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Donna Karaz, a stop smoking therapist with
Azure Medical Spa, demonstrates the use
of cold laser therapy on ‘patient’
Tiffany Rego.
*Photo by B. Candace Ray |
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B. Candace Ray
Feature Writer/Photographer
Bad breath, burn holes, isolation, anxiety, addiction —
does this sound familiar?
You hate the habit, but have been smoking so many years
you feel trapped in a cloud of your own making, tied to
the ashtray, or attached to the cigarette bin outdoors
and now choked by the cost.
That they’re called ‘coffin nails’ is no surprise when
you consider the shortness of breath, cough and poor
circulation that accompany the pastime.
And pastime it is. You use cigarettes to keep your hands
busy while waiting for friends; to look involved in
what’s going on around you when you’re alone, or to
appear sophisticated in an uncomfortable setting. It’s a
crutch akin to the days of lollypops in kiddy-land.
You’ve tried to quit; you really have, but found it
difficult to stay focused when what you really wanted
was to smoke. That cigarette is as much your enemy as
your friend.
You might have succeeded ‘cold turkey’ 15 years ago, or
even five years ago, had you had the necessary
self-discipline.
But smoking is an addiction and it is not easily
withdrawn from a body dependent upon it. Nicotine gum
and patches have prompted smokers to attempt giving up
the habit, and perhaps some do. Nothing is 100 per cent,
however.
Here in Bermuda, Azure Medical Spa & Wellness
Center boasts of a 95 per cent success rate in curbing
those cravings. Its ‘stop smoking laser therapy’, in
which cold laser light is directed at the same points
that acupuncture addresses, promises that clients will
quit the habit after their first one-hour appointment.
According to laser therapist Donna Karaz, the treatment
satisfies the physical body and reduces cravings and
withdrawal symptoms, so that a client’s 20-second
temptation fades before any ‘chemical hit’ compromise is
made.
Ms Karaz said: “The odd thought… passes quickly and
without anxiety.”
The treatment takes about 40 minutes, according to the
therapist, who noted the programme’s cost-effectiveness,
time effectiveness and absence of needles or pain.
Ms Karaz accompanies the laser therapy session with hints
clients can use to get past the times of day they would
normally have had a cigarette — with coffee after a meal
or during a break, with an alcoholic beverage or in the
company of another smoker.
“Our clients are surprised that they get to sit back and
relax, sip on some water and just listen to us as we
talk them through the process of quitting, while we do
their laser therapy.
“We explain to them how the laser is working with this
type of addiction, why it’s so successful and how, if
they follow our suggestions, they can achieve that
smoke-free life they always hoped and prayed for.”
Succeeding this first session is a 30-minute ‘boost’
within the first two weeks and a 30-minute complimentary
follow-up treatment.
“I call these [further] treatments a ‘reward for not
smoking’,” Ms Karaz said.
Azure Medical Spa’s stop smoking laser therapy is
priced at $499, or the equivalent of six cartons of
cigarettes at $80 per carton.
The payback comes in the 1,200 cigarettes you will not
have smoked following the treatment and all that would
have come in the years thereafter.
Noting that the points to which the laser is directed
support key organs and bodily systems and assist in the
excretion of built-up nicotine and toxins, Ms Karaz
said: “Our programme is medically supervised by
Dr Elaine Hodgson, MD.”
The technology has existed in Canada for over 20 years,
according to the therapist, with no negative side
effects. Azure Spa has offered Stop Smoking Laser
Therapy these last two years.
Ms Karaz said: “A lot of the doctors, pharmacies and
healthcare professionals are showing support and
referring people to the programme.”
According to the therapist, clients returning for their
boost report less stress, better sleep, improved
breathing, lack of smoker’s cough, increased energy and
a sense of wellbeing.
Referring to one in particular, she said: “Marilyn looks
so different. Her skin improved right away. There is
more light in her eyes and a big smile on her face. Her
cough has now completely stopped, and she is so excited
to tell her doctor, this week, that she finally did quit
smoking.”
“Laser really helps take the edge off… It helps (her) to
deal with life in a calm effective way.”
Tammy Moniz was also a client of Azure Medical Spa.
In early August she wrote: “I quit smoking immediately
after receiving the laser treatment and have been
smoke-free for almost two months now… There was no pain
or tingling or anything like that. I was wondering to
myself if it was even working because for the first 30
minutes of the treatment, I still had the overwhelming
urge to run out and smoke a cigarette. By the end of the
treatment, the urge was completely gone.”
Ms Moniz added: “I would recommend the treatment to
anyone who is truly ready to commit to quitting. If you
are not fully ready to quit, I don’t think any treatment
will work. This treatment works to help get you over the
physical addiction to cigarettes, so that you can focus
on breaking the habit.”
Azure Medical Spa & Wellness Center offers free
evening information sessions on stop smoking laser
therapy. You’ll meet the laser technicians, learn about
the programme, have your questions answered and enjoy
light refreshments.
Azure can accommodate 20, so please call 232-7333 to
register for the next one.
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