OK, so what about a stop smoking laser? Surely there is enough technology in a laser to be able to help someone stop smoking, right? I mean, surely this is the answer that we have all been waiting for, this is the magic cure for addiction that is just going to wave a magic wand and have this super technology laser come in and cure all smokers of their urge to smoke every day. Surely a laser can help you quit smoking, right? Lasers are cool! How could they not help?
Well there is precious little evidence on this one, believe it or not. Apparently for a couple hundred dollars (probably over 500 in most cases), you can go have a procedure done where they will shoot a laser into your body through various “acupuncture points” and this will supposedly help you quit smoking. Apparently the exact mechanism by which the laser does this is by stimulating endorphin production. In other words, the laser will make you feel better, and this will help you overcome your urge to smoke.
First of all, I am skeptical because they are using this same exact procedure for weight loss. “Come on in for some laser therapy and we can help you lose weight!” Then they turn around and simply change the words a little but keep the treatment exactly the same, and say it is going to help you quit smoking.
Folks, they are taking advantage of the human element involved here. It is a personal quest to lose weight, or to quit smoking, and the individual could always screw it up, regardless of any treatment they receive. So if you give laser therapy and the person relapses on smoking, you can just blame the person. “Our laser therapy works great for people who genuinely want to stop smoking.” Well, duh. So would magic rock therapy.
The final straw on this one is that they are refusing to have clinical trials performed. These would take 2 groups of people, half would get “real laser therapy” and the other half would get “fake laser therapy” (they would think it is real but it would be a placebo) and then they would compare the results.
We already know what the laser therapy scam artists know: that they placebo group would do just as well as the real laser group, thus disproving their therapy. If you can’t put up the numbers and have the study done, then take your treatment and go peddle it to someone else!
