Acta Vet. Brno 2008, 77: 225-229
Effect of Polarized Light Treatment on Milk Production and Milk Somatic Cell Count of Cows
Treatment with linearly polarized light (LPL) is a widely used and recognized therapeutic method in human medicine for healing wounds, ulcers and a variety of other dermatological problems. Polarized light mobilizes the inadequately functioning defence mechanisms of the human body. The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the effect of LPL treatment on the udder of milking cows. Before the start of treatment, there was no significant difference between cows to be treated with LPL and the control cows in mean somatic cell counts (SCC) of milk samples taken separately by udder quarter and in the mean milk yield. The LPL treatment lasted for 20 min and was performed twice a day over a period of one month. Before treatment, the mean SCC of milk was 3.47 × 105 ± 910 in the group to be treated and 4.07 × 105 ± 920 in the control group. In a six-week period immediately after treatment, the mean SCC of the treated and the control group was 1.32 × 105 ± 825 and 2.63 × 105 ± 825, indicating a significant difference in favour of the treated group. Before the LPL treatment, the milk yield of cows in the group to be treated was 25.77 ± 1.2 kg/ day, while that of the control cows was 27.30 ± 1.4 kg/day. In a six-week period after treatment, the milk yield of cows in the treated and control groups was 28.83 ± 1.5 kg/day and 25.48 ± 1.4 kg/day, respectively. There is a significant difference between these values in favour of the treated group. The results show that a regular LPL treatment of the udder of cows can significantly reduce the SCC of milk and significantly increase the milk yield. The treatment can be applied during lactation without interfering with the milking regime.
