Woman erases others medical debt after her death; New Crohn’s guidelines; New potential treatment for major depression - Morning Medical Update

Woman erases others medical debt after her death

The last wish of a New York City woman was to buy the medical debt of others through nonprofit RIP Medical Debt, which pays $100 for every dollar donated. Following her wishes, the family of Casey McIntyre, 38, posted a link to her social media and unexpectedly raised $140,000 in less than a week – enough to buy around $14 million in medical debt.

New Crohn’s guidelines

New guidelines from the American Gastroenterological Association could mean those suffering with Crohn’s could need less invasive procedures going forward. Under the new guidelines, biomarkers will be used alongside imaging studies and colonoscopies. “This is a win for Crohn’s disease patients. Biomarkers are usually easier to obtain, less invasive, more cost-effective than frequent colonoscopies and can be assessed more frequently for tighter disease control and better long-term outcomes in Crohn’s disease,” ” Dr. Ashwin Ananthakrishnan, a co-author of the guidelines said in a news release.

New potential treatment for major depression

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may be beneficial to those with an unresponsive major depressive disorder, a new study from UCLA shows. The treatment uses magnetic fields to “rewire” the brain’s circuitry. “These patients generally start reporting improvement within a week of starting treatment, even though the treatment itself continues for several weeks to build the full benefit,” study's lead author Dr. Michael K. Leuchter said in a news release. Reported response rates range from 30% to 60%.