Smoking Cessation

Nicotine Addiction

“Smoking cessation (stopping smoking) represents the single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives.”
US Surgeon General

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death and disease. Cigarettes cause more deaths than cocaine, auto accidents, AIDS, alcohol, heroin, fire, suicide and homicide combined. An estimated 440,000 Americans die each year from diseases caused by smoking. Among the more common ailments directly caused by smoking are, lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease., In addition, treatment of preexisting conditions can be complicated by smoking. Smokers are twice as likely to die from heart attacks as are nonsmokers. A risk of anesthesia and post-operative complications are increased by use of cigarettes. Cosmetically, smoking causes premature aging, wrinkles, yellow stained teeth and fingers, and bad breath.

Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco. It is highly addictive, as addictive as heroin and cocaine. Over time, the body becomes physically and psychologically dependent on nicotine. Studies have shown that smokers must overcome both of these to be successful at quitting and staying quit.

Nicotine produces pleasurable feelings, through the release of endorphins,, that make the smoker want to smoke more. Over time, smokers develop a tolerance to nicotine and the pleasurable feelings from the release of endorphins, and increase the number of cigarettes they smoke. Eventually, the smoker reaches a certain nicotine level and then smokes to maintain this level of nicotine.

WHY QUIT ?

More than 4,000 chemical compounds have been identified in tobacco smoke. Some of
them are also in wood varnish, the insect poison DDT, arsenic, nail polish remover, and rat poison. The ashes, tar, gases, and other poisons in cigarettes is harmful to your body and damages your heart and lungs.

It is a known fact that smoking kills. The unfortunate aspect of smoking is second hand smoke. Only 15% of smoke from a cigarette is inhaled by the smoker. The other 85% goes directly into the air and is known as “second hand smoke.” Spouses and children who live with a smoker are essentially “passive smokers.” They are forced to breathe second-hand smoke in their own homes and in the family car if there are smokers around them. Second-hand smoke releases the same 4,000 chemicals as smoke that is directly inhaled, but in even greater quantity! Children who breathe second-hand smoke are more likely to develop breathing problems such as asthma, and are also more susceptible to ear and lung infections like pneumonia. Over time, children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are also more likely to have a lower ability to take in and use oxygen, and develop cancers of the lung,

Benefits

No matter what your age or how long you have smoked, quitting will help you live longer. People who stop smoking before age 35 avoid 90% of the health risks attributable to tobacco. Even those who quit later in life can significantly reduce their risk of dying at a younger age. Regardless of your age or smoking history, there are advantages to quitting smoking. Benefits apply whether you are healthy or you already have smoking-related diseases.

In 1990, the Surgeon General concluded:

*Quitting smoking has major and immediate health benefits for all ages. Benefits apply to people with and without smoking-related disease.
*Former smokers live longer than continuing smokers. People who quit smoking before age 50 have one-half the risk of dying in the next 15 years compared with continuing smokers.
*Quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung cancer, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.
*Women who stop smoking before pregnancy or during the first 3 to 4 months of pregnancy reduce their risk of having a low birth weight baby to that of women who never smoked.
*The health benefits of quitting smoking far exceed any risks from the average 5-pound weight gain or any adverse psychological effects that may follow quitting.

Laser Associates

Laser Associates is a state of the art clinic, specializing in smoking cessation and weight management. Laser treatments for smoking cessation and weight control have been used in Europe and Canada for over 20 years with an astounding 85% success rate. This exciting and successful method of treatment is now available in the United Sates under the direction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an IRB (Investigational Review Board) clinical study.

At Laser Associates you can QUIT in one session. Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is drug-free, painless, and non-invasive. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified the LLLT as a “non- significant risk device.” The laser produces a beam of light at a high wavelength utilizing low energy. The laser is applied to specific body points to block addiction receptors and stimulate the release of endorphins into your system. Endorphins are your body’s natural opiates and mood enhancer's. By blocking addiction receptors in your brain, the endorphin release allows you to cease nicotine intake without the withdrawal symptoms. The procedure is quick, easy, painless, and takes about 30 minutes to complete.

Our clinics tranquil atmosphere reflects an organization truly committed to helping people end their addictions and live a happy, healthy and prosperous life free of addiction!