Listening to music can provide a distraction that can help to relieve pain finds a new study published by researchers from the University of Utah Pain Research Center in The Journal of Pain, a publication of the American Pain Society.

For the study, 143 subjects listened to music tracks, following the melodies and listening for deviant tones. During the music tasks, the volunteers were given safe levels of pain shocks using fingertip electrodes. While listening to music and distracted by the activities, the volunteers experienced less pain during the shocks

When the brain senses injury to the body, pain signals that begin in the somatosensory cortex and the hypothalamus work their way downward through the “pain pathway”, ultimately sending signals that provide pain relief. There are also signals that stimulate the release of neurotransmitters such as endorphins, dynorphins, and enkephalins. Music appears to help in pain reduction by activating these sensory pathways.

Music is one alternative therapy that is studied for pain relief, primarily for its ability to distract the patient from the discomfort. This new research finds that it is especially beneficial to those with high anxiety levels about the pain, such as when doctors are giving vaccines or performing painful procedures that must be done without anesthesia. Music also has the ability to soothe, inspire, energize and uplift a person, which may be beneficial to those with chronic pain who need to learn coping techniques.

Currently, there are approximately 5,000 trained music therapists that work with patients in pain management centers, hospitals, clinics, senior centers, and rehabilitation facilities in the United States. Those who use music therapy to cope with chronic pain tend to require less pain medication, have significant improvements in clinical markers such as respiration, blood pressure, and heart rate, and also tend to have an improved quality of life.

Source Reference: David H. Bradshaw, Gary W. Donaldson, Robert C. Jacobson, Yoshio Nakamura, C. Richard Chapman. Individual Differences in the Effects of Music Engagement on Responses to Painful Stimulation. The Journal of Pain – December 2011 (Vol. 12, Issue 12, Pages 1262-1273, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2011.08.010)

Music has a fundamental affect on humans. It can reduce stress, enhance relaxation, provide a distraction from pain, and improve the results of clinical therapy. New research published in BioMed Central’s open access journal Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery demonstrates that music can reduce rejection of heart transplants in mice by influencing the immune system.

The link between the immune system and brain function is not clearly understood, nevertheless music is used clinically to reduce anxiety after heart attack, or to reduce pain and nausea during bone marrow transplantation. There is some evidence that music may act via the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates the bodily functions that we have no conscious control over, including digestion.

Researchers from Japan investigated if music could influence the survival of heart transplants in mice. They found that opera and classical music both increased the time before the transplanted organs failed, but single frequency monotones and new age music did not.

The team led by Dr Masanori Niimi pinpointed the source of this protection to the spleen. Dr Uchiyama and Jin revealed, “Opera exposed mice had lower levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon gamma (IFN-?). They also had increased levels of anti-inflammatory IL-4 and IL-10. Significantly these mice had increased numbers of CD4+CD25+ cells, which regulate the peripheral immune response.”

It seems that music really does influence the immune system – although the mechanism behind this still is not clear. Additionally, this study only looked at a limited selection of composers, so the effect of music on reducing organ rejection may not be limited to opera.

Notes to Editors

1. Auditory stimulation of opera music induced prolongation of murine cardiac allograft survival and maintained generation of regulatory CD4+CD25+ cells Masateru Uchiyama, Xiangyuan Jin, Qi Zhang, Toshihito Hirai, Atsushi Amano, Hisashi Bashuda and Masanori Niimi Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery (in press)

Please name the journal in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the article. All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central’s open access policy.

Article citation and URL available on request on the day of publication.

2. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal that encompasses all aspects of research in the field of cardiothoracic surgery.

3. BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/) is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector.

Businesses are struggling today, no doubt about it.  Businesses are going bankrupt, folding, going under.  Is there ANY chance at all that music, drum circles, or singing could make a difference?  Really?  Well, here are some of the things that music is credited with doing:

Music is a powerful tool that affects our moods, behavior and physiology. When employees are educated about what, when, where and how to listen to music as medicine, they become more self-aware, educated (beyond their instincts), motivated, engaged and happier! The possibilities for self-satisfaction are endless and untapped: recommended music for use as medicine is found in all genres.  Reap the potential benefits:

• reduce trauma
• diminish stress
• minimize anger
• reverse depression
• lessen anxiety
• heal loss

Bringing musicians and music-wellness, music-medicine professionals into the workplace is an option that is increasingly being considered.  Businesses that struggle with:

• high turnover
• too many sick days
• high worker compensation claims
• high stress, worry, frustrations and disappointments
• low motivation
• poor customer satisfaction
• low sales

are willing to look at any interventions that might work.  Dr. Judith Pinkerton, a board-certified music therapist in Las Vegas, is looking at all of these conditions and options.  In Louisville, KY, I am beginning to implement these workshops in the many small and large businesses our city has.

If YOU or YOUR company is interested in bringing me and some of my colleagues in for an educational/inspirational program on corporate wellness through music and sound and rhythm, contact me at DrAlice@HealingMusicEnterprises.com!

  Today it is not unusual for the operating rooms of hospitals to have  music playing.   Thats a good thing for sure, but unfortunately, the music that the surgeon wants will usually have no benefit at all for the patient.  Yes, it’s important for the surgeon to feel good and have a high energy level and laser focus.  However, the patient needs to have feel calm, secure, peaceful, optimistic and reassured.  There is no way that the same music can accomplish the same things for both patient and surgeon!

The reason that most people have not considered this yet, is that the medical personnel are assuming that if the patient is under general anesthesia they can’t hear the music anyway.  Often, this is not the case.  Many patients wake up from surgery, saying that they heard not only conversations between nurse and doctor, but they heard the sounds of surgery.  In some surgeries, such as joint replacement surgeries, there is quite a bit of noise, including sawing, hammering and and drilling!  Wouldn’t YOU rather hear some beautiful soothing music, calming music?

If surgery is in your future, please remember to ask your doctor if music will be present in the OR and if it will be chosen for the doctor or the patient.  To be absolutely sure you have the best music for your surgery, check out the Surgical Serenity headphones!  You’ll be glad you did!

We all know that music makes us feel better!  It cheers us up, it calms us down, it brings back wonderful memories of love, childhood, holidays, vacations, and our whole lives.  The field of music therapy has provided lots of wonderful information on this and so much more.

The following list is from www.preludemusictherapy.com.  I highly recommend this site to you and encourage you to check out all of the resources it provides!

• Music captivates and maintains attention — it stimulates & utilizes many parts of the brain.
• Music is easily adapted to, and can be reflective of, a person’s abilities.
• Music structures time in a way that we can understand (“that’s the last verse – my exercise session is almost over!”).
• Music provides a meaningful, enjoyable context for repetition.
• Music provides a social context — it sets up a safe, structured setting for verbal and nonverbal communication.
• Music is an effective memory aid.
• Music supports and encourages movement.
• Music taps into memories and emotions.
• Music — and the silences within it — provide nonverbal, immediate feedback.
• Music is success-oriented — people of all ability levels can participate.

If you still have doubts about the power of music in the health and healing world, I urge you to start at the beginning of this blog and read all the way through.  Music is powerful medicine!

Dr. Cash with Flautist, Carol Cutler

Yes indeed, music is good for your health!

In fact, Music Therapy is a recognized form of treatment for a variety of disorders and conditions.

The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) states that “Music therapy is an established health-care profession that uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals of all ages.”

I am sure that you will agree that playing music or listening to your favourite tunes makes us feel good.

So now, wearing my medical hat, I want to look at the scientific evidence that confirms what we all think and feel. Here are some proven benefits of music:

1. Stress relief.

People listening to music are calmer, and their levels of stress hormones are reduced. These stress hormones contribute greatly in the long run to heart disease, diabetes and other conditions. So less stress hormones is a good thing.

2. People who listen to music have been shown to actually learn better.

3. Muscle relaxation is another benefit achieved by listening to music. This is especially important with people who have tension headaches, back or neck pain.

4. Better sleep: Studies have suggested that listening to music before going to bed may help with insomnia

5. Music promotes good exercise habits.

Listening to music during a workout, makes the time fly by, allowing one to continue working out and not be bored.

6. Music is used in general hospitals to alleviate pain in conjunction with anesthesia or pain medication.

7. According to the AMTA, music is used with elderly persons to increase or maintain their level of physical, mental, and social/emotional functioning. The sensory and intellectual stimulation of music can help maintain a person’s quality of life.

The notion of the positive effect of music on health and wellbeing is actually quite old.

In fact, it goes back to the ancient times of Aristotle and Plato. In the U.S.A., after the world wars, local musicians visited hospitals and played for veterans suffering both physical and emotional trauma. The veterans’ positive physical and emotional responses to music led the hospital to actually hire musicians.

It soon became apparent that these “hospital musicians” needed some training before entering an institution or hospital. This resulted in the first music therapy degree program in the world at Michigan State University in 1944. So this is how music turned into therapy.

However, music is not just for treatment because as you can see from the above, we can all use a little music in our lives.

As we enter a new year, a resolution to listen to or play more music is a healthy one.

I wish you and yours a happy, health and musical New Year!

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, MD, CM, MPH, FRCP(C)

Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer,

Eastern Ontario Health Unit

Does music affect the behavior of adolescents? This is one of the most frequent questions I get when I go out to speak around the country. I think it’s a bit of a rhetorical questions because we know that music is powerful and does affect people’s behavior, but especially people who are unsure of themselves, who they are, and what they really want out of life. This fits the description of many adolescents. When teenagers feel alienated from peers and family, they are more prone to identify with powerful media personalities and do some vicarious living through them. If these media personalities sing violent music with violent, negative lyrics, it is going to take a toll on them and the adolescent may actually commit violent acts under the influence of this powerful “music.”

I think you’ll enjoy what this physician has to say about it: