A tricorder, it isn't

These folks dropped a brochure at my door this evening, and I admit, were I trying to quit smoking — which I'm not, since I didn't ever start — I would never have thought of using a laser, unless it was to hand it to a friend and say "Here, zap me every time you see me light up."

Apparently that's not how they do it:

In other words, this is still "investigational." The obvious disadvantage: it's not covered by insurance, so you'll have to pay up front. The obvious advantage: it's not covered by insurance, so if it actually works, the price may start dropping. (You'll remember that this is what happened with laser eye surgery.)

So: does it actually work? I have no idea. I have no experience with the more traditional form of acupuncture, which involves a lot of sharp, pointy objects. There are, to be sure, skeptics. Meanwhile, the Laserians (to give them a name) are, they say, conducting a clinical trial to see if this also works for weight loss, which ought to be interesting.