Perhaps you’ve heard of a medication called propranolol [pro-PRANN-oh-loll].

It’s used to treat high blood pressure, migraines and heart conditions.

Oddly enough, it also blocks a biochemical reaction that plays a major role in perpetuating our phobias.

As a result, propranolol can provide a window of opportunity for reprogramming the brain and reducing the intensity of fear reactions that were established earlier in life.

A study published recently in the journal Biological Psychiatry provides solid evidence that this approach can successfully treat arachnophobia, the irrational fear of spiders.

According to one Swedish study, this condition affects an estimated 3.5 percent of people and can negatively impact patients’ lives in severe cases.

In the study, researchers with the University of Amsterdam recruited 45 adults who scored high for spider fear on self-reports and assessment tests. The participants were divided into three groups of 15.

One group was given a dose of propranolol but received no other therapy.

The second group received no medication, but participants underwent a procedure to re-activate fearful memories of spiders.

The third group went through the memory re-activation procedure, then received a dose of propranolol.

Follow-up assessments showed that members of the third group lost their fear of spiders to the point where all of them would voluntarily touch a baby tarantula, something that participants in the other groups refused to do.

The effects were still present when follow-up ended, 12 months after the treatment took place.

If scientists can release human patients from long-term phobias AND reduce the number of spiders being needlessly squashed, that seems like a win for everybody.