Research on StressEraser as Adjunct Depression Treatment Presented at Psychosomatic Medicine Conference

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at 04:05PM
Adam Forbes

MEDIA CONTACT:
Evan Birkhead
(908) 910-6988
evan.birkhead@stresseraser.com

MARCH 4, 2009 – CHICAGO – The StressEraser® personal biofeedback device is the subject of new research to be presented at the annual scientific conference of the American Psychosomatic Society to be held here this week.

The study’s author, Priya Chaudhri, Ph.D., conducted the research at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego, Calif. Dr. Chaudhri is currently a postdoctoral fellow in cardiology at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Conn. The study was sponsored by Helicor, Inc., the manufacturer of the StressEraser.

Abstract

The study examines the treatment of major depressive disorder in 60 patients with coronary artery disease. These patients typically present with low heart rate variability (HRV) and dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, which are associated with depression. The experimental group treatment included the StressEraser, psychotherapy and sertraline (i.e. Zoloft) medication. The control group was treated with sertraline only. Depression levels were determined for both groups using several standard tests at 8 weeks and at a 12-week follow-up visit. HRV levels were also assessed at those checkpoints.

The promising findings suggest that using StressEraser biofeedback and psychotherapy as an adjunct treatment with sertraline was remarkably more effective in reducing depression and increasing heart rate variability than the antidepressant medication alone. The StressEraser group demonstrated:

- Significantly greater reduction in depression severity
- Higher depression remission
- Increased heart variability
- Improvements in mindfulness (i.e. focus and awareness) plus emotion regulation.

The StressEraser is registered with the FDA with an indication for relaxation, relaxation training and stress reduction. It is not approved for the treatment of any stress-related conditions, including depression. These findings are important to the field because they illustrate an effective treatment option for cardiovascular disease patients who commonly experience depression.

The conference will be held at the Marriott Downtown, 540 North Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Dr. Chaudhri’s paper presentation is scheduled from 1:45pm to 3:15pm on March 7. Her poster presentation is scheduled from 5:00pm to 6:15pm, after the presentation. More information is available at http://www.psychosomatic.org/index.htm.

About the StressEraser

The StressEraser is an award-winning, portable HRV medical device that relaxes the body and calms the mind in 15 minutes. The StressEraser can be used to quiet the mind before sleeping, rapidly relieve intense stress, and even to stay calm during highly stressful situations.

From beat to beat, your heart rate reflects the activity of your stimulating and pacifying nerves. The StressEraser displays these tiny changes as a wave. By watching your wave characteristics in realtime, you learn to adjust your breathing and mental focus. This decreases the activity of the stimulating nerves (thereby decreasing stress) and increases the activity of the pacifying nerves (thereby increasing relaxation).

The StressEraser’s list of honors includes:

- Best Self-Monitoring Health Initiative or Device, National Wellness Prevention & Fitness Conference
- Seal of Approval, American Institute of Stress
- Technology Innovation of the Year, Frost & Sullivan
- The Best of Gadget Lab (9 out of 10 rating), WIRED Magazine

The StressEraser is classified by the FDA as a Class II 510(k) exempt medical device. The indicated use is for relaxation, relaxation training and stress reduction. The StressEraser is available for $179 from the StressEraser web site at http://stresseraser.com. Patents are pending.

Helicor’s corporate headquarters is located at 19 Fulton Street, Suite 407, New York, NY 10038. Phone: 212-346-9339; Fax: 212-346-9335. Email: info@stresseraser.com. Web: http://stresseraser.com. Interviews and photographs are available by request.

© Helicor, Inc. All rights reserved. StressEraser®, StressEraser Breathwave® and the StressEraser® wave logo are registered trademarks of Helicor, Inc. The Undrug™ is a trademark of Helicor, Inc. All other trademarks in this document are the properties of their respective owners. LMA-00111 Rev A.

###

Article originally appeared on (http://stresseraser.com/).