Happy New Year! The corks have popped, confetti has been swept off the floor, and many of your employees have resolved to quit smoking … yet again.

While smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ignoring the statistic is easier for some employees than trying to quit.

But as more businesses insist on healthier employees, even going so far as offering corporate-sponsored programs, many employees must decide whether smoking is more important than having a job.

For employers and employees, there is an exciting new option in the fight to quit smoking that uses laser technology. The treatment has been used for more than 25 years internationally, but only recently became available in the United States.

Laser therapy uses a low-level laser to trigger the release of the body’s natural endorphins, a built-in calming mechanism that helps eliminate typical withdrawal symptoms. The concept is similar to the centuries-old practice of acupuncture, only it is noninvasive, and therefore painless.

International studies have shown that between 80 and 94 percent of smokers treated with laser therapy succeed in breaking the habit immediately, including three- to four-pack-per-day smokers. Other methods, such as nicotine patches or gum, have significantly lower rates of success. A comprehensive program of laser therapy, behavior modification and nutrition changes produce stronger success rates than laser therapy alone. 

Smokers must understand the stressors in their lives that trigger the addiction and how they can modify the behaviors that accompany the habit. Since every smoker reaches for a cigarette for different reasons, such as after a stressful meeting, substituting a negative smoking behavior with a positive one, like drinking water through a straw, helps change the behavioral habit.

Additionally, with more than 4,700 toxins and cancer causing-chemicals in tobacco products, a smoker will need to detoxify his or her body with proper nutrition and supplements before the endorphins wear off in four to six weeks.

Clinical studies to test the effects and success rates currently are ongoing in the United States and are overseen by an independent review board that reports findings to the FDA. Clinics offering the treatment must be part of these trials to legally offer the procedure.

For businesses offering corporate-sponsored programs to promote healthier lifestyles, laser therapy can be a promising and effective option for employees who are serious about quitting the smoking habit.

		BreakFree Laser is owned and overseen by John J. Hagerty, DDS, who is the principal investigator for the clinical study. Their comprehensive laser therapy program has been available in Michigan for one-and-a-half years and is based in Delta Township. Dr. Hagerty can be reached at (517) 886-7848.