Cold laser therapy helping people lose weight, quit smoking, alleviate pain Monday, February 18, 2008 By Kathy Ricketts (Contact) Gazette Reporter Photographer: Bruce Squiers A laser probe provides acupuncture-type therapy to a meridian area in the ear at Energie Laser Therapy in Clifton Park.
CLIFTON PARK — Suzanne Maguire of Slingerlands credits Energie Laser Therapy in Clifton Park Center with helping her control her appetite. Energie laser therapy draws from both the ancient form of acupuncture and what is known as photo or light therapy. Using an FDA-approved, low-level or cold laser, treatment involves stimulating specific areas of the body along the same meridians that acupuncture follows. “Endorphins are released and people feel better,” said Anne Wertalik, a registered nurse and owner of Energie, with her husband, Dr. Louis Wertalik, a retired hematologist/oncologist in Schenectady. “What we do is really considered acupuncture without needles.” Treatments focus on smoking cessation, weight loss and muscle and joint pain relief. Clients fill out paperwork and answer questions about themselves before treatment. Then they sit in a zero-gravity chair, meaning they lay back and their feet are slightly higher than their heart for optimum blood flow. In the case of weight loss, the stimulation of specific endorphins using the low-level laser therapy helps people decrease food cravings and balance the body’s metabolic rate, explained Anne Wertalik. She and her husband were trained and certified in the laser’s use. “Basically, when endorphins are stimulated, people relax and they feel better,” said Wertalik, noting that clients are also given a behavior modification program that encourages diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle. In addition, clients listen to a relaxation CD while receiving the laser treatment. Endorphin stimulation can last up to six weeks. So it is suggested that clients have a follow-up visit every four to six weeks until weight loss goals have been achieved. Treatments last about 30 minutes. The fee for weight management and smoking cessation is $375 with an additional booster, $50. The fee for muscle and joint pain is $50 for basic treatment; $65 for extended treatment; and $75 for complex treatment. For more on this story, check back with DailyGazette.com or read Tuesday's edition of The Daily Gazette.
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