Laser-acupuncture reduces cigarette smoking: a preliminary report.

The stop-smoking campaign constitutes a component of the cardiovascular and oncology disease-prevention programme. In the study, laser-acupuncture was used in heavy smoking elderly patients with peripheral vascular diseases, as well as in those with lung cancer, to relieve the nicotine abstinence symptoms at the preoperational management stage. To produce a stable negative response to nicotine there was additionally applied steel needle (Seirlin-Kasei & Co., F.R.G.) insertion at cavity of concha, tragus and antitragus areas. In each of 85 patients there were noted positive trends, vegetative and somatic manifestations of abstinence were eliminated, desire to smoke was reduced. Most of them (71%) stopped smoking completely. The results have proven the high therapeutic value of laser-acupuncture in treating for chronic smoking.