Can lasers help you stop smoking? Check the data

By Genevra Pittman, Reuters Health

8 Min Read

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) — Could one hour be all you need to quit smoking, without cravings or side effects?

A woman has an unlit cigarette in her mouth in New York City, September 15, 2010. REUTERS/Eric Thayer

That’s what Innovative Laser Therapy, a New Haven, Connecticut-based company, advertises on its website. The clinic uses low-level lasers – similar to those sometimes used to treat arthritis-related pain – to target specific acupuncture points on the body related to addiction, metabolism and stress, and claims that most patients can quit smoking after one session.

In that session, the laser is pointed at spots on the face, hands and wrist, with the aim of relieving withdrawal symptoms and preventing cravings.

“When you smoke a cigarette, you artificially tell your brain to release endorphins,” Frank Pinto, the owner of Innovative Laser Therapy, told Reuters Health. Therefore, quitting leads to a quick drop in endorphin levels, he said.

“The laser basically stimulates the nerve endings to tell the brain to release a flood of endorphins” to boost a patient over that initial 3-5 day hump of withdrawal symptoms, he said.

The treatment also targets other points that are thought to suppress appetite — to prevent the weight gain that often comes with quitting smoking — and promote relaxation, according to Innovative Laser Therapy.

But does it work?

‘NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE’ IN SCIENTIFIC TERMS

There’s limited research showing that laser therapy might help some smokers quit. Innovative Laser Therapy cites one study, a 2008 paper published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine, available on their site at link.reuters.com/pus95p. A UK-based team found that smokers that had four laser treatments over two weeks were more likely to quit than smokers that had three treatments. Those in the three treatment group, in turn, had better success rates than a control group that was given fake laser treatments.

After 6 months, 55 percent of the four-treatment group was smoke-free, compared to 19 percent of the three-treatment group and 6 percent of those who were treated with fake lasers.

The authors weren’t able to follow most of the 340 participants for more than 6 months after treatment, so they don’t know if those who stopped smoking started up again, or if they really quit for good. And the journal’s site – which offers lasers and other treatments for sale — does not say whether it is peer-reviewed.

In contrast, a 2000 Singapore study of 330 adolescents found no difference in 3-month quitting rates for participants treated with real or fake laser therapy.

“In scientific terms, this one (UK) study is not enough evidence to recommend (the) laser for smoking cessation,” Dr. Adrian White told Reuters Health by email. Dr. White is a research fellow at Peninsula Medical School in the UK who co-authored a review of laser therapy and similar smoking cessation methods for the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. “The results conflict with the other study, and they seem ‘too good to be true.’”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 5 Americans is a current cigarette smoker, and the majority of them smoke every day. The American Heart Association reports that more than 80 percent of smokers say they want to quit. But many smokers try more than one smoking cessation method or take years of trying before they do quit for good.

Pinto launched Innovative Laser Therapy after he successfully quit smoking with a round of laser therapy from a clinic in Florida. His company charges $350 for a one-time treatment that takes less than an hour, and offers free extra treatments to patients who are still struggling with quitting in the following 6 months. Other companies do a few shorter therapy sessions as part of their regular treatment plan.

NOT FDA-APPROVED FOR QUITTING SMOKING

Using acupuncture methods to treat addictions such as smoking is not new, White said, but there is still no clear evidence that treatment with needles has any therapeutic effects either.

And while the laser device used by clinics including Innovative Laser Therapy has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for temporary pain relief, the agency has not cleared it to be marketed for smoking cessation.

The UK study found that the side effects of the treatment were similar to some withdrawal symptoms, and the FDA has classified the laser as a “nonsignificant risk” device. Pinto says that the biggest side effect he sees is that “people feel relaxed during the treatment.”

Neil Camera, the president of Laser Therapeutics, Inc., says that FDA approval could be on the horizon. His company, which produces the lasers and supplies them to centers that are running clinical trials on the treatment’s effectiveness, has had an application for approval in to the FDA for three and half years, he said.

But the government organization had only dealt with drugs – not new technology – for smoking cessation, which has slowed down the process, Camera said. “The FDA didn’t know how to handle it, quite frankly,” he told Reuters Health. “That was the biggest drawback.”

Dr. Neil Spielholz, of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, was involved with the initial study submitted to the FDA – the same one that showed the success of laser treatment in UK smokers. The FDA had a couple of problems with that study, he said, including that successful quitting was measured by a smoker’s own reports, and not by more modern methods that calculate the amount of carbon monoxide in someone’s breath. In response, Laser Therapeutics is designing another study to address those comments, he said.

A spokesperson from the FDA confirmed that the agency is aware of the concept of using low level lasers for smoking cessation and had been in discussions with those seeking to get it approved on how they should proceed.

Usually three convincing studies involving large groups of human patients are needed before the FDA decides to approve a treatment.

Pinto says that Innovative Laser Therapy follows up on the success of all of its clients a month after the treatment for clinical evidence that will be part of the package of data presented to the FDA.

“The company (Laser Therapeutics) is going crazy,” Spielholz told Reuters Health. “They want to get this thing approved, obviously.”

But, he said of the initial evidence in favor of the treatment, “this one is only a single study, which of course the people who believe in lasers will jump on … (but) things have got to be confirmed. One study, no matter how many patients are in it, really needs one or two confirmation studies.”

WON’T WORK ON EVERYBODY

If future studies do show its effectiveness, laser treatment would have a leg up over conventional methods of smoking cessation, such as medications including Chantix and Zyban, said Spielholz, who continues to work with Laser Therapeutics on getting FDA approval.

The lack of any drugs involved in laser therapy “would be the beauty of this,” he said. “You do not have those side effects of suicidal thoughts and feelings of paranoia that are reported for the drugs,” he said.

Still, Laser Therapeutics’ Camera said, the treatment won’t work on everybody. “The person has to be wanting to quit smoking,” he said. “They can’t be dragged in by a spouse or whatever, because nothing’s going to work then.”

Dr. Martha Daviglus, who studies preventative medicine at Northwestern University, agreed that the most important part of any smoking cessation program was that smokers were ready to quit. After seeing the initial research, she’s hopeful, but cautious, about low-level laser therapy as a way to help people do that.

“There are hundreds of methods to quit smoking,” she said. “We can hope that this is going to be a method that is going to help people.” But, Daviglus said, “We need more research and more evidence.”

Smoking Cessation Laser Therapy Brunswick OH

How Cold-Laser Therapy Can Help You Quit Smoking

Our laser therapy uses a cold laser, that when applied to various points on the body, creates a calming effect by raising a person’s endorphin levels. This calming response helps to greatly reduce or completely eliminate the withdrawal symptoms often associated with quitting smoking.

CALL NOW! (330) 273-7355

Safe, Drug-Free Alternative to Quit Smoking

Laser therapy is among the most common and effective alternative medical treatments. Designed to help relieve pain, it uses cold lasers and LED lights at low wavelengths to stimulate cell growth and health. The subject of ongoing research, laser therapy has the potential to solve a number of key health problems, including nicotine addiction.

To help you quit smoking, Laser Therapy Cleveland™ uses cold laser treatment on specific energy points on your body that are associated with the act of smoking. In doing so, we seek to raise the level of endorphins, or chemicals that send positive signals to your brain, in those areas. Ordinarily, your body would release endorphins when you pick up a cigarette, encouraging you to smoke. By breaking the relationship between endorphins and smoking, we hope to make it easier for you not to resume tobacco use.

A Treatment Package Suited for Success

To maximize your chance of quitting smoking for good, Laser Therapy Cleveland™ combines laser treatments with more traditional guidance and support. Our smoking cessation package offers three laser therapy sessions along with:

• Carbon Monoxide Testing – We perform a test to show you how much carbon monoxide smoking has put in your lungs. This helps to put the negative effects of tobacco use in perspective, giving you added incentive to quit.
• Nicotine Testing – Besides showing you the scale of the damage smoking does, we help you to understand the severity of your addiction. Through nicotine testing, we evaluate just how dependent you have become on tobacco, taking this information into account during treatment.
• Committed Guidance – Through compassionate counseling, we help you to better understand the lifestyle and psychological factors that contribute to your smoking habits. We then work with you to develop strategies that counter these habits and allow you to avoid smoking for good.

CALL NOW! (330) 273-7355

Feel Great and Live Smoke-Free with Low-Light Laser Therapy

Cold laser therapy is one of the most effective methods used to help someone with quitting smoking or smokeless tobacco.  Our program is individually tailored due to the fact that each smoker has his or her own habits, reasons and triggers for smoking. Therefore, regardless of how many cigarettes you smoke daily or for how long you have smoked, our laser therapy can help you achieve your goal to become smoke-free.

Our Smoking Cessation Program Combines:

• Laser Therapy
• Direction and Guidance
• Continued Support and Motivation

Laser Therapy

Our laser therapy method involves the use of a cold laser that is applied in a specific sequence of energy points located on the ears, nose, hands and wrists.

A smoker has a wildly fluctuating level of endorphins throughout the day, which is depicted in the illustration below.

Endorphins are morphine-like chemicals that are produced and released by the body to create a “feel-good” feeling during periods of emotional stress, pain and strenuous exercise. The act of smoking creates a spike in endorphin levels that ultimately crash back down causing a smoker to want another cigarette. If you are a smoker, stress and tension will lead to a craving for a cigarette for this same rush of endorphins that propagates the spike and crash cycle illustrated above.

We can use our cold laser to raise and balance the endorphin levels as illustrated below:
This raising and balancing of endorphin levels cause a reduction in cravings and stress levels so that when a person stops smoking, the withdrawal symptoms often associated with quitting are either completely eliminated or significantly reduced.

Laser Therapy Relaxes Our Clients into a Calm State of Well-Being.

Guidance

We find ways to help our clients deal with the emotional, physical and psychological aspects of quitting smoking. During the sessions, we will discuss your lifestyle and habits, the role smoking plays in your life, when and where you smoke, and other factors that lead you to smoke.

Together we find ways to change the factors that lead to a client’s dependency on smoking through habitual changes, self-belief and positive thinking and motivation.

Benefits of Quitting

The health benefits of stopping smoking start almost immediately. A quit-smoking timeline illustrates the immediate and ongoing health benefits that occur after your final cigarette.

Within…

• 20 minutes: Blood pressure and pulse return to normal.
• 8 hours: Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood are halved, oxygen levels in the blood return to normal.
• 24 hours: Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body and the lungs start to clear out the buildup of tar.
• 48 hours: There is no nicotine left in the body. Taste and smell are greatly improved.
• 72 hours: Breathing becomes easier, bronchial tubes begin to relax, energy levels increase.
• 2 to 12 weeks: Your heart attack risk has begun to drop. Lung function and circulation improves, making walking and exercise a lot easier.
• 3 to 9 months: Coughs, congestion and breathing problems improve as the lungs have room for up to 10% more oxygen. Your body’s overall energy has increased.
• 1 year: Risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke is cut in half compared to a smoker.
• 5 to 15 years: Your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.
• 10 years: Risk of lung cancer is reduced by up to 50% and the risk of heart attack is at the same level as non-smokers.

CALL NOW! (330) 273-7355

Medium to Long-Term Benefits for Quitting at Any Age:

The risk of developing lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke and chronic lung disease is reduced the sooner you stop smoking.

Stopping smoking at any age increases your life expectancy, provided that you stop before the onset of serious disease. Even if you have developed a disease, you can benefit from stopping as your body will be under less strain and be able to fight it more easily.

A smoker who has suffered from a heart attack can halve the risk of a second heart attack by stopping smoking. Smokers who stop before the age of 35 have a life expectancy not significantly different from that of a non-smoker.

Smokers who give up smoking between 65 and 74 years of age have a better life expectancy beyond 75 than those who continue to smoke.

Other Great Benefits of Living Smoke-Free:

• Reduced stress
• Physical activities become easier
• You don’t tire as quickly
• Your sense of taste and smell improve
• Your skin improves

Financial Cost of Smoking

Smoking cessation is all about confidence. To quit, you have to believe in your own ability to take control of your health. At Laser Therapy Cleveland™, we believe in you, and will stick by you until your life is tobacco-free.

How can Laser Therapy help me stop smoking?

It is believed that nicotine releases endorphins, which give the smoker a sense of relaxation. When smoking stops, the sudden drop in endorphin levels can lead to withdrawal symptoms. Laser therapy helps stimulate endorphin levels to help reduce cravings and stress, and restores balance to the body.

Where is the laser applied?

The laser is applied to specific energy points on the ears, nose, hands and wrists.

How long does the treatment session last?

The first treatment session lasts approximately one hour. Follow-up sessions last 45 minutes.

I have been smoking for over 30, 40, 50 years, will this work for me?

Regardless of how long you have been a smoker or how many you smoke per day, this program can help. The most important thing is that you want to stop.

Are there any side effects resulting from the laser therapy?

The laser is completely safe and has no adverse side effects. Most clients feel very relaxed during and after the treatment.

Is the program guaranteed?

Our Laser Therapy Program is highly successful. It combines laser therapy, guidance and continued support but because each client is different, and each person’s addiction is unique, this process cannot be guaranteed.

Is LLLT better than other stop-smoking solutions on the market like patches, gums, etc.?

There are millions of smokers in the world and very few solutions available to help. We believe our program with a combination of laser therapy, guidance and backup support really helps smokers stop and stay smoke-free. We support all methods.

How many laser therapy sessions will I need?

One main session and a support session within 48 to 72 hours are enough for the majority of our clients. Our program also includes more support sessions, if needed in the future, which is designed to support your needs.

Will I gain weight if I quit smoking?

There is no rule that everybody who quits will gain weight. It depends on the person’s psychological and physiological situation. Our Smoking Cessation Program is designed to help you quit smoking more easily without gaining weight. Laser therapy can be used to help control your appetite and with the support and guidance of your technician, you make any necessary lifestyle changes to help you achieve success.

Do I need to do anything to prepare for my therapy?

No, we suggest you smoke your last cigarette just before you have your first laser therapy session.

Do I have to have an appointment?

It is advisable to make an appointment. If you come without an appointment we will be glad to help you if our appointment schedule permits.

I want to quit smoking but my spouse doesn’t.

Will this make it more difficult for me to quit?

It would be wonderful to have the support of family, friends, acquaintances and work colleagues but if they cannot support you, remember we are here for you.

Is this method applicable to everyone? (What are the contraindications?)

Laser therapy cannot be used on the following people:

• Women who are pregnant
• People with active skin cancer
• People with Epilepsy
• People taking Immune-Suppressant Drugs/Medications

For more information on using laser therapy and guidance to quit smoking, call us at (330) 273-7355 today.

Treatment for smoking in Ufa – Clinic Laser and health

Quit smoking – it’s possible!

In our clinic “Laser and Health” Professor Yusupov A.S. A safe and effective author’s method of helping people quit smoking has been developed and successfully applied for more than 30 years.

How to quit smoking?

Advertising and propaganda of cigarettes as an “essential” attribute of the beautiful life of rich and successful people has done its dirty deed. In our country, which used to be a non-smoker, almost everyone is now smoking – fifth-graders who ran away from school, young mothers strolling babies in strollers, and even doctors who promote a healthy lifestyle.

The civilized world, realizing the consequences of addiction, shuddered and suddenly stopped smoking. Smoking has become NOT prestigious.

Issuance of brochures about the dangers of smoking, which, like the notorious “Ministry of Health warns …” on packs, produce an effect according to the principle “They scare, but we are not afraid.”

Well, in vain, by the way.

Something to think about!

Lungs of a healthy person and a smoker

X-ray of the lungs of a smoker

Every year, 2.5 million people die from smoking-related diseases worldwide.

Every tenth inhabitant of the planet is carried away by addiction to the grave.

Smoking is the cause of approximately 30% of all emerging malignant diseases. The death rate from lung cancer is higher than from other types of cancer. Only 14% of lung cancer patients survive for more than five years.

Tobacco is addictive like a drug. Smokers are twice as likely to die before age 65 than non-smokers. Smoking shortens a person’s life. Smoking is dangerous to your health.

Every year, 40% of smokers decide to quit their addiction, and only 3.5% successfully cope with the task.

So
You must understand what
means
STOP SMOKING.

Quitting smoking is life.

Quitting smoking is a blessing.

Quitting smoking is a deep breath.

Quitting smoking is like saying no to many diseases.

Quitting smoking is clean air.

Quitting smoking is healthy lungs.

Quitting smoking is sex before the age of 120.

Quitting smoking is the health of children.

Quitting smoking is about believing in yourself.

Quitting smoking is giving your heart another chance.

What does it mean for you to quit smoking? Or have you quit yet? Isn’t it time to change the false joys of life to the true ones?

It’s never too late to quit smoking! Even if you have been a smoker for over 25 years, quitting within two days is not that difficult. And why?

Author’s smoking cessation program

How is smoking coding done? How effective and safe is it? These questions are of interest to our patients. Let’s talk about everything in order.

The principle of treatment for smoking is to relieve cravings, reduce and then remove the physical and psychological dependence of the body on nicotine, in causing aversion to the smell of tobacco. In the course of treatment and subsequently, the desire to smoke is suppressed, sleep and general well-being improve, and resistance to stressful stimuli increases.

It’s not that hard to quit a cigarette. Difficulties begin later, when you want to smoke. That’s when you need help, that’s when it’s unbearably difficult for you. Your whole body protests, it lacks what it has received for many years.

It is to help in these moments that our unique method of treating tobacco addiction was created. The effect is maintained during the first 2 months, as the most basic thing is removed – cravings and dependence of the body.

Reception conducted by:

Titova Marina Nikolaevna

Chief Physician. Specialist in laser medicine in the field of therapy, internal medicine, reflexology.
Work experience – more than 30 years.

Read more

Bikbova Liliya Mutagirovna

Specialist in laser medicine in pediatrics, internal medicine, physiotherapy. Work experience – more than 40 years.

Read more

Treatment efficiency over 86%

Treatment for smoking is based on the effect of weak laser light on biologically active zones on the human body. Unlike classical acupuncture, laser light does not destroy tissues, does not cause suppuration or other complications that are typical for acupuncture.

The smoking cessation procedure is completely painless. The laser beam leads to “recharging” of the centers responsible for smoking cessation, which explains the long-term therapeutic effect (up to 1.5 – 2 months).

There are no negative side effects of laser light. Coding from smoking gives a positive effect in 86% of cases, as evidenced by the feedback from our patients.

We guarantee treatment for 6 months!

This means that if you suddenly develop cravings during this period, you can take another course of treatment for FREE.

There are no weak people. A person can handle everything. And if, moreover, he himself decided to quit smoking, then the doctors of the Laser and Health clinic will certainly help to cope with the disease.

Recommendations for those undergoing smoking treatment:

• A prerequisite for successful smoking treatment is your firm decision to get rid of this bad habit.
• You must completely refrain from smoking for 10-15 hours before treatment, otherwise the treatment will reduce its effectiveness.
• Treatment for smoking is carried out individually and includes an average of 2-3 sessions, which are carried out daily or every 1-2 days.

Main…

Do you really want to quit smoking? You yourself.

This is your decision.

Nobody forced it on you.

It doesn’t matter what the reason for your decision is. This is your choice and nobody cares and should not care about the reasons that prompted you to accept it.

What is required for treatment?

• Sign up for an initial appointment with a doctor to select an individual method of treating your disease and achieve the maximum effect. This is necessary, since we have more than 15 types of treatment, not to mention a large range of unique treatment methods.

• Our doctor will select the most effective methods of treatment for you, taking into account all the characteristics of your body and existing diseases, inform you in detail about the tactics of treatment and answer all your questions.

• Take with you to the appointment the results of all previously performed studies, pictures, medical documents – i.e. everything that is available. It will be important for the doctor to understand the whole picture of your health.

There are contraindications. Specialist consultation is required.

Laser coding for smoking cessation in a clinic in Moscow

Invaluable help

I am very grateful to the doctors for their help in getting rid of alcohol addiction. After 10 years, there is not the slightest desire to return to the swamp, from which there is practically no way out. I wish the whole team success in their work … and personal life, happiness to everyone and good luck! Read more “Invaluable help”

Vladimir Aleksandrovich

Thank you very much!

I would like to express my gratitude to the doctors of the Botkinsky clinic! Thank you that during my great confusion, at the time of my husband’s relapse, the doctor gave an accurate and necessary consultation. Your recommendations for the time after coding… helped bring my husband back to normal!!! Thank you! Continue reading “Thank you so much!”

Svetlana

Assistance in treatment

Last year, alcoholism was coded for a period of 3 years. During this period, the craving for consumption completely disappeared and life changed dramatically for the better. I recently got married… to a Spaniard, went to live in Spain, set up my own business. I haven’t been drinking without coding for a year now and I’m convinced that I won’t drink alcohol anymore! Read more “Help in treatment”

Olga

Thank you very much

I never thought that we would face such a problem. .. But… My son started playing computer games endlessly. At first, we did not realize the seriousness of the situation, but when he began, under any pretext … to refuse to go to school and tried to spend all the time playing computer games, we realized that we could not cope on our own. We turned to the Botkinsky clinic. Doctors and psychologists used a variety of methods, everyone was very affectionate with him … I think this helped him understand that you should not waste your life on games. Thank you very much to the doctors of the Botkinsky clinic! Continue reading “Thank you very much”

Violetta

Successful coding

We would like to sincerely thank the wonderful doctors of the clinic for their professionalism, sensitivity to the patient, attention and kindness. Thank you! May everything be good for you!!!

Nadezhda

You can code from smoking!

I want to say a huge thank you for the successful treatment and my quitting smoking.