How Effective Is the Cold Laser Quit Smoking Treatment?

The answers vary from clinic to clinic as there are very few, if any scientific studies determining the effectiveness of cold laser therapy as a quit smoking treatment. Every laser center and clinic across the country will claim astounding success rates as high as 80 per cent. However, it makes sense to do a little more research in to laser quit smoking treatments before shelling out the $100-$300 it costs for a 40 minute session.

Bad News

The reason there are no hard or agreed upon numbers is that medical science does not really recognize cold laser therapy as quit smoking treatment. They cite reports where they used acupuncture and cold laser therapy as a quit smoking treatment on a controlled group and another one and the results were the same.

The bottom line is those who want to quit will quit and they can attribute it to the ‘relaxation’ they receive from cold laser which is supposed to help you with withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Or they can just make the decision and quit on their own and save a few bucks on the way. However, every person knows his or her own temperament and hence if you feel a plush office and an ‘expert’ counseling session will work, then by all means go ahead. It may be the best $100 you spend on your health.

Another thing to note in the success stories of the laser quit smoking treatment centers is how long have the patients stopped smoking for? How was the follow-up conducted? Have they been without a single cigarette for over a month? Three months? A year? It is only after such results are standardized can we make any sense of an ’80 per cent success rate’. It could be that all that means is that 8 out of 10 people that came to the laser quit smoking treatment center didn’t smoke in the next 24 hours.

Good News

The good news is that most doctors agree that there can really be no harm in trying out the session if you have the time and money to spare. They feel some times it is just the excuse a person wants to quit the bad habit. It is just like one starts working out only once he or she has spent money on membership dues in a health club. The treadmill or elliptical machine at home is just used as a clothes hanger. Similarly, if a session can’t do you any good, fortunately a cold laser quit smoking treatment cant do you any harm either.