that found a mindfulness meditation program as effective as escitalopram (drug name Lexapro), a widely used first-line treatment for anxiety disorders.
The study is interesting, but certainly needs follow-up and more confirmation, experts say, but some people with anxiety will need a lot of convincing. We agree with people like actress Amanda Seyfried who previously said she may never take Lexapro for her anxiety issues. Definition of stress “The way I define anxiety is that it’s an internal question that we just can’t find the answers to,” Dr. Marianna Strongin, clinical psychologist and founder of Strong In Therapy, told SurvivorNet.
Study of Meditation vs. Drugs
The researchers published “Treatments for Anxiety: Meditation and Escitalopram [TAME]Studied in JAMA Psychiatry in early November. The results could potentially change the way people deal with their stress in the future and give patients more options. It is important to note that the study was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the results may look very different if the study were conducted today. The initial sample pool consisted of 208 patients, with 102 participating in the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program and 106 on escitalopram. MBSR therapy, according to a systematic review, “is a meditation therapy, although originally designed for stress management, it is used to treat a variety of diseases such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, cancer, diabetes , hypertension, skin and immune disorders”. The study says participants did either 8 weeks of weekly MBSR or the antidepressant escitalopram, with a flexible dose of 10 to 20 mg. “At the end of eight weeks using the same clinical scale, both groups showed about a 20% reduction in the severity of their symptoms,” NPR reported.
“I’m on Lexapro and will never come off it”
Actress Amanda Seyfried, 36, told Allure magazine in 2016 that she has been taking escitalopram since she was 19. So for someone like her, she may be hesitant to remove a drug that she has found quite effective. PHOTO BY SCOTT TRINDLE “I’m on the lowest dose. I don’t see the point in parting with it,” said Mamma Mia! and Les Miserables actor, at the time. “Whether it’s a placebo or not, I don’t want to risk it. And what are you fighting for? Just the stigma of using a tool? A mental illness is one thing that people put in a different category [from other illnesses], but I don’t think it is. It should be taken as seriously as anything else,” he said. Seyfried has also been open about her obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). “You don’t see mental illness: It’s not a mass. it’s not a cyst. But it’s there,” she said in the Allure interview. “Why do you need to prove it? If you can cure it, you cure it. I had really bad health anxiety stemming from the OCD and thought I had a brain tumor. I had an MRI and the neurologist referred me to a psychiatrist. As I’ve gotten older, the obsessive thoughts and fears have greatly diminished. Knowing that many of my fears are not based in reality really helps.” Seyfried recently spoke to Porter magazine about gaining confidence and life as a mother while balancing a busy acting career. “Nothing can completely overwhelm me, work-wise. I’m inconceivable! Nothing can crush my life unless it has to do with my family,” he told Porter.
Meditation for Everyone
While the study is a relatively small set of participants, it’s still a reminder that meditation can play a key role in one’s healing process. And it can be a tool for cancer patients undergoing stressful treatment. A guided meditation for the SurvivorNet community In this video, Dr. Brian Berman, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland, leads us through a guided meditation. Ideally, Dr. Berman recommends using this relaxation technique once or twice a day, or for 10 to 15 minutes a day, in order to really begin to experience the benefits that come from meditation. Mindfulness is often recommended for cancer patients to reduce the high levels of stress and anxiety associated with diagnosis, treatment, and anticipation of possible disease recurrence. Both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Society of Integrative Oncology (SIO) recommend meditation as part of a multidisciplinary approach to reduce anxiety, depression and mood disorders and to improve quality of life in patients with cancer. This same approach can be beneficial in any difficulty. But the question remains: does it really work? We think it does.
5 tips for practicing mindfulness:
Practicing gratitude
A regular meditation practice can allow people to become aware of their emotions in the physical body and the thoughts running through the mind, to feel their emotions and recognize their thoughts as they arise and then gently let them go. Another tactic is gratitude: what is it and why does it matter? You’ve probably heard the word thrown around here and there when discussing complex concepts. But living with gratitude is very simple in its meaning. It means being grateful for what you have and showing appreciation in your everyday life – and it can be really helpful for those struggling with mental health issues. How can gratitude lead to a healthier mindset? Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colon cancer surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview that his patients who live with gratitude tend to handle treatment better because that attitude is a way to stay mentally healthy . “Patients who do well with cancer live their lives with this kind of gratitude, but in terms of everything,” explained Dr. Murrell. “They’re grateful, not for the cancer, but they’re grateful for the opportunity to learn that life is finite.” Learn more about SurvivorNet’s rigorous medical screening process. Teaganne Finn is an editorial producer at SurvivorNet. read more
