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E-Newsletter • December 2022 |
Editor's E-Note
In October, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening for anxiety disorders. Now, health care providers have another strategy to offer. Findings of a study published in JAMA Psychiatry show that a guided mindfulness-based stress reduction program relieves anxiety as well as does a common antidepressant medication prescribed for the condition.
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— Kate Jackson, editor |
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Mindfulness as Beneficial as Antidepressants for Anxiety
A guided mindfulness-based stress reduction program was as effective as use of the gold-standard drug—the common antidepressant drug escitalopram—for patients with anxiety disorders, according to results of a first-of-its-kind, randomized clinical trial led by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center.
The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry on November 9, 2022, and follow the October 11, 2022, announcement by the United States Preventive Services Task Force that, for the first time, recommended screening for anxiety disorders due to the high prevalence of these disorders.
“Our study provides evidence for clinicians, insurers, and health care systems to recommend, include and provide reimbursement for mindfulness-based stress reduction as an effective treatment for anxiety disorders because mindfulness meditation currently is reimbursed by very few providers,” says first author Elizabeth Hoge, MD, director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program and an associate professor of psychiatry at Georgetown. “A big advantage of mindfulness meditation is that it doesn’t require a clinical degree to train someone to become a mindfulness facilitator. Additionally, sessions can be done outside of a medical setting, such as at a school or community center.”
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Preventing Bleeding in Patients Taking Aspirin
The findings of a large trial, published in The Lancet, demonstrated that H pylori eradication in patients taking low-dose aspirin produced a 65% reduction in hospitalizations resulting from peptic ulcer bleeding compared with a control group—a benefit that lasted 2.5 years.
Evolving Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation
UBC researchers at the Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation have found that early treatment with cryoballoon catheter ablation better reduces risk of serious long-term effects than the current first-line treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs. The research is published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Older Adults Losing Interest in Boosters
Though early adopters of boosters, people older than 65 are now less inclined to get them, according to data from the CDC. The New York Times reports that more than one-half have not received their second boosters, and that a Kaiser Family Foundation survey indicates that only 8% of older adults has received the new bivalent booster, although 37% plan to do so soon. |
National Center to Reframe Aging
In a continuing effort to counter ageism and ensure supportive programs and policies for older adults, the Gerontological Society of America has launched the National Center to Reframe Aging—“the preeminent organization for proven strategies to effectively frame aging issues and advance a new conversation about aging.” Learn more » |
Information About New Diabetes-Related Technology
The Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists’ Danatech website offers information on the newest diabetes technology free to all health care providers who treat patients with diabetes. Learn more »
A Waterproof Bandage
DrySee bandages seal out water and germs while offering breathable wound protection and allowing patients to bathe and shower. A benefit for older patients, the bandages rely on a liquid indicating technology, changing color when the bandage is infiltrated by water or other liquids or if it’s saturated by wound exudate, alerting the patient or caregiver to change the bandage. Learn more »
Cholesterol-Lowering Foods
Step One Foods, created by a cardiologist, meets all the new American College of Cardiology dietary recommendations for lowering cholesterol, offering convenient snack and breakfast foods clinically proven in a Mayo Clinic randomized controlled clinical trial to rapidly and significantly reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Learn more » |
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Patients and providers often avoid conversations about urinary incontinence, but there are simple solutions and support for those affected.
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