Smoking Cessation: Agressive Marketing for Unproven Laser Therapy
Public Citizen recently petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent five laser therapy companies from their aggressive marketing of the low-power laser beam treatment as beneficial in helping consumers quit smoking. According to the Public Citizen petition, "Manipulative and aggressive marketing campaigns such as this must be met with equally aggressive FDA action to protect the health and interests of the public." Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, says that the procedure has not been cleared by the FDA as a smoking cessation treatment, nor is there any scientific evidence that it is safe or effective.
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that adult male smokers lost approximately 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life due to smoking, based on data collected in the late 1990s. It is widely acknowledged that smoking creates health risks, most notably lung cancer. Smoking also is a risk factor for cancer of the mouth, voice box (larynx), throat (pharynx), esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, stomach, and some leukemias. In addition, smoking increases risk of other lung diseases, to include emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Heart attacks are twice as likely to be deadly for smokers than nonsmokers. Smoking is a major risk factor for peripheral vascular disease (narrowing of blood vessels to arm and leg muscles) and cerebrovascular disease (causing strokes). Other results of smoking include premature wrinkling of skin and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness for the elderly. For women over age 35 who take birth control pills, there is the added risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots of the legs. Women who smoke are more likely to miscarry or give birth to low birth-weight babies, who are more likely to die or have birth defects.
According to the US Surgeon General, "Smoking cessation (stopping smoking) represents the single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives." The American Cancer Society's Guide to Quitting Smoking provides useful information about reliable smoke cessation programs as well as a listing of reputable organizations to assist with counseling and other services.