Everybody know music makes them feel better, right? Is there anyone out there who doesn't know that? Lest there be any questions, there are more and more people publishing studies every day saying that music can heal, music can cure, music can just make you feel better and forget your troubles for a little while, right?
Well now, a new article by Barbara Reuer has come out and was published recently in "Bottom Line Secret." I thought you might enjoy seeing a little of it:
Music has been used for healing for thousands of years -- and numerous recent studies confirm its healing powers. It can reduce pain and anxiety and improve blood pressure and breathing. It even can help infants in neonatal intensive care units gain weight faster. Here’s how you can use music to improve your mental and physical health...
PAIN RELIEF
Music therapy can relieve pain and decrease the need for painkilling drugs. It seems to be most effective for short-term pain, such as during dental procedures, after surgery, etc. A study published in European Journal of Anesthesiology reported that postsurgical patients who listened to music required less morphine.
It also helps some types of chronic pain. A study published in Journal of Advanced Nursing found that listening to music for an hour a day reduced chronic pain by up to 21% and depression by up to 25%.
How it helps: People in pain can’t focus on opposing sensations simultaneously. Listening to music helps block the perception of pain signals and reduces anxiety, which can heighten pain.
Recommended: When you’re in pain, practice deep breathing while listening to a favorite piece of relaxing music. Ask your doctor to play calming background music during painful procedures. If a music therapist is available during the procedure, he/she might play music while guiding you through a visualization exercise (such as imagining a peaceful scene) or encouraging you to breathe more deeply.
HEART HELP
Music therapy is used in some coronary care units to lower blood pressure and heart rate. Music also lowers levels of stress chemicals (such as cortisol) that increase the risk for a heart attack.
Recommended: At least once a day, listen to music that you find relaxing. Pay attention to the melodies, rhythms and words... think about what the music means to you... and notice the physical signs of relaxation.
There's more but this gives you a good idea of the work that has been done in this field to document how music affects the mind and the body. Enjoy!!
Tonight I will go to the University of Louisville School of Music to hear my former piano professor play a recital of J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. I have been looking forward to this for a long time because not only is Luvisi a superb pianist, but Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier is one of the great masterpieces of the keyboard literature.
