Drug that heals a broken heart

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Science can help a broken heart - 17th February 2020

Dr Alain Brunet is a scientist. He studies painful memories. He can change or stop them with a medicine. Now, he is studying painful memories of lost love.

Dr Brunet helped soldiers. They have awful memories from wars. He helps other people too who have memories from terror attacks and crimes. Brunet calls his work ‘reconsolidation therapy’.

This therapy uses a medicine called propranolol. People usually take it for bad headaches. With ‘reconsolidation therapy’, propranolol takes away horrible memories.

A person takes propranolol. An hour later they write down the painful memory. Then they read it to Dr Brunet. The person learns new things about the situation. The medication helps the brain remember this. The brain can save the memory without the hurt.

‘Reconsolidation therapy’ helps 70 per cent of people very quickly. Now, Dr Brunet is using it with pain from love lost. After five meetings, the memory is different, and people feel better.