Symbyx PD Care Laser Panel Review
Review updated:
The Symbyx Biome PDCare Laser is an infrared light-therapy device that claims to improve multiple Parkinson’s symptoms at home. While some members of our review panel did note modest improvements in their symptoms, others saw none. Our reviewers also commented that the device was too expensive and that the batteries needed to be replaced often.
Highs
- Simple controls
- Robust design with plastic case
Lows
- 3 of our reviewers saw no improvements in symptoms and, of the 3 who did, 2 saw only slight improvements
- Very expensive upfront cost
- Batteries need replacing often
The 6 reviewers in our panel were asked to test out the PDCare Laser for 12 weeks before sharing their feedback with us.
Symptoms: Our reviewers are living with a wide range of Parkinson’s symptoms, including walking issues, freezing of gait, problems with balance, severe pain and gut health concerns.
Tech confidence rating: Ranges from “somewhat confident” to “very confident”
Gender
- Men: 2
- Women: 4
Age range
Years since diagnosis
Background
Symbyx Biome is a med-tech company co-founded by Peter Carre, Dr Wayne Markman, Dr Ann Liebert and Dr Brian Bicknell in 2020 in Sydney, Australia. The company develops medical-grade light-therapy devices, including the PDCare Laser and the Symbyx Neuro, a red light headset also listed in our catalogue.
Infrared light-therapy (photobiomodulation) works by directing low-levels of specific wavelengths of light into targeted areas of the body. The body’s tissue absorbs the light, stimulating reactions in the cells to improve healing and offer a range of medical benefits. The technology can help those dealing with a wide range of medical conditions and concerns, including arthritis, fibromyalgia, IBS and, of course, Parkinson’s.
For people with Parkinson’s, the PDCare Laser aims to stimulate cell recovery and reduce chronic pain and inflammation in the body. This helps to alleviate symptoms around walking, balance, cognition and gut health, and to restore a healthy gut-brain connection.
A clinical trial published in 2024 demonstrated the effects of the PDCare Laser on 6 people over a 5-year period. Though this was just a small study, the results showed a significant improvement in several Parkinson’s symptoms, including those surrounding mobility, balance, walking speed, stride length and cognition. You can read more about this trial hereopens in new tab.
Further research and user feedback has also suggested that the laser could be useful in improving the gut health and sense of smell in people with Parkinson’s, though this wasn’t proven in the aforementioned trial.
Registered as a class 2a medical device in the UK, Europe and Australia, the PDCare Laser claims to provide improvements typically within the first 12 weeks of use. For this reason, we asked that our review panel use the device for 12 weeks.
First impressions
The device ships with a protective case, an instruction manual and a user guide or treatment protocols in the box. The company also has a Treatment Protocol section on its websiteopens in new tab with links to digital text versions of the instruction manual and treatment protocol for the PDCare Laser, along with a YouTube video you can follow along at home.
Most of our reviewers found the PDCare Laser to be very easy to set up and use. This was thanks both to the device’s simple design and its easy-to-follow instructions.
Simple instructions, clearly written and supported by diagrams, anyone could follow these.
You switch the PDCase Laser on by pressing the black button on the base of the device. The device makes 3 beeps and flashes a green light to tell you that it’s ready to use. Then, press the device to your skin to activate the infrared light.
5 of our 6 reviewers categorised the instructions as very clear, with 1 saying, “simple instructions, clearly written and supported by diagrams, anyone could follow these”.
Another reviewer said, “the print and font size was very clear and the right size”.
1 user who experiences gut-health issues did remark that, while they didn’t think there was necessarily anything missing from the instructions, they would like to see “links to sites that go deeper into the theory of how the laser works and stats on the benefits”.
When it came to turning on the laser, 5 of our reviewers again found the process to be very easy. 1 user diagnosed 4 years ago said, “there was not much to set up, only to switch off and on”, while another said, “the device was delivered ready to go, no set up required”.
1 user who feels somewhat unconfident with technology did find the battery replacement to be a bit fiddly when first setting the device up. It “seems to get through a lot [of] batteries” and a "rechargeable battery built into [the] unit would be better,” they said.
In fact, 3 of our 6 users said that they needed to replace the batteries at least once during the 12-week testing period, adding to the overall cost of the device over its lifetime.
Daily use
Symbyx Biome recommends you use the PDCare Laser 3 times a week for 20 minutes each time. Of those 20 minutes, 18 minutes should be spent on the abdomen (covering 9 spots in total) and 2 minutes on the back of the neck. For the first week of treatment, you should halve those times while you adjust to the treatment.
1 of our reviewers said “selecting the right place to target required a little thought but not much”.
Another person called the device “fairly easy” to use on the abdomen and the back of the neck, but added, “I have reservations about the convenience of using the device on shoulders and thoracic spine which are common problem areas [for] people with Parkinson’s”.
While not included in the basic directions mentioned above, the shoulder and spine are included in Symbyx Biome’s instruction manual as 2 other areas the device can be applied to reduce pain and inflammation. You can find the full list along with the number of treatment points in each area and how long you can treat each area in the PDCare Laser instruction manual linked hereopens in new tab.
Aside from locating these target spots, all of our reviewers rated the PDCare Laser as either “fairly easy” or “very easy” to use. They said the device took just a few minutes to get used to thanks to the single button on the device and to the YouTube video guidance.
None of our reviewers encountered any accessibility problems or needed help using the device, though 1 user did find the beeps when switching the device on to be unclear. Another member of the review panel contacted Symbyx Biome’s customer support to ask if the device could be used on a specific body part and told us the company “responded very quickly”.
Half of our review panel found the device “very easy” to integrate into their daily life, while the other half found it “fairly easy” to do so.
“Spending 20 minutes a day was not onerous”, said a 64-year-old reviewer who received their diagnosis 10 years ago.
Another user touched on the fact you might want to find a private space to use the device as it does require skin contact: “As I was using the product on my stomach area and for 18 minutes I could only do this when I was on my own in private”.
1 reviewer who was diagnosed 8 years ago mentioned the importance of consistency as Symbyx Biome recommends you use the device approximately every 48 hours. “The laser is very easy to use, but remembering to use it at the same time on every occasion wasn’t quite so easy especially when going on holiday”. This user also suggested that the company could include a built-in alarm to function as a daily reminder to use the device.
1 reviewer hoped to see an improvement in their gait during the 12-week review period, but instead noted an improved sense of smell. They felt fairly unsatisfied with the product at the end of the review period, concluding, “unfortunately it had no impact on my walking [or] gait issues”.
Another reviewer felt fairly satisfied after seeing slight improvements in their gut health and the amount of sleep that they got.
Anything that reduces pain but [sic] even a small amount is definitely worth it.
1 reviewer who had hoped to see a reduction in back pain and freezing by using the device experienced a modest reduction in the level and frequency of pain they felt throughout the day, stating that “anything that reduces pain but [sic] even a small amount is definitely worth it”.
The other 3 reviewers noted no improvements in their symptoms.
Value
I would not have committed to that level of expenditure with the risk that it might not make any difference to my symptoms.
Something all 6 of our reviewers could agree on is that the £1,300 price of the PDCare Laser is expensive and not necessarily worth the price. In fact, 4 reviewers rated the device as poor when it came to value for money.
1 user who has tried other high-priced products including the CUE1 and the ExoPulse Mollii Suit said: “I would not have committed to that level of expenditure with the risk that it might not make any difference to my symptoms.”
Another 67-year-old reviewer who has used a laser walking stick in the past called it “very costly”. “I cannot see how people could afford to buy this especially as most of them are pensioners with little income”, they said.
As for whether they’d recommend the PDCare Laser to a friend, the 3 reviewers who didn’t see their symptoms improve said “no”.
Of the reviewers who would recommend it, 1 said: “In accordance with the medical theories underlying this product, I appreciate that it would not be a product that would produce a big change over a small time period. However, given sufficient time I feel that it could be beneficial to some Parkinson’s patients.”
The aforementioned reviewer who found that the device improved their sense of smell but didn’t provide the walking or gait improvements they’d been hoping for said: “Non-invasive therapy [is] worth a try even though it didn’t improve my symptoms as hoped.”