These enticing promises of “quit smoking in one sitting” and “85% success rate” are all over the internet. This technique, as with other miracle-working methods, has not been scientifically proven to work, warn authorities and doctors.
“1-year warranty
“Smokers can have great difficulty if they have tried to quit many times and then fall into the trap very easily,” says Professor Daniel Thomas, spokesperson of the Societe francophonede tabacologie. Hakima Kone is the manager of a Parisian Laser Center. “I eliminate my physical need to smoke.” According to Hakima Kone, there is no scientifically supported method that works “so well and clearly”.
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The General Directorate of Health (DGS) states that there is not enough scientific data or research to prove the effectiveness of the laser. According to the Tobacco Information Service site, the “laser” is not one of the approved methods that have been proven effective in smoking cessation.
Science is still skeptical fifteen years later. The laser is still in fashion in France, thanks to the “many advertisement screens in newspapers, magazines, (the] television or on-line”, write three pulmonologists, tobacco specialists, in an article published in Le Courrier des Addictions. These articles emphasize the lack of conclusive studies. A session of this type of treatment can help a smoker quit smoking, says the specialist. The placebo effect can also have a significant impact.
The High Authority for Health (HAS), confirms that, even if the benefits of non-validated methods have not been established their use cannot be ruled out due to a “possible parabola effect”. They are safe, provided they have been “proven harmless”. All specialists agree that it is the patient’s will to continue using them, regardless of their “proven harmless” status. “Without the patient’s motivation, I did sessions, and the person went outside lighting a cigarette recognizes Nicole Sauvajon Papillon, a retired physician who practiced auriculotherapy.
The tobacco specialist also highlighted another ambiguity: Most centers claim they have “patricians”, or “therapists” and not doctors, or other health professionals. The DGS stated that doctors, dentists, and midwives are all medical professionals who can perform auriculotherapy, just as with acupuncture.
