Quitting smoking can be difficult. But with the numerous treatments available today, smokers can successfully without having to experience the debilitating withdrawal symptoms. Other than taking medications and undergoing nicotine replacement therapy, there’s another way to quit smoking. It’s through laser therapy.
Laser Smoking Cessation Therapy – How it Works
Laser treatment works similarly with acupuncture only that it uses laser instead of needles. In traditional acupuncture, the therapist inserts very thin needles to the pressure points behind the lower earlobe to stimulate the release of endorphins. This makes the body experience a highly relaxed state. Quitting smoking through laser therapy eliminates the fear over needles. Most clinics that offer this treatment claim it can help people quit smoking after just an hour of session. During the therapy, low levels of laser are pointed to certain areas in the face, hands and wrist. The purpose of each session is to relieve the withdrawal symptoms and cravings for cigarettes. According to laser therapists, smoking artificially triggers the brain to release endorphins (the feel-good hormone). But when the cigarettes are withdrawn, the endorphin levels go down, causing undesirable symptoms, also known as withdrawal symptoms.
Benefits of Laser Therapy for Quitting Smoking
- Your stress levels are greatly reduced once you undergo laser therapy. This allows you to fight the tormenting psychological effects of quitting, such as anxiety, irritability, and extreme craving. You achieve intense relaxation like undergoing traditional acupuncture, without the downsides of needles.
- Laser therapy helps you restore your energy levels which are likely to go down once you quit. Acupuncture is a proven technique to combat stress and promote well-being.
- It doesn’t have side effects. Laser therapy does not include supplying nicotine to your bloodstream just to satisfy your craving and reduce your withdrawal symptoms. It helps you fight cigarette craving naturally. It is a safe and time-tested method.
- Laser therapy produces a feel-good sensation. With this treatment, you won’t feel like you are missing something once you stopped smoking. You are less likely to feel anxious or uneasy every day that you don’t light up.
- There are scientific studies that prove the effectiveness of laser therapy. In a 2008 study published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine, UK-based research team found that smokers who went through four sessions of laser therapy for two weeks were more likely to quit smoking than those who were given a placebo treatment. During the follow-up study carried out after six months, 55 percent of those who took the laser therapy was smoke-free.
The research on the effectiveness of laser therapy for quitting smoking is still on its early stage. But for many smokers who have tried this approach, the therapy has been really helpful. And even though it may not be the best smoking cessation method, you can have it as a supplementary therapy. Since it is non-invasive, you can use it with other methods, whether medication or non-medication.
