Can Laser Therapy Help You Quit Smoking?
Nicotine: one of the hardest substances to kick. Many smokers, worried about tobacco’s serious dangers, not to mention the expense of the habit, have tried and failed multiple times – a back and forth between addiction, hope and frustration that’s rough on the self-esteem, which in turn makes it all the harder to quit.
Smokers often get to the point where they’re willing to consider any approach to quitting that they hear about or see covered in the media. Here, we want to provide information on laser therapy as it is applied to the problem of quitting smoking.
What Is Laser Therapy?
Low level laser therapy is often called cold laser therapy to distinguish it from the hot lasers used in some surgical techniques. It involves low intensity laser light applied to or near the surface of the body. The usual goal is the production of endorphins and according to Chinese medicine to unblock energy pathways in the body. Laser therapy are to promote relaxation, the treatment of pain and inflammation in conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, and migraines. General benefits of laser therapy include stress reduction, improved energy levels, and quicker healing. It can also be applied as a painless, non-invasive version of acupuncture.
For a smoker on a quitting regime, the role of cold laser therapy would be to help alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
The laser treatment method
In a therapy session for pain, low level lasers are applied directly over or on the painful area of the body. When used for nicotine withdrawal, however, acupuncture principles are followed, and lasers are applied to the face, ears or hands. The aim is to stimulate specific points that acupuncture theory identifies as related to addiction. Ear, or auricular, therapy, for example, uses the concept of the ear as a reflex center connected to the rest of the body via the central nervous system, and uses auricular mapping to show where to place the laser.
The technician applies the laser, which is about the size of a flashlight or a large ballpoint, to the skin on the selected point. Photons – energy particles of light – penetrate the body’s tissues at the cellular level. It’s a pain-free procedure, completely non-invasive. Some people report tingling or a very slight burning sensation. These low intensity lasers produce no heat, and cannot burn the skin.
Is laser therapy safe – and are there benefits for quitting smokers?
Here, we’re in a confusing area. The FDA has approved a few cold laser device as safe for pain reduction and for cosmetic (fat reduction) applications. As noted above, there is no scientific evidence in the United States to date to support claims that such therapy treats, or helps to treat, nicotine addiction.
On the other side of the coin, cold laser therapy has been used medically in several European countries for decades with many positive scientific results reported. There are scientific studies with good controls currently being conducted in the US to investigate the use of the therapy for helping people stop smoking.
So the basic question of benefit for smokers can only be based on data from decades of research in Europe, which has shown a positive response. Click the link to learn about my stop smoking services http://www.drrobertg.com/quitstopsmokingnjny/
There are many different kinds of devices being marketed on the internet and elsewhere, and a lot of unsubtantiated advertising claims are made for them, such as cures for herpes, cerebral palsy, and wrinkles. Some do not provide the advertised energy output, and others are not lasers at all, but devices with LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) built in. Best to work with a reputable laser practitioner.
As with many issues in alternative medicine, it’s best to keep an open mind. Alternative therapies can prove very valuable to people who need additional therapeutic support and want to complement conventional medicine. My conclusion? Laser therapy can be effective in helping people stop smoking and combined with hypnosis you have the highest success rates around.
Click the link to learn more about my stop smoking services