Can the passion for animals convince a young veterinary technician to return to her books to further specialize and improve the lives of her patients? The answer is affirmative if we listen to the story of Heidi Svartangen, Norwegian Muscle specialist. «I started my career - she explains – as a veterinary technician, but soon I realized that I wanted to help animals in a more direct way. I decided to perfect my knowledge about muscle therapy on animals, natural medicine with focus on acupuncture and homeopathy. The next step has been to become qualified as a cranio-sacral therapist and laser therapy therapist». However, the school for Dr. Svartangen seems to never end. « Now - she continues - I am attending a master in England in Integrated Healthcare, hoping then to do a doctorate. I really want to use the MLS® Laser Therapy in some of my works». Works that the specialist follows in her clinic specialized in muscle therapy and natural medicine where ASAlaser’s therapy is part of the staff.
Name and surname: Heidi Bye Svartangen
City: Revetal (Norway)
She works with: companion animals and equine
How do MLS® and ASAlaser became part of your professional activity?
I was looking for a treatment able to help me to heal muscle damage and sprains quicker and laser therapy caught my attention. Then I took part in a laser therapy course, I did a lot of research on it and I found that ASAlaser was the best. I especially loved the fact that I can customize any treatment and the device equipment as, for example, the Charlie (very comfy on big areas) is very helpful.
You have been using MLS® to treat various diseases since 2010. In which cases has the therapy been offering the best results?
Honestly I have seen very good results in all areas where I’ve used MLS®. For example in the arthrosis I’ve verified that after only one treatment the inflammation of the joints and the related pain have a tremendous improvement. The same owners report that their animals feel a lot better just few hours after the treatment. And with first a treatment once a week and then once a month they keep feeling well for years without any painkillers. I really think that laser and muscle therapy are a great combination!
In addition to arthritis, has ASAlaser’s therapy proved its validity also in other cases?
Surely: For example in cases of muscle tear, sprain and strain the laser helps to calm down the pain and to reduce inflammation, facilitating a much faster healing than without laser. Even edema and injuries are quicly reduced and resolved with MLS®, which is also effective in helping heal ear inflammation caused by allergic reactions or treating a skin fungus with consequent irritation on the paws. There’s no doubt that I successfully use MLS® Laser Therapy in my daily practice.
Are there any particularly significant cases?
I have many successful stories that I could mention. In many cases of severe ear itching and sores, because of allergies, after balancing the patient with acupuncture and diet change, I have treated the ear directly with the laser with a fast healing, reducing swelling and relieving pain. Joint and back pain is something I help dogs with every day, and MLS®, is a tremendous help here, relieving pain and inflammation instantly. I love helping the geriatric patients, they are so grateful to get better function in their body, the owners always tell me that they got their dog back in a way, now being a happy dog that can go on walks again wih better joint movement and without as much pain. Then there are the cases of agility dogs...
Tell us...
Being a muscle therapist, I see a lot of tears, fiber ruptures, sprains and bruises in agility dogs especially during the competition season. It is so important that they get back in shape fast! ASAlaser has changed the recovery timing: who, earlier, needed three months to heal now halves the time.
Just thinking about your personal experience, what do you think are the strengths of MLS® and what makes it different from other laser treatments?
There are many positive aspects, such as, for example, the ability to relieve pain and reduce inflammation simultaneously: in less time we can reach the desired result. I really appreciate the possibility to customize the treatment, also changing the time of application of the laser considering the needs of the patient. I also love the Charlie applicator because it makes easier and much faster the application of MLS® on big animals. Actually I use it to treat small animals like dogs and cats too, when there is a larger area that needs more "assistance".
A valid travel partner...
The therapy is not only valid, but also convenient and intuitive! Its device, for example, is easy to move when I treat horses. Finally I'm very interested in the application of MLS® in dental field and in acupuncture. In my masters I have already done one study on which Nm is the optimal for acupuncture, and the MLS® gives you the option to use the Nm you want.
You have talked about dental application: do you belive Laser Therapy is also effective in this field? Specifically for which diseases?
I am starting cooperation with a dental specialist and the dental part is a fantastic tool to use after the patient has a tooth pulled out, for a faster and cleaner healing. MLS® also helps in reducing inflammation of the gums.
Now let’s think about patients: what are their reactions during MLS® treatment?
First I have to say that the owners are thrilled. The ones that have never tried laser before do not really believe me when i tell them that their dog will feel so much better afterwords, but they all get convinced. It really helps the animal. The animal itself seems to understand what is happening: the dog, for example, even if it doesn’t feel any pain, shows some signs of reaction as to indicate where to position the laser! Generally, however, they relax and I can easily work. Only sometimes, some dogs get a bit stressed by the sound of the laser emission, but they also get quickly used to it.
When you propose the MLS® Laser Therapy to treat a disease of a dog or a cat, the reaction of the owner, therefore, is positive..
They trust me and when I tell them, what the therapy does and how this will help their animal, they always say yes.
After the choice of MLS® and Mphi Vet, you have decided to equip your clinic also with the new Orange line. What convinced you to buy it? What is its strength?
I always want to provide my clients with the best treatment available, so when there is a new better way I would like to use it. En example: I have several geriatric dogs, which come regularly for treatments. The owners have been very happy with the laser treatments, as they all have seen the difference when I switched to Orange: better and long lasting pain relieve in fac. In acupuncture, I see that it is a great advantage that I can do individual settings for each treatment. It is easy to use and accurate for exact treatment on the acupoints. The special dental peace also make it easy to use in the mouth and the animals do not feel that it is invasive.
Mphi Vet and Mphi Vet Orange are devices with predefined protocols useful to assist the practitioner in his daily activity. Which ones do you use most frequently?
I usually make my own combinations based on the individual patient. Having done training in laser therapy it is easier for me to just make individual choices, this is in fact one of the big benefits of MLS®. I usually start by pressing the program I know, than I set up the frequency I want for the time I consider correct. This makes if faster to set the machine. I use 292 and 1168 frequencies most of the time as I work a lot with muscles and joint pains. But I also use most of the other frequencies in my practice.
What is your overall assessment?
I could not be happier with my MLS® Laser Therapy and using it every day on my patients is the confirmation!
