 'Gamma Vision', the ability to see gamma radiation? Emotion Vision is the ability to read auras, and Ucario (Pokemon series) has this ability, and so too does every mother and grandmother on the planet, but only for their own kids.

As a recovering fiction writer, Fuel Ghoul is fascinated by cybernetic attachments that allow mortals to acquire superpowers simply by purchasing advanced electronics. The potential for stories is an big as Marvel Comics, bigger, because its real.

Among all of our society's professionals, there are few vocations more technologically demanding than dentistry. I've written here before on how dentists are unique because they must buy the latest gadgets in order to remain competitive in a saturated market.

Today many modern dentists have cameras that let them see cancer. Inspired by superheroes, this dentist in Barrie, Big Bay Point Dentistry has purchased some very advanced scientific gadgets that give her special abilities. This topic was decribed on Ancestry Guru: The Barrie Dentist with Xray Eyes, which is actually a play on a 1963 movie title, The Man With X-ray Eyes.

In the photo above, our superhero goes looking for oral cancer using the VELscope® System, a revolutionary hand-held device that provides dentists with an easy-to-use adjunctive mucosal examination system for the early detection of abnormal tissue. The rig uses blue incandescent light to enhance the visualization of abnormalities that might otherwise go unnoticed. 

Looking through the back of the barrel, through a series of special filters, the dentist can see any abnormalities highlighted in the blue-violetwash, or rather the problem areas are not light but dark; the areas of concern that could contain maladies such as oral cancer or pre-malignant dysplasia show up as black marks or as dark spotches on tissue. VELscope can than also be used by oral surgeons to help identify diseased tissue around an obvious lesion, and thus help figuring out where to cut, and how much tissue to away with that cruel knife. Read more here in two excellent eMedicineHealth's patient education articles Cancer of the Mouth and Throat and Oral Herpes.

Dentist uses Velscope to look for cancer.

The VELscope^® Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment System centers on a handheld scope that is used by dentists to help detect oral tissue abnormalities, including cancer and pre-cancer.

VELscope^® Vx was developed by LED Dental and is marketed today an oral cancer-screening device. Important note, the Veloscope does not diagnose cancer, but rather it is to be used as an adjunct to the oral examination. When viewed through the barrel of the active device, suspicious tissue has a different fluorescence signature.

The Jan 2014 PubMed article, Fluorescence spectroscopic characterization of salivary metabolites of oral cancer patients reveals that a pilot study has been carried out using human saliva in differentiating the normal subjects from that of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients, using the autofluorescence spectroscopy at 405nm excitation. A difference in the spectral signatures between the saliva of normal subjects and that of oral cancer patients has been noticed. The possible reasons for the altered spectral signature may be due to the presence of endogenous porphyrin, NAD(P)H and FAD in the exfoliated cells from saliva.

What Does Oral Cancer Look Like?

In Canada, oral cancer is the 13^th most common type of cancer (of the 23 different types of reported cancers).  In 2009, the number of new cases and death due to oral cancer is predicted to be almost three times higher than that of cervical cancer and almost double the rates of liver cancer.

The five year survival rate for oral cancer is 63 percent compared to the survival rates of cervical cancer (75 percent), melanoma cancers (89 percent), and prostate cancer (95 percent).

In 2009, it's estimated there'll be 3400 new cases of oral cancer, and that over 1100 Canadians will die from the condition. For more info, visit the Canadian Cancer Society website.

Oral cancer can affect any of the working parts of your mouth or oral cavity, which includes:

• your lips
• the tissue that lines your lips and cheeks
• your teeth
• two-thirds of your tongue (the back third of your tongue, or base, is considered part of your oropharynx, or throat)
• your gums
• the area of your mouth underneath the tongue, called the floor
• the roof of your mouth

When should you worry about a bump, sore, or swelling in your mouth? Here are some common signs and symptoms of Oral Cancer,

• Sores in the mouth that do not heal within two weeks
• Dark red or white patches in the mouth
• Lumps located on the lips, tongue or neck
• Bleeding in the mouth
• Sore throat and difficulty with swallowing

Is a mouth ulcer a precancerous condition?

A mouth ulcer is the loss of some of the delicate tissue that lines the inside of the mouth which is otherwise known as the mucous membrane. Some causes can include certain prescription drugs, and infectious diseases such as herpes or thrush. In most cases, mouth ulcers are harmless and resolve by themselves in a few days without the need for medical treatment. Aphthous ulcers are recurring ulcers with no known cause that affect around 20 per cent of the population.

One person in North American dies every hour of every day from oral cancer related illness, and many of those who survive the disease are forced to deal with lengthy, painful treatment and permanent disfigurement. The main problem is that oral cancer is typically discovered in late stages, when the five-year survival rate is only around 30%.

More treatment options, potentially less invasive or radical treatments and better patient outcomes.  Read about this Barrie dentist on Yelp and search for other dental clinics in Barrie that have this or other super devices.

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