It’s been 7 years since we opened Healing Laser Clinics and started treating smoking in Orlando and at the very least, it’s been an amazing journey. I always smile when I think of the thousands of people that we treated and the thousands of lives that were saved as a result of smoking, not to mention the thousands of people and pets that were relieved of second hand smoke as a result of the smoker quitting. The 3 owners of this business opened it because we all quit smoking with laser therapy and were very passionate about helping others. We met a doctor who shared the same passion that we did (Michael E Dillehay) and we opened up.
The 3 owners quit smoking with laser therapy after witnessing Melissa Morgan’s mom pass away from lung cancer. She was a long time smoker and could never fully quit smoking, even after her diagnosis. We were all 2 and 3 pack per day smokers and we realized that we just had to quit. At the time we tried different pills, As seen on TV products, gums and lozenges. We wanted to quit but we had a very difficult time getting through those first couple of days. We discovered laser therapy, visited a clinic for a 45 minute treatment and never smoked another cigarette.
When we opened Healing Laser Clinics in Lake Mary we started treating local DJs and loads of smokers and dippers came to us to quit. We then started treating large corporations and helping corporations to treat their smokers. Over the years, the number of smokers had actually decreased because smoking was becoming increasingly unpopular and anti-social. Healing Laser Clinics then opened HLC Wellness and started offering weight loss treatments, spa treatments and we hired an amazing acupuncturist. It was important that whatever program we offered was natural but effective. I’m very skeptical when it comes to many alternative treatments so we do our research before offering a product to our customers.
The majority of our smokers over the years had tried Chantix prior to coming in and most of them had horror stories ranging from feeling sick to having suicidal thoughts when on the drug. When smokers come to quit in our clinic, we ask that they throw away their cigarettes and any nicotine products that they currently use in our glass bins. Back then, the bins were full of packs of cigarettes and Chantix. We don’t see too many people that tried Chantix anymore.
Nowadays, the bins are full of cigarettes and Electronic Cigarettes.
All of a sudden, almost overnight we are seeing clients that are addicted to both traditional cigarettes AND electronic cigarettes. With celebrity endorsements and huge advertising budgets, the cigarettes companies are now back in the game advertising electronic cigarettes as “getting you freedom back” and “smoking 2.0”
This new breed of cigarettes comes in different flavors like chocolate, strawberry and pina colada. Can you guess what age group these new flavors are attracting?
While smoking among adults is declining, the CDC says the tobacco industry is looking to replace long-term users who have quit by targeting youth and young adults where 90 percent of tobacco use begins.
The problems with electronic cigarettes is that they are completely unregulated and untested. Researchers have discovered poor workmanship issues causing nicotine (which is poisonous) to leak and come into direct contact with the skin inside of the smokers mouth. Nobody knows exactly what they are inhaling into their lungs with e-cigarettes as they are completely untested. Most e-cigarettes are made of either propylene glycol (found in antifreeze), glycerin or a mixture of both. Regardless of the administration method, nicotine is nicotine. Nicotine is a highly addictive, poisonous drug. E-cigarettes don’t eliminate the addiction to nicotine, they simply provide an alternative way to abuse it.
Healing Laser Clinics treats electronic cigarette smokers the same way that we treat traditional cigarette smokers.
It’s interesting to see what will happen in the coming years as these new cigarettes become more popular and more young people become addicted to nicotine. Regardless of the method that you use to quit, we just hope that you do.
