CLIFTON PARK — Suzanne Maguire of Slingerlands used to eat until she was so full she would almost make herself sick.

“I don’t have that constant drive to want food all of the time like I did before,” said the massage therapist, who 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.”

Endorphins are a group of substances formed within the body that relieve pain.

Because the laser is at such a low level, there is no pain involved. A few people report feeling a slight tingling, but most say they feel nothing at all.

Rather than slicing or destroying tissues like the surgical hot laser, the cold laser actually stimulates tissue repair and can be used for pain, stress and addiction relief.

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.

Maguire has had two treatments.

“Right now, I’m down 10 pounds, and the thing that is most exciting to me is not having this compulsive desire to continuously eat,” said Maguire. “I eat about half of what I used to and I’m satisfied.”

Maguire was also treated for pain in her arms and hands from using them for massage.

“I used to sit with my hands in buckets of ice water to help the pain,” she recalled. “I was really surprised how much it helped my pain almost immediately.”

For smoking cessation, treatment with the laser helps to promote the release of endorphins that energize the body by releasing “feel good” hormones such as dopamine and serotonin.

That makes it easier to cope with the addiction, withdrawal symptoms and cravings most commonly associated with quitting.

Clients are counseled before and after treatment, and come back three to four days after the initial session for a second booster treatment.

Low-level laser therapy has been used in Europe and Canada for more than two decades. It has been used in the United States for the past six or seven years.

More than 200 low-level laser clinics nationwide are participating in clinical research trials with the FDA, keeping data of client outcomes.

The smoking cessation protocol requires that certified laser technicians be trained to locate the specific areas of the body that correspond with nicotine addition. The laser treats areas on the ears, face, hands and wrists.

National studies of clinics that use low-level lasers showed a 69 percent reduction of cravings and withdrawal at three months with no side effects.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, professor of cardiac surgery at Columbia University recently endorsed cold laser therapy for smoking cessation.

“Cold lasers help by stimulating the endorphins — the pleasure hormones in the brain,” said Oz.

After going over studies regarding the cold laser, Dr. Patricia Ford, a family physician in Glenville, said she plans to send patients to Energie for smoking cessation.

“The technology makes sense to me,” said Ford. “I know that acupuncture has been shown to be useful as a treatment for addictions. The Community Health Plan in Latham used to pay for acupuncture treatments for addictions. So when I learned Energie was using the laser on the same pressure points, I thought, ‘Cool, now I don’t have to talk my patients into going for acupuncture, which can be painful, and I’m not worried about the side effects from the laser because it’s at such a low level.’  ”

The laser can also be used to relieve muscle and joint conditions, stimulate healing fibers, break up scar tissue and improve mobility and rotation, said Wertalik.

It has been used to treat back and neck pain, arthritis, tennis elbow, TMJ, plantar fasciatis, carpal tunnel and tendonitis.

Dr. Wertalik said he heard about Energie laser treatment from Dr. James Kondrup, an obstetrician/gynecologist who opened an Energie Laser Therapy in Vestel, near Binghamton two years ago.

Kondrup said he decided to get involved after successfully having a sore finger treated with acupuncture.

“We were looking for a better way to help patients stop smoking,” said Kondrup. “As a physician, I was skeptical, but after looking at studies and seeing success with our own patients, I became convinced.”

Still, Kondrup admits cold laser therapy will not work for everyone.

“There are a lot of people who do not really want to quit,” he said. “This will not force you to quit. But it will help with the cravings and physical and psychological addiction.”

Open minds

Dr. Wertalik said he thinks doctors, especially younger ones, are opening their minds to a variety of alternative therapies.

“And I think with the new MRI imaging, they are able to see the brain and scientific research that shows that things like acupuncture actually have an effect on the brain.”

Anne Wertalik said Energie, which opened in early December, is another tool that people can use to help them stop smoking or help manage their weight when they are ready.

Employers are continually facing increased costs because of employees who smoke or are overweight. Energie has developed a special rate for corporations looking to improve the quality of life for their employees.

Albany International Corp., a paper-making company in Albany, recently signed up.

For information contact Energie Laser Therapy at Clifton Park Center, 22 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park; or www.energielasertherapy.com; or energielasertherapy@yahoo.com.