Music Therapy

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• QWhat is music therapy?

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  A Debra Fulghum Bruce PhD , Healthcare, answered

  No matter what your age, music therapy has been proven to be an effective nonpharmacologic approach to assist in reducing fear, anxiety, stress or grief.
  
  The effect of this natural tranquilizer on the human spirit can be tied to Pythagoras, the sixth century B.C. philosopher and mathematician who is thought to have been the founder of music therapy.  In the 1940s, the Veterans Hospitals had volunteers who played their music for the wounded solders.  The results were so positive that the VA added music therapy programs.
  
  Composer and researcher Steven Halpern, says that certain musical forms can transport the listener's brain into the alpha wave, a state of relaxation, much like meditation. Music will allow you to explore personal feelings, make positive changes in mood and emotional states, have a sense of control over life through successful experiences, sort through nagging problems, and resolve inner conflict.
  

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• QHow can music benefit my health?

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  A Discovery Health answered

  Live music carries perhaps the most benefit because it provides a way to forge social connections. But even recorded tunes can reduce stress and increase happiness. Happy tunes have been proven to release pleasure-inducing brain chemicals; other studies show that pregnant women, cardiac patients, sufferers of depression and others have experienced reduced heart rates and boosted immune systems after listening to music.

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• QWhat are the health benefits of music therapy?

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  A Debra Fulghum Bruce PhD , Healthcare, answered

  If you feel uptight after a hard day at work, keep the music playing. This form of mind/body therapy can help treat neurological, mental, or behavioral disorders such as developmental and learning disabilities, Alzheimer's disease and other aging related problems, brain injuries, and acute and chronic pain. Even surgeons report performing better when they could select the music played in the operating room. Composer and researcher Steven Halpern says that certain musical forms can transport the listener’s brain into the alpha wave, a state of relaxation much like meditation.

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• QHow does music therapy reduce stress and pain?

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  A Dr. Harris H. McIlwain, MD , Rheumatology, answered

  Many successful businesses have found that background music -- particularly classical music, such as works by Mozart -- is especially effective in helping clients stay relaxed. I find that music is an excellent means of reducing mental stress as well as physical pain. In clinical studies, both doctors and patients agreed that listening to music produced greater decreases in peaks of tension and greater compliance with relaxation practice. Some studies have shown that music can also lower blood pressure, while also reducing levels of stress hormones.

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• QWhat does a music therapist do in children's hospitals?

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  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  Music therapists use music to treat pediatric patients and siblings of all ages and ability. This is done individually and in groups. Music therapists address socialization, communication, emotions, physical issues, thinking, memory, pain control, and senses.
  
  They provide the following:
  

  • distraction and relaxation
  • support physical rehabilitation
  • help with learning skills, strengthening memory, and supporting learning
  • encourage empowerment and self-esteem
• QCan music treat illness?

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  A Discovery Health answered

  Music has been found to be an effective therapy for several conditions. It lowers levels of loneliness and anxiety in the elderly, eases depression, reduces stress in pregnant women, decreases the heart rate and blood pressure in cardiac patients, and strengthens the immune systems of patients after surgeries.

• QCan music therapy help in reducing stress?

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  A Debra Fulghum Bruce PhD , Healthcare, answered

  Many people find that music distracts them from the painful moment, helping to reduce mental stress. In fact, in some hospitals, staff members give patients tapes of soothing music and reassuring voice-overs to use during procedures. In clinical studies, both doctors and patients agreed that listening to music produced greater decreases in peaks of tension, and it produced greater compliance with relaxation practice. While the studies are limited, it’s thought that music therapy can help to improve mood and pain tolerance. This therapy is thought to enhance the parasympathetic response through the effects of sound, encouraging relaxation at a deep level. Moreover, relaxation has been shown to alter perceptions of pain.  

• QHow can music help patients?

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  A Debra Fulghum Bruce PhD , Healthcare, answered

  In a recent study from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, heart-attack survivors in a hospital ward said they felt less anxious immediately after listening to classical music. This change was reflected in their bodies as their heart rates slowed from an average of 79 beats per minute to 71, and the average number of breaths they took dropped from 17 to 16 per minute. They also showed an increase in something called "heart-rate variability," a sign that their hearts were growing stronger and more flexible.
  
  When you're under stress, your body releases epinephrine, norepinephrine, and other compounds that set your heart racing and increase the risk of complications. Researchers in this study believed the music distracted patients from their fears and focused their minds on something more soothing than memories of the heart attack.
  
• QCan music help heal disease and mental problems?

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  A Dr. Maoshing Ni, PhD, LAc , Geriatric Medicine, answered

  For thousands of years, music has been used in medicine. Ancient Greek philosophers believed that music had a healing effect on the body and soul. Singing and chanting have been a part of Native American healing ceremonies for millennia. In the Ottoman Empire, mental illnesses were often treated with music. A more formal approach to music therapy began after World War II when researchers observed that music had a positive effect on emotionally disturbed veterans.
  
  To date, there is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, depression and sleeplessness. In Alzheimer's patients, music therapy was shown to significantly reduce anxiety and aggression. While there are no claims that music therapy can directly cure diseases like cancer, medical professionals believe that music can reduce certain symptoms, help with healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient's overall quality of life.