美国国家公共电台 NPR--Study: Mindfulness-based stress reduction works as well as a popular anxiety drug

Study: Mindfulness-based stress reduction works as well as a popular anxiety drug

Transcript¹

A medical study aimed to find out whether meditation² is as effective as an antidepressant medication commonly prescribed for generalized anxiety disorder³. The findings were published this week.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

So how are you feeling today? Yeah. It's been a week, right? Some of us have good coping mechanisms⁴ in place for stress - exercise, time with family, time away from family. But the stress and anxiety that accumulates over a few days or weeks can be utterly⁵ debilitating⁶ for some people. Seven million Americans suffer from generalized anxiety disorder. That's according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. But less than half seek treatment. Dr. Elizabeth Hoge is director of Georgetown University's Anxiety Disorders⁷ Research Program. Here's how she describes the condition.

ELIZABETH HOGE: A disorder characterized by frequent and intense worry that makes it hard for people to concentrate, hurts their sleep, makes them irritable⁸. And those symptoms are so bad that it interferes⁹ with their ability to get things done.

MARTIN: Many suffering from anxiety are prescribed antidepressant medications like Lexapro. Dr. Hoge did this study to try and find out if patients could get the same relief through meditation. She and her team compared patients taking Lexapro to those who underwent an eight-week meditation program. It was called mindfulness-based stress reduction.

HOGE: It's weekly classes for 2 1/2 hours, plus we ask participants to do 45 minutes of meditation homework each day, if they can, to really get the skills.

MARTIN: Their research was published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the conclusion?

HOGE: The effect of treatments were pretty much the same. Doctors can feel comfortable recommending mindfulness meditation training to their patients in the same way that they might recommend psychotherapy or medication or both.

MARTIN: Dr. Hoge's goal is to get insurance companies to cover mindfulness meditation. This is my free advice. Being still, breathing deeply is always a good idea.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

3 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

4 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

6 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

7 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 irritable   

adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的

参考例句：

• He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
• Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。

9 interferes   

vi. 妨碍，冲突，干涉

参考例句：

• The noise interferes with my work. 这噪音妨碍我的工作。
• That interferes with my plan. 那干扰了我的计划。