Freespira — freedom from panic attacks?

Multiple studies show Freespira eliminates panic attacks in 80% of patients

DDNews Staff
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DANVILLE, Calif.—Palo Alto Health Sciences, Inc. (PAHS), developer of the drug-free Freespira treatment for panic attacks and other symptoms of panic disorder, has announced today that another study has demonstrated clinically significant symptom improvement, with 80% of patients panic attack free one year after treatment.
 
Freespira is an FDA-cleared drug-free four-week at-home treatment for panic attacks and other panic symptoms. Treatment is authorized and completed under the supervision of a licensed healthcare provider. Freespira has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate panic attacks and other symptoms of panic disorder. Individuals with panic chronically hyperventilate, even when not experiencing a panic attack. This abnormal breathing pattern has been shown to exacerbate attacks. Freespira works by training the patient to stabilize respiration rate and exhaled carbon dioxide levels, which reduces or eliminates panic attacks.
 
This latest study, conducted as part of the VITAL Program at Allegheny Health Network in Pennsylvania, also demonstrated a 50% reduction in healthcare costs in patients with panic symptoms 12 months after being treated with Freespira.
 
A Symposium at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) Annual Conference in Washington, DC is focusing on the impact of abnormal breathing patterns on anxiety-related conditions and treatments as reported in five studies, including a presentation, “A Multi-Center Open Trial of the Canary Breathing System for Patients with Panic Disorder.” Two studies reported nearly 80% of Freespira-treated patients were panic attack free at 12 months post-treatment. Two additional studies reported that patients with mixed anxiety disorders and low exhaled CO2 at baseline were less responsive, and/or discontinued treatment with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Acceptance Commitment Therapy.
 
Early data from a fifth study reported on Freespira treatment for patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Ninety percent of patients in this study experienced a significant improvement in PTSD symptoms at two months and six months post-treatment.
 
Symposium Chair David Tolin, Ph.D., Director of Anxiety Disorders Center, The Institute of Living, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine said, “Studies of the Freespira treatment have shown that this innovative approach to treating patients suffering from panic symptoms and panic attacks not only significantly reduces or eliminates these symptoms in approximately 80% of patients, but also results in meaningful reduction in health costs.”
 
“Patients with panic symptoms and panic attacks have 3-5 times higher medical costs than patients without panic due to higher utilization of medical resources, including ED visits, physician visits and prescription drugs,” added Debra Reisenthel, CEO of Palo Alto Health Sciences.
 
Freespira is both easy to use and effective. Once a licensed healthcare provider authorizes the treatment and after a single training session, the patient uses Freespira at home, performing two 17-minute breathing sessions a day over a four-week period, after which the treatment is complete. The peer-reviewed published multi-center Freespira clinical trial, presented by Dr. Tolin, demonstrated that 71% of patients were panic attack free immediately after treatment and 79% of patients were panic attack free 12 months post-treatment.

DDNews Staff

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