Is this real? Laser therapy to quit smoking

Is that woman pointing a laser pointer at the patient?
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They blind the patient so they can't find their ciggies!!!

Home brew:
"Hmmmm. need a smoke...... better lase myself with my PGL-III..... AAAArrrrrgggghhh!!!! My eyes......."

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/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif IF YOU DON'T QUIT SMOKING ***NOW*** I WILL SCORCH YOUR RETINAS!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

I'd quit *breathing* if threated like that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

Yes, it's real. Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT, aka cold laser) has been used therapeutcially with quite a bit of success for things from addiction treatment to carpal tunnel syndrome. I didn't look at the pic, but most people using it with smoking cessation are using the laser over acupuncture points traditionally used for quitting smoking, which actually works quite well. Most people in the USA doing this use the laser in conjunction with auriculotherapy, which is a type of acupuncture focused on acupuncture points in the ear. I've heard nothing but good things about acupuncture for smoking, but it seems like it's a mixed bag for the laser treatment as of right now. Probably has to do with the HIGHLY confusing laser market available to doctors right now.

What i want to know, is how the hell a laser stops a chemical addiction? And if it works for cigarettes, why don't they use lasers on smack addicts? it would be cheaper in the long term.......... then say handing out methodone. And in the future reducing the burden on all health systems.

Edit spelling and last sentence.

DaFiend, the idea behind lasers working in a clinical setting is called "biostimulation." Go to www.laser.nu and look at their research page and you'll see tons of stuff in the medical literature. Why it works only for smoking? I have no idea. Maybe it doesn't. Same for traditional acupuncture. I don't know too many smack addicts, so I've never had an opportunity to see if they've tried this sort of thing to quit, you know? Most of the laser treatment being done in the USA is for sports and musculoskeletal type injuries. In Europe and Asia it's been used more extensively (for as long as thirty years) for wound healing, burn healing, etc. It supposedly helps tissues utilize ATP more effeciently and can reduce edema, inflammation, and stimulate a healing response. I haven't had a chance to use a laser therapeutically yet but I've heard excellent things from colleagues of mine.

LOL /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif



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greenLED said:
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif IF YOU DON'T QUIT SMOKING ***NOW*** I WILL SCORCH YOUR RETINAS!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

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It worked for my mom (but not my aunt, who tried it at the same time, but eventually started smoking again).

I always thought that these worked in a placebo manner, but there seems to be more of it, to judge from Dharmabum's posts.