For anyone wanting to know how music can be used for healing or for wellness, there are hundreds of studies in libraries, journals and on the internet. I thought my readers might enjoy seeing just a sampling of some of the published studies from 2009. These studies run the gamut from pregnancy and preemies, to Alzheimer’s patients and end-of-life issues. I welcome your questions and comments.
1. “Music therapy can reduce pain and anxiety in hospice patients” December 2009 23:34
Add guitars and other musical instruments to the tools caregivers can use to help patients in hospice care. Part of Pitts’ motivation for pursuing this research was the lack of resources she could draw on when working with hospice patients. Patients in hospice care, depending on their illnesses, may or may not be able to participate in the playing of music for therapy, Pitts says. But music still matters.
2. The effects of music listening on inconsolable crying in premature infants. Journal of Music Therapy. 2009 Fall;46(3):191-203. Keith DR, Russell K, Weaver BS. Georgia College and State University.
Over the decades, medical staff have developed strategies to manage crying episodes of the critically ill and convalescing premature infant. Twenty-four premature infants with gestational age 32-40 weeks received a developmentally appropriate music listening intervention, alternating with days on which no intervention was provided. The results revealed a significant reduction in the frequency and duration of episodes of inconsolable crying as a result of the music intervention, as well as improved physiological measures including heart rate, respiration rate, oxygen saturation, and mean arterial pressure. Findings suggest the viability of using recorded music in the absence of a music therapist or the maternal voice to console infants when standard nursing interventions are not effective.
3. Music therapy to relieve anxiety in pregnant women on bedrest: a randomized, controlled trial. MCN American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing. 2009 Sep-Oct;34(5):316-23. RESULTS: Anxiety levels decreased and physiological responses improved significantly in the intervention group, which was provided with music therapy while on bedrest. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Carefully selected music that incorporates a patient’s own preferences may offer an inexpensive and effective method to reduce anxiety for antepartal women with high risk pregnancies who are on bedrest.
4. Therapeutic role of music listening in stroke rehabilitation.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2009 Jul;1169:426-30.
We performed two parallel interview studies of stroke patients (n= 20) and professional nurses (n= 5) to gain more insight into the therapeutic role of music listening in stroke rehabilitation. Results suggest that music listening can be used to relax, improve mood, and provide both physical and mental activation during the early stages of recovery from stroke. Thus, music listening could provide a useful clinical tool in stroke rehabilitation.
5. Music for stress and anxiety reduction in coronary heart disease patients.
Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews. 2009 Apr 15;(2):
AUTHORS’ CONCLUSIONS: Music listening may have a beneficial effect on blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, anxiety, and pain in persons with CHD. However, the quality of the evidence is not strong and the clinical significance unclear.Most studies examined the effects of listening to pre-recorded music. More research is needed on the effects of music offered by a trained music therapist.
There are so many other wonderful research studies that are easy to find online if you are interested in more information. If you want to learn how to implement any of these interventions in your life, feel free to contact me through my website!
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