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Medical Music Therapy: Medicine without side effects

  • May 14, 2010
  • 3 min read
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Medical Music Therapy: Medicine without side effects

Overall health can be  achieved only through the combination of physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being. Music affects us in ways that are more direct and substantial than just about any other stimuli. It posses a profound effect on our body and psyche.

There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.” – T.S. Elliot

What is Medical Music Therapy?

Music therapy simply refers to a field of health care that uses music to heal. Medical Music Therapy refers to the use of music therapy strategies in the treatment of illness and the maintenance of health. It is an interpersonal process in which a trained music therapist uses music and all of its facets : physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual to help patients to improve or maintain their health. They use group therapy, individual music exercises with a variety of different instruments and techniques like writing lyrics, performing music and musical improvisation as forms of therapy.

Present status of Medical Music Therapy

  • Music therapy is often practised to help cancer patients, children with Attention Deficit Disorder, etc.
  • Hospitals have opted this method to help with pain management, ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to ease muscle tension.
  • Some of the more useful applications of music therapy activity for elderly are in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, and General geriatrics.
  • It has also been utilized in pregnancy, birth and gynecological disorders.
  • It has also been used for the management of sleep disorders and stress symptoms.

Benefits of Medical Music Therapy:

  1. Lowers cortisol as much as 25 %
  2. Boosts endorphins
  3. Pain reduction after surgery and quicker recover after surgery
  4. Raises blood levels of Immunoglobin A
  5. Eases labor without drugs
  6. Stimulates neural connections in the brain and promote spatial ability and memory in children
  7. Lowers blood pressure , reduces heart rate, improves cardiac output, relaxes muscle tension
  8. Improves mood and mobility of people with Parkinson’s disease
  9. Decreases nausea during chemotherapy
  10. Helps patients participate in medical treatment and decreases length of hospital stay
  11. Relieves anxiety, reduces stress and eases depression
  12. Enhances concentration and creativity
  13. Brings positive changes in mood and emotional states
  14. Provides an outlet for expressions of feelings
  15. Improves memory recall

Disadvantage of Medical Music Therapy: Pretty expensive

How Music Therapy Works ?

  1. Music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper concentration and more alert thinking, and a slower tempo promoting a calm, meditative state.
  2. Music can bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you’ve stopped listening. With alterations in brainwaves comes changes in other bodily functions. Those governed by the autonomic nervous system, such as breathing and heart rate can also be altered by the changes music can bring.
  3. This can mean slower breathing, slower heart rate, and an activation of the relaxation response, among other things. This is why music and music therapy can help counteract or prevent the damaging effects of chronic stress, greatly promoting not only relaxation, but health.

Music Therapy At Home on your Own

  1. Sit comfortably or lie down
  2. Close your eyes
  3. Turn on the music
  4. Put on headphones
  5. The music should be listened to as softly as possible (and only as loud as is necessary).
  6. Listen to the music for at least 15 to 20 minutes on a regular basis

Treatment of Depression: Music Therapy or Medications ?

Music is a healer
A stress reliever

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3 Comments

  • Yes that works! I also use subliminals and binaural beats to sharpen my concentration

  • wow! didnt know that earlier.

    • If you are believer
      Music is a healer
      A stress reliever

Comments are closed.