Laser Therapy to Stop Smoking
January 7, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research shows Low Level Laser Therapy could help people quit smoking.
The therapy delivers laser beams to acupuncture points on the body and ear to eliminate the craving for nicotine. Proponents say it is noninvasive, has no side effects, and smokers need only three to five treatment sessions that last about 30 minutes. Laser therapy also does not require nicotine or drug replacement.
Researchers from Middlesex University studied 340 smokers who either received three treatments, four treatments, or no treatments. Nearly all participants who received four treatments stopped smoking, and about half of participants who received three treatments stopped smoking. Many of those receiving the treatment who did not completely quit at least cut down on consumption. Smoking habits of most participants in the control group did not change.
Researchers say the patients who returned to tobacco during the three months following the study reported they smoked due to particular moments of stress experienced. Patients also reported feeling and sleeping better after laser treatment. Results also show not a single patient gained weight, and some even lost weight.
The procedure has been used in Canada and Europe for more than 15 years. It has not yet been FDA approved in the United States and is instead offered as a research protocol.
SOURCE: Lifestyle Laser Center, Plantation, Fla.