Recently, I interviewed Dr. Brandon Crawford, an expert in laser and light therapy and neurophysiology, and we discussed how laser and light therapies can be used for conditions like Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s, the differences between laser and LED therapies, why properly calibrated lasers are crucial, integrating laser therapy with other treatments, the importance of natural sunlight, and more. If you would prefer to listen to the interview you can access it by Clicking Here.
Dr. Eric Osansky:
I am super excited to chat with Dr. Brandon Crawford. We are going to be talking about laser therapy, tying it into thyroid health, talking about LEDs. Going to be a great conversation.
Before getting into the conversation, let me dive into Dr. Brandon’s impressive bio here. Dr. Brandon Crawford is a renowned expert in functional neurology and photobiomodulation with a focus on brain rehab and regenerative medicine. He holds degrees from Texas A&M University and Park University, including a doctorate in chiropractic.
As a licensed chiropractor in both Texas and Dubai and a fellow of the International Board of Functional Neurology, Dr. Crawford leads in his field. He is the pioneer and founder of the NeuroSolution Center of Austin and co-founded the NeuroSolution Center in Atlanta and related ventures.
Dr. Crawford is the co-founder of NeuroSolutions Products, a global medical distribution company. He is a laser expert and is pioneering a new and innovative form of laser therapy. He has personally developed and designed the 528 Innovations therapy lasers.
A global lecturer, he is known for his work in laser and light therapy within functional neurology. He is authoring a book on neuroplasticity for brain injuries.
Dr. Crawford champions the NeuroSolutions ESM method, focusing on energy, sensory, and movement. He is a sought-after expert on diverse healthcare topics.
He has now begun educating the masses through his podcast series The Longevity Formula, which can be found on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.
Welcome, Dr. Crawford.
Dr. Brandon Crawford:
Thank you so much. You make me sound really good. Whoever wrote that, I’m really happy they wrote that for you. Thanks, man. I’m really happy to be here.
Dr. Eric:
Same here. Like I said initially, it is an impressive bio. You’re working on a book. When will that be released?
Dr. Brandon:
It’s finished. It’s been finished for a while. I do have a book agent. One thing that he is telling me is this book is really good. What are your goals? My goals with the book are to help patients and caregivers navigate through this process of brain injury. It was something that I really think was needed. People reach out to us all the time. They’re in the ICU or just got admitted to the hospital. They really need answers. The purpose of the book was to help those families navigate these scenarios.
One of my initial offerings came from Nova, which was exciting. I loved the idea of being published in the academic texts. That didn’t really jive with the goals of what I wanted for the book. We’re in the process of talking to different publishers and really trying to make sure we get this book out there properly. I actually have a meeting with my book agent in the near future. Hopefully, he has some good news for me, and it will be released in the very near future.
Dr. Eric:
Good luck with that. I’m sure it will work out.
How did you become known as an expert in laser and light therapy? If you could get into your background before we dive into the subject.
Dr. Brandon:
Very good question. The way that I would want to answer it is I have always been extremely intrigued by light. I have a strong faith, and I grew up in the Bible Belt of Texas. Small Texas town. I remember sitting in church one day, hearing that God created light before he created life. It wasn’t spoken that way. That wasn’t how the message was delivered, but that’s what my mind heard.
From a very young age, my mind was wrapped around this concept of there is this very intimate connection with light and life. One does not survive without the other. It really set things into motion.
The funny thing is, I guess in junior high, I had to have a reconstructive chest surgery. My parents are like, “We’ll get you anything. What do you want? Do you want a video game? What do you want after your recovery?” I said I wanted a laser. “What? You want a laser?” “Yeah.” I was talking about those pin lasers. That’s all I wanted. I was that infatuated with it. “Okay, we’ll get you a pin laser.” I was in recovery after the surgery, playing with this laser, pointing it at nurses. It’s always intrigued me.
There is this story about how I fell into the profession of chiropractic. I wanted to be a neurosurgeon, and I got married. I looked at divorce rates of surgeons, and I decided I really liked my wife, so I’d rather not go into that. I’m a nerd with researching and probabilities and numbers.
It took a turn. I got accepted into pharmacy schools. I was actually just praying, trying to decide which one to go to. This voice in my head clearly and loudly said, “You are not going to pharmacy school.” It made me start to think, What am I supposed to do?
I was led to go shadow the chiropractor who helped me after I had a failed back surgery in high school. I did that. I fell in love with that. I knew that wasn’t the form of chiropractic I was supposed to do.
When I was in chiropractic school, my first semester there, Dr. John Donofrio, the president of the Chiropractic Neurology Board at that point in time, did an impromptu lecture on how stimulating physical receptors can influence the brain and nervous system. I went up to him and said, “You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. This is exactly what I’m supposed to do.” He took me in at that stage in my career. I was just getting started. It was amazing. I got to start to learn functional neurology, and it was amazing. This does dovetail into the laser question.
Here’s what happened. I got to start listening in and helping out on the cases that Dr. Donofrio was seeing. One of them was actually a rare pediatric genetic brain disorder. It was a disorder where the brain does not really develop. Sometimes, it ends in severe retardation. Sometimes, it ends in death. It’s one of those conditions where the brain doesn’t develop.
I remember working through the case with them. “What are you going to do?” He said, “They’ve tried everything. They’ve been all over the world. They’ve done everything there is to offer, but they haven’t used laser on the brain.” This is still when that wasn’t really a thing.
Using laser therapy on the brain is relatively new; over the past 20 years is really when it’s been looked at heavily. This was roughly 16 years ago or so, maybe 17 years. “Laser on the brain? What are you talking about?” “We are going to laser the brain. It has a high safety profile. This is something that could potentially help.”
That’s what he did. He started using laser on the brain. Did some functional neurology work he does. He did that for about a year.
Fast forward, at one of the checkups, the doctor comes in. This must be the wrong patient because this is not what I would expect out of this diagnosis. The kid developed in ways that should not have happened.
At that moment, when I saw this play out, I knew no matter what I do, whether it’s functional neurology or something else, lasers is what I have got to attach to. That really not only piqued my interest even more, but it set a fire under me to figure out why did this help something that all medical literature says this shouldn’t happen? Why did this work?
I spent my career trying to figure out the kinetics of it, the physics of it, all that stuff. The cool thing is it’s really set things in motion to get me to where I am at today. That’s the, believe it or not, short answer of how this has happened.
I don’t know where you want to go from there, but that’s my story in a nutshell and how I fell into this laser therapy thing.
Dr. Eric:
I guess let’s start by giving an introduction to laser therapy for those who are not too familiar with wavelengths. I don’t know if you want to go into laser beam physics. Obviously not too much in depth. Just give an overview?
Dr. Brandon:
Sure. Laser and light therapy, we first need to understand that there are some differences when it comes to lasers and LEDs. LEDs are not laser diodes. You will get a slightly different response. It depends on the goals you’re trying to achieve. By the way, I use both. I use laser diodes and LEDs. Both are in my practice and in my home.
Here’s how I’ll describe it. Just like I would describe the differences between a Ferrari and a Kia. They are both cars. They will both get you from point A to B. The Ferrari will get you there faster and more effectively. That is a very crude way of describing laser versus LED.
When I want to be very specific and efficient, I have a very specific target or goal in mind, I am reaching for my laser. Oftentimes, I want to be sure to use this specifically over my brain. I use my laser over my thyroid, over everything.
If I want more of a generalized healing experience, I want to in general reduce my inflammation, I want to improve my wellbeing, I am good to lay under my LED panel. Very different goals. Both very beneficial.
The concepts of both of these modalities can be summed up in a term called photobiomodulation. That is a fancy term that just means changing life with light. What we need to understand is that we are extremely intimately connected with light. We have so many different cellular mechanisms that are set into motion or not set into motion based on the type of light that we are exposed to.
We are typically underneath this high frequency white and blue light. I am not. I had a certain type of light put into my office, so I am not subjected to those harsh wavelengths. We need to understand that even that exposure to light is driving certain cellular processes inside of us. It can promote inflammation. It can promote obesity and diabetes.
To combat that, we need to understand that there are certain wavelengths, like red, that actually help to combat the excessive exposures to the white and blue light that we are subjected to so much. That’s why you have seen this huge propagation, whether it be in marketing or clinical use, of all of these red-light devices. They’re good. They help us heal faster. The need is there, specifically because of the type of light exposure that we are subjecting ourselves to on a daily basis.
Someone who lives in Costa Rica, and they’re outside in the sun all day, they’re going to be less responsive to a red-light panel or red laser because they are not sitting under these toxic lights all day. I can argue that in multiple different directions.
If someone has an injury of any type, what research has demonstrated is that red and infrared light are going to speed up recovery no matter what. That is the beautiful thing. We now know certain things about certain wavelengths.
When I’m talking about wavelengths, what we need to understand when I say that is think about the color of light. Red has a different wavelength than green, has a different wavelength than purple, etc. We can talk about the differences in all of those wavelengths if we want to get more granular. As you change the wavelength, you are going to be influencing different receptors inside the cell and the body. We know that red and infrared will accelerate healing, improve blood flow, improve neuroplasticity, and more beneficial things.
If I could summarize, what is this laser and light therapy thing? Where did it come from? The overarching message is this has been around for a very long time. Research really began in this field in the 1960s, looking at how red light influences various things. There are thousands of studies for photobiomodulation. There are hundreds of human clinical trials. This modality is so safe, so effective, that I personally think that every provider needs to be using it. Every home needs to be leveraging some type of photobiomodulation. That is my own personal opinion.
As we continue to move forward in medicine, I do believe that this is at the front edge of it. I can elaborate about some of the studies we’re doing to push that forward. Those are my initial thoughts on it. I don’t know how granular you want to get into the details.
Dr. Eric:
That was great. You’re mentioning that LED is maybe for more generalized treatment, generalized inflammation. For those listening, most of the audience consists of those with thyroid conditions, thyroid autoimmunity. If it’s a choice between laser and LED, I understand you use both of those, there is nothing wrong with using both of those, and you can get benefits from both. If there was a choice to help with thyroid healing, or helping with the immune system, you would say that laser therapy is maybe a better or more specific option when it comes to healing?
Dr. Brandon:
Yes, I will agree with you. Both are good options. In my experience, what you’re going to find is if you use a properly made laser, if you use a laser that is the right wavelength, calibration, frequency—which I will explain—you will get results faster.
Today, there is roughly 20 articles in the peer-reviewed literature that look at what happens to the thyroid when you use photobiomodulation over it. Most of these are studies using LED. Those studies all agree that this is a good thing for the thyroid. You see anything from reduction of antibodies to reduced need for medication to general reduction in thyroid symptoms. Across the board, you see very good results when using photobiomodulation for the thyroid.
There are some studies that would suggest there is no difference in LED versus laser diode. I would suggest there are some metrics you could look at otherwise in those studies that were not looked at.
You also have studies that suggest laser diode is more effective than LED. I am just laying all this out there because I know there are some intelligent listeners out there.
Me personally, I have done pilot studies in my office. I have also done tests on myself. I have both Hashimoto’s and primary hypothyroid. My thyroid responds best when I use a properly calibrated laser on my thyroid versus using the LED panel. I get responses both ways. I get a better response with the laser.
Now let’s talk about the laser physics. No laser is made equal. This is the best way I can explain laser physics. If I am having this conversation, and I am speaking to you and say, “How are you today?” in a nice, relaxed way, you will have a certain neurophysiological response. If I yell the same words at you, that will evoke a different neurophysiological response in you.
Here’s the argument. Same words, different response. It’s not just about delivering photons. That’s what it is. It’s about the quality of the laser beam. It’s about the laser beam physics. What is the polarization? What is the pulse rate? What is the duty cycle? All of these things shape the voice if you will of that laser beam.
This was really shown to me initially by the work of Dr. Todd Ovokaitys. He was able to calibrate a laser beam that specifically spoke to VSELs in plasma. VSELs are a type of stem cell. It stands for Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cell. I thought that was so amazing. You can shine a light into plasma, and you can change surface receptors and activate stem cells specifically based on the physics of that laser beam, not just a wavelength, not just the frequency, but so many factors. That really showed me the importance of a properly calibrated laser beam. Understanding that not every laser is made the same, and understanding that if we do this right, the effects are so far reaching.
That is what a lot of my pilot work is right now. I’m designing three different studies right now. We are looking at how we can continue this work and not have to draw someone’s blood to activate those VSELs. How can we do this from using a laser exteriorly on someone? We have other things that we are looking at as well.
That is where it gets really exciting: when we can really tailor that laser beam because we understand the physics of it now and have a very specific neurophysiological response.
Dr. Eric:
When someone goes on Amazon and gets a laser for $200, that isn’t necessarily the same as the laser that you use in your practice. Maybe not the same as lasers that you give someone. You sometimes recommend home units for people?
Dr. Brandon:
Correct. If you want something, and you just want the cheapest thing, go LED. When we write a home care for someone, and they want to include laser therapy at home, we write that home care specific to the type of laser that they’re going to be using. We only recommend the lasers that we have in NeuroSolution, which obviously NeuroSolution is using the 528 Innovations laser that we developed. We are very specific about that.
Yeah, if you are looking for the lowest cost solution, I would definitely suggest going LED for several different reasons. I already talked about the physics. When you get a cheaper laser diode, it is probably not going to last very long. That laser diode is going to be subject to heat. That laser probably is not very well cooled. That diode is going to crack, and you will have a different wavelength shooting out at you. If you are going for a cost-effective thing, go LED.
Dr. Eric:
Okay. If someone has a thyroid condition, LED can help, but let’s say someone has Hashimoto’s, and they are looking to heal their thyroid, address their immune system, LED over a long run might help, but they are looking for quicker results. It sounds like they probably should see a practitioner like yourself.
Dr. Brandon:
Absolutely. As always, work with someone who knows what they’re doing. Not every physician knows how to navigate that scenario from a laser perspective. As you well know, there will be so many factors that go into that patient that need to be addressed, too. I won’t make the statement that laser your thyroid, and it will all go away. That is not what I want to promote. If only to aid someone’s recovery.
I will say that I have personally been in remission from Hashimoto’s. I have to do more than just laser my thyroid, but that is part of my routine. I can do that. I also am very good at getting myself out of remission. I am really good at spiking my antibodies and driving my TSH up. I know how to do that. Understanding that is how I know how to flip it and get better.
Dr. Eric:
Based on what you just said, I think it’s safe to say that laser can help but probably alone is not going to get someone in remission. if someone just goes to a chiropractor or another practitioner to get laser therapy but are not incorporating diet and lifestyle factors, maybe they need to do additional functional medicine testing. If all they do is the laser, they might get some results, but it by itself won’t necessarily address the cause of the problem.
Dr. Brandon:
Correct. The way I like to explain that is whatever you do, if you add photobiomodulation to it, you’re going to enhance the results. Think of it like an accelerator. Think of it as an additive to whatever therapies you’re doing.
I’ve had the benefit to be able to work with healthcare professionals in so many different regards, whether it be chiros, PTs, oncologists, ortho surgeons, neurosurgeons, speech therapists, gastro docs, I could go on. I have been in this field, so I get to consult. The #1 thing when a provider gets a laser is they need to learn how to use it. I get to be that guy walking through best use cases for certain demographics of patients. That is the prevailing thing.
You’re doing good work. If you want to move the needle even more, add photobiomodulation to what you’re doing, and you will enhance results even more.
Dr. Eric:
Have you had any experience with Graves’? Do you know if laser therapy can help with Graves’? Are there any contraindications?
Dr. Brandon:
Yes. I have personal experience through my patient base using photobiomodulation with Graves’. What we need to understand, and this is found in the research and also through clinical experience, is that photobiomodulation, laser and light therapy, is very regulatory in what it does. It’s going to regulate systems. We see this played out in the literature with NF-Kappa B, calcium influx into the cell, all different examples.
With the thyroid, specifically with Graves’, what you’re going to see is if you have hyperfunctioning, if the thyroid is functioning too high, once you start to employ photobiomodulation, it will regulate and bring it down. If you have low functioning thyroid, once you use photobiomodulation, it will bring it up. It regulates systems. This is very consistent in the research.
This is my clinical observation. What I have seen with Graves’ is for some reason that I’m still trying to figure out, there is this transient spike. We start working with someone, and it’s like we get a flare. That can oftentimes be within a week or two weeks. Then it comes down. It’s not like it’s a pathological state where they’re worse. It’s this little flare.
I started thinking through it similarly to how I think through seizures. We notice that with seizure disorders, too. When we started using laser therapy for seizures, there would be this transient uptick and subsequent reduction. Ultimately, I have seen seizure disorders, even genetic disorders eliminated.
I started thinking through how it must be related to how much energy we’re delivering to the system. Are we overdoing it? Are we giving them too much in too short a period of time?
What I did was started using more infrared on that patient when we would start with them. In infrared, specifically near infrared, it’s a longer wavelength of light. The infrared spectrum is invisible to the eye, so it’s wavelength color that you don’t see. The wavelength is longer, it penetrates deeper, but the energy per photon is less. It’s a less energetic photon that’s being delivered than, say, a red photon.
Once we made that change, it really eliminated that little flare that we see in these autoimmune patients, not just Graves’, but other conditions, too. With that strategy, I have been able to navigate it. I still tell people, “Hey, initially, be aware that you might get this little flare. Stay with it. It should regulate.”
Dr. Eric:
Very important to know for someone with Graves’ getting laser treatment.
How about getting natural sunlight? If someone is doing LED every day, and they also on top of that are doing laser, do you also recommend for them to get natural sunlight, too?
Dr. Brandon:
Absolutely. I think that’s non-negotiable. Here’s the thing. I can make the best laser in the world. I’m biased, but I think I have. That still is not going to replace the sun.
I can discuss this from multiple angles. The angle that I really like to speak from in relation to thyroid is how the aromatic amino acids that ultimately end up forming things like our thyroid hormones are subjected to various wavelengths of light.
For example, in the morning, when we’re getting that early morning sunrise, that is non-negotiable. We need to be experiencing it. We need to be outside, not wearing sunglasses. We need this light coming through our eyes. We need it exposed to our bodies.
What is happening is the benzene rings in the aromatic amino acids, specific to thyroid, we’re talking about phenylalanine, it’s exposing the UV light, specifically between 250-380nm. Think of it like charging these amino acids to then go through and produce things like T3, T4, even things like our dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, all of these neurochemicals. That exposure to that wavelength of light in the morning has to happen.
To date, there is nothing that really replicates that. I have been asked to start to create something that replicates it. To date, I don’t know of anything. Why would you? It’s free. Go outside and get your sunlight. Obviously, in areas where it’s dark all the time, that’s where we’d need this. But you cannot replace that. That natural circadian rhythm has to be in place for a proper functioning thyroid and so many other things.
I would also argue getting mid-day sunlight as well. Those longer infrared waves, that is extremely important. I also believe it’s important to be outside as the sun is setting. You get different wavelengths of sun at that point in time.
Not specific to thyroid, but kind of specific to thyroid is the interaction of sunlight to melatonin. Melatonin is created in light but expressed in dark. If you’re having trouble sleeping, and there is a correlation with melatonin and TSH, so there is a connection here to the thyroid.
If you’re having trouble with melatonin production or sleep, maybe it’s not only the nighttime routine, but the mourning routine, too. Maybe you’re not getting those proper wavelengths of light to generate enough melatonin and other neurochemicals that you need in order to sleep, to heal, to get proper growth hormone pulses that we need throughout life. It’s non-negotiable.
I didn’t really go through this part of my story, but a big part of my story actually involved me getting pretty sick. I was so run-down, I had no energy, brain fog like crazy. I was running a high-volume practice at the time, which was insurance-based. High stress. I had two young kids. I had a great wife and home. The kids were great, but they’re kids. I was stressed to the max.
I did all the things I knew to do. All the supplements, diets, and other things. I just couldn’t get away from the stress. My TSH was 25. My thyroid antibodies were off the charts. My medical team was talking about doing biopsies because they thought I may have thyroid cancer.
When I heard that, I was like, I’m done. I sold everything and moved to Costa Rica. When I was there, I really understood the benefit of natural sunlight and setting this natural circadian rhythm in motion. I didn’t do any supplements or medications. I didn’t do any lasers. I was using the sun. We were naked in the jungle all day, every day. It was amazing. After about the three-month mark of my being there, my lab work was completely normalized. I felt better than I ever have in my entire life.
There is a non-negotiable of needing to get outside, get proper sun exposure at the right time of day, as much as you can. It’s non-negotiable.
Dr. Eric:
Ideally, how long should someone be in the sun? You mentioned first thing in the morning, midday, right before sunset. If someone is only outside for five minutes at a time, it’s better than nothing, I’m sure. From an optimal standpoint, how long should someone try to be outside for?
Dr. Brandon:
What we’ve found is if you’re just trying to maintain optimal health, if you go outside while the sun is rising, within the initial one to two hours of sunlight, if you spend 10-15 minutes out there, I like to be moving, so whether you’re taking a walk or stretching or something like that, that’s typically enough to set the proper neurochemistry in motion.
If you’re struggling from some type of health condition, Hashimoto’s or Graves’ or whatever, I do suggest longer. I suggest at least shooting for 30 minutes. I’ve had some patients stay outside for an hour. The longer, the better. That’s how we’re designed. Especially for that early morning sun exposure, we don’t have to worry about sunburn. We’re much less concerned about that in the early morning.
Midday comes along. I do think it’s important to get outside. I personally think we need to be getting midday sun exposure on our belly, so that would require no shirt. It’s good for the microbiome. There are studies that support this.
Now we have to be more concerned about things like sunburn. We have this natural mechanism in our skin that starts to alarm us when we are getting too much sun exposure. What you’ll notice is you’ll start getting that tingling, warm feeling, and your skin starts to turn pink. That is your skin saying, “Seek shade.” You have this built-in mechanism.
That duration of time is so different for everyone. Anything from the darker your skin tone to the lighter your skin tone to your sensitivity to light in general. All of those things are going to determine how long you can safely be in the sun for that period of time.
Just to confirm: I am talking about sun exposure with no sunglasses and no sunscreen. If you’re putting sunscreen on, you’re destroying the whole purpose of being there.
For me right now, I have lost my tan or my solar callus, which is what I like to call it. I would only need to be outside midday for 10-20 minutes. If I do that consistently, I will get this nice tan back. Over time, I can spend an hour or two without getting a sunburn. That time will vary for each individual.
The early morning, I will argue, is probably the most important time to set things in motion. 10-15 minutes to optimize someone who is already healthy. 30+ minutes for someone who is suffering from some type of condition.
Dr. Eric:
In the morning, is it important to get full-body exposure, too?
Dr. Brandon:
The more, the better. If you are in an urban area, and it’s illegal to be naked outside, let’s not do that. If you can take your shirt off, sit on a porch, the more skin exposure, the better.
Dr. Eric:
If someone is in a rainy area, like Seattle or Portland, where they are getting a lot of rain, so you might go a few weeks without sun exposure. Is that where they might want to rely more on the LED lights?
Dr. Brandon:
Absolutely. I’ve heard this discussed from multiple angles. I’ve heard it said where you can go outside, and you are still getting good exposure. What you see clinically is it still is not really enough, especially for some people, to change things like Seasonal Affective Disorder, where you see increases in depression or elevations in inflammation. Other things start to occur. I do champion the use of LED or laser.
I don’t want the take-home message to be “Crawford said go do a tanning bed.” That’s not what I want. But I have had people where they should at least go to a tanning bed. Do something. That person did respond well, and it helped them to come out of their depression. That is a good example.
I will say still being outside on a cloudy day is better than not being outside. You might need to be outside longer. I will say you need to be outside longer on that cloudy day. The sun is still shining through.
I’ve played with this myself. There is an app called Light Meter. I think it’s free. I don’t remember. I will use this both indoors and outdoors to measure light intensity because I’m a nerd. I have measured light intensity on a cloudy day versus a sunny day. It really varies. Sometimes, it’s not as affected as you would think. You’re still getting good exposure. I would say to increase your duration. Definitely leverage technology like laser and LED if you do live in those places in my opinion.
Dr. Eric:
Getting back to laser therapy and thyroid health. For someone who has Hashimoto’s or Graves’, I know the answer to this will be everybody is different. Can you give a ballpark idea of how many sessions they would need? Would it be a matter of weeks or months that they would need to receive treatment?
Dr. Brandon:
You’re right, it does depend. Here is the example I will use. I was working with a lady who had really bad Hashimoto’s and primary hypothyroid. Her antibodies were immeasurable; it just said over 1,000 for both TPO and TG antibodies. We started working through diet and other things. Her antibodies came down to the 500 range, something like that. We kept working. I just couldn’t move the needle. What the heck is going on?
Finally, I started thinking, emotional stressors. Let’s talk about her life. “How is work?” “Great.” “How are kids?” “Great.” “How is your husband?” “I friggin’ hate him.” Whoa! Hit a nerve. I had them start in marital counseling because they had not done that. Literally, as things began to improve in the marriage, the thyroid began to improve as well.
I say that as an example of everyone is going to have different triggers. For some people, it may be food. For some people, it may chemical, emotional, or infectious. You can use the laser over the thyroid. You’re going to see results. You will see mitigation of the inflammation; antibodies will typically come down rather quickly. I will say that. Usually within the first few applications, they will start to come down. That is also consistent in the literature.
It’s not like we have to use this for three months to get a small change. You will start to see changes rather quickly in the lab work. To continue to really move the needle, you have to find what triggers that person really is responding to and address those. You’ll see changes in labs pretty dang quickly when you start lasering the thyroid appropriately.
Dr. Eric:
Awesome. What other conditions do you commonly use laser and light therapy for? I know TBI (traumatic brain injuries), pain relief, it can benefit.
Dr. Brandon:
Absolutely. Our laser is cleared for pain, but it is also cleared to improve blood flow in the body and mitigate inflammation. Clinically, I will use the laser on anything that I’m trying to accelerate and heal.
We use the laser every single day for TBIs. We’re well-known for TBI of any type, be it anoxic or anything else. We are healing the brain every single day with this laser. Spinal cord injuries respond extremely well. Chronic pain syndrome. The worst types of pain conditions you imagine, we see those on a regular basis and use lasers on them.
Chronic infectious issues. Post-COVID syndrome. I am beginning to see a lot of post-COVID, whether they can’t smell or still have brain fog or have a pain syndrome. We are using lasers in combination to help that.
Neurodevelopmental disorders are huge. That’s what my fellowship is in. I am a fellow of the International Board of Functional Neurology with a specialty in childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. We naturally see a lot of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Tourette’s. I personally also had Tourette’s. I don’t have that anymore. We are using this across the board in some of the most complex neurological conditions.
But what I will also say is we are beginning to see a huge shift in the mentality of the market. This is in the space of what I’ll call the biohackers. I’m beginning to see some really high-level CEOs, athletes, these types of people who either want to gain an edge or maintain their edge.
I worked with someone here recently who was at the helm of a multi-billion-dollar company. “I’m tired all the time. I have brain fog.” We are working with him in that way. Within two weeks, he said he had a 25% improvement in his ability to function at work. We see the changes in the metrics here in the office. Same thing with athletes.
That is the cool thing. No matter what you’re doing, photobiomodulation can help. In fact, my wife was getting some work done at her biological dentist. That dentist uses our laser with her patients. That was super cool. This thing can help in so many different ways in so many different demographics. It’s an amazing tool.
Dr. Eric:
Wonderful. Can laser therapy be used during pregnancy? Any other concerns or contraindications?
Dr. Brandon:
Sure. Since you talk about the thyroid a lot, I think we do need to dispel the myth of the thyroid. So many people think you cannot laser over a thyroid. I will say that’s a myth. I know of 20 different peer-reviewed articles that show you can, and you should. You just need to know what you’re doing when you do it and have some guidance.
Cancer is one of those weird things where you’re going to be told no matter what you’re using, don’t use it over cancerous lesions. I have had some experiences with patients with terminal cancers. They wanted to use photobiomodulation, and we saw very positive effects from it. Especially from a manufacturer’s standpoint, we have to say not to use over cancerous lesions.
The biggest thing that I see and want to tell people about is seizures. Laser therapy can be very powerful when it comes to reducing and eliminating seizure disorders. But like I explained earlier, we don’t want to jump straight to those high-energy photons. There is a step progression of how to do that. I wouldn’t say it’s contraindicated; it just needs to be done properly.
As far as anything else, you mentioned pregnancy. There is not a study, nor do I think anyone is going to donate their pregnant belly for someone to laser over to see how it influences the baby. What I will tell you is I regularly advise pregnant moms to go outside and get proper sun exposure to their belly. That light from the sun is being transmitted into the developing baby, and it does help with growth and development. Good light exposure to the baby is very important.
Do I laser over it? No, I don’t think I want to take that risk. I don’t advise taking the risk either.
I did do a whole podcast about the development of developmental and neurodevelopmental disorders because of different types of light exposure and what that does to neural crest cell migration, etc. Those are the main concerns.
One thing I will bring up as well. We were literally just writing this into our literature for our laser. I don’t advise people to put the laser directly over clothing when they are using it. The reason is because clothing will absorb those photons. Skin will transmit the photons. Any time I am using the laser, I want it to be over the skin, not clothing.
The one time that I have seen a patient burned from one of the lasers that we use, he had a long-sleeve black shirt on. It was not in my office, someone else’s. This doctor gave the patient the laser and said, “Hold this here” on his arm and walked away. Patient just literally put it directly on top of the clothing on the arm. The clothing got so hot that that burned the skin.
Because of that, I have this rule. If we are going to laser you, no clothes. Don’t laser on top of clothes. It doesn’t make sense from a physics perspective anyway. We want a full delivery of those photons. That is what I would call a contraindication, I guess.
Dr. Eric:
How about concerns with lasers and the eyes?
Dr. Brandon:
Thank you for bringing that up. I don’t know how much time I have, but story on the eyes. Talking about all these things I was diagnosed with, it sounds like I was pretty bad off. I was diagnosed with glaucoma as a kid. Early onset, etc. They said, “You’re probably going to lose your vision someday. We’ll monitor it. We don’t have a solution for you right now.”
Fast forward. When I was going through college and learning about diet and nutrition, I started taking higher doses of DHEA, Vitamin A, and other things that can promote proper eye and retinal health. That slowed the progression. At that point, the glaucoma did not worsen.
Then I got into chiro school, started working with Dr. Donofrio. He said, “Laser your eyes.” “I’ll burn my eyeballs. It’s called a scotoma. I don’t want a sunburn on my retina.” He told me to laser my eyes. I came up with this method where I would close my eyes, bring the laser up close. When I started to see red, I knew it was starting to influence the retina. It wasn’t a direct laser beam on my eyeball. I would do that for 30 second increments. I did this pretty regularly.
For the first time, I went into the ophthalmologist, and it got better. “This is interesting. This is good. We see this sometimes. Don’t get your hopes up.” I continued. It got better again, and again, and again. Now I’m not even diagnosable.
I did start using both red and infrared in order to do that. I’ve personally had good experience with that. I have neurooptometrists who use our lasers for various eye conditions, like macular degeneration. There is actually now evidence that we should be using red light for macular degeneration. That is in the literature now. It can be used on the eyes. Obviously, we want to be doing this under the guidance of a properly trained physician because you can burn the retina. You don’t want to misuse it.
One of my pilot studies is looking at how we can very quickly change someone’s brain state by lasering through the eyes, transretinal. The cool thing about the eyes is they are an extension of brain tissue. This is diencephalic tissue. It also does not have a bone between the eye and the brain, so it is a fiber optic for photons, going directly into the brain.
If I know what type of brain wave I want to put someone into, i.e. I need to increase beta waves, I can use a proper wavelength. I usually use a near infrared like an 808 or 975, and I can laser transretinal for short periods of time and see their brain waves change right before my eyes. I have done this multiple times.
Is it a relative contraindication to laser the eyes? Yes. However, as literature progresses, we’re actually seeing that laser and light therapy can be huge and effective to treat so many different eye conditions and, like I’m talking about, the brain. Super exciting.
Dr. Eric:
All right. That’s great. Glad I brought that up. I think that’s also important, too. Before we wrap things up, I know we could talk another hour about this. Anything else that you felt the need to share? If you wanted to summarize. Or if you wanted to give some advice for someone who may be dealing with a thyroid or autoimmune thyroid condition who may be interested in utilizing laser or light therapy?
Dr. Brandon:
Sure. My overarching mission in everything that I do is I want to change global healthcare. A lot of that does involve incorporating things like photobiomodulation into the hospital setting, the private clinic, the dental office. It’s such a safe and effective modality.
Whether you’re struggling with a thyroid problem, some other type of autoimmune condition, a pain syndrome, or just trying to optimize your neurophysiology, gain an edge, laser and light therapy can be something that may be the missing piece. It can absolutely be supportive in nature of whatever you’re doing. Whether you’re someone wanting to do this on your own, or you’re someone who really needs the guidance of a physician, there are solutions out there.
If you wanted to engage further and learn more, I’ve got some resources on DrBrandonCrawford.com. That website can point you in various directions.
I am just here to change global healthcare. I think we’re doing a great job. I think you’re part of that movement with all the great work you’re doing as well. However I can support patients and clinicians, I’m here.
Dr. Eric:
Awesome. In addition to your website, anywhere else people can find you? Social media?
Dr. Brandon:
Social media is really cool because you get to see a lot of patient testimonies. Instagram is where I’m most active, @BCrawfordDC. That is going to be my main social media outlet.
Of course, I have the NeuroSolution Centers. I have NeuroSolutionATX.com. That’s my office here in Austin. I also have NeuroSolutionATL in Atlanta and NeuroSolutionDXB for my Dubai office. If you go to DrBrandonCrawford.com, that should point you in all the different directions you need to go.
Dr. Eric:
Dr. Brandon, thank you so much. This was a great conversation. I expected it to be great, but it was even better than expected. I think you exceeded expectations. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge with us.
Dr. Brandon:
Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.
