Study on the effect of laser acupuncture on speech impediments

The clinical case-control study at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences investigated the effect of laser acupuncture treatment in addition to speech therapy on people with speech impediments. The sample consisted of 20 stutterers and 20 non-stutterers. Ten subjects with speech disorders received a combined treatment of laser acupuncture and speech therapy. The remaining subjects served as a control group and were treated with speech therapy and placebo lasers.

The percentage of stuttered words was reduced in both groups. The data collected also showed that acupuncture increased the therapeutic effect and its maintenance and reduced relapses. After twelve weeks of observation, the researchers were able to prove that the results of the laser acupuncture group were significantly more stable. The study thus proves that laser acupuncture is an effective and long-term therapy for stuttering that complements speech therapy.