The champagne has run dry, the great ball has dropped, and the party is long since over. The year 2006 is now upon us, and therefore it's time to embrace our New Year's resolutions. If you are like some 22% of Americans, you've promised to make 2006 the year in which you finally quit smoking. Unfortunately, for many smokers this is not the first year that they have resolved to kick the habit.

Smokers all around the world are quitting smoking by zapping the habit using cold laser therapy as a modern form of acupuncture. In fact, the success rates are four to five times that of most other smoking cessation programs. Stephanie Stahl, Medical Reporter for CBS3 out of Philadelphia, recently featured this new technology to rave reviews. According to Stephanie, "Other than the treatment not working for everyone, there are no downsides to the laser, as long as it is used by a trained technician".

The Anne Penman Method combines laser therapy with customized guidance and a 24-hour hotline. The laser technician uses a "cold" laser beam to target energy points on the body. Focusing the laser beam on these areas causes the body to release natural chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins have a calming, relaxing effect on the body that helps to reduce nicotine craving and withdrawal symptoms. Some laser therapy clients report a feeling of euphoria following a smoking cessation treatment with the laser. In addition to stimulating an endorphin release, the laser stimulates the body's natural ability to detoxify the nicotine, getting the ex-smoker through the nicotine withdrawal more quickly.

While there are other organizations in the United States that offer laser therapy for smoking cessation, the Anne Penman organization is the most established and has treated close to 40,000 clients over the last 13 years. In August of 2005, the Anne Penman organization was featured on "Good Morning America", where Anne Penman declared a 64% success rate in helping people quit smoking. While there have been no formal studies conducted on the effectiveness of laser therapy to help people quit smoking, the low level laser therapy is currently in clinical trials through which it plans to soon receive FDA approval.

For a list of locations offering this therapy please click here.

Source:
Neil Carlsen