Music Interventions: Annotated Bibliography

Music therapy has proven beneficial to patients with cancer most notably the psychological and physical end-results. More than one million people in the United States get cancer each year (cancer.org). Most have heard or know of someone who has had cancer and the stories of the chemo radiation therapy that goes along with it. Imagine the emotions that one feels when diagnosed with cancer. The patient is ultimately suffering from the whole ordeal physically and emotionally. Music interventions are employed to “alleviate symptoms and treatment side effects in cancer patients” (Cochrane review).

Purpose: The purpose of this speech is to persuade my audience that music can be used to help with stress as well as pain.  I want my audience to see that the use of music in everyday life is good for the mind, body and soul.  My central idea is that music is what can be used in the medical field as therapy use for pain, stress relief and in everyone’s everyday life.

Music therapy is not a new idea. In fact, it’s been used in thousands of civilizations throughout history. The Incan nation thought that a soul was connected to the gods through music and it determined the health, success, and future of every living thing (Stobart et al, 26). But most every nation, from Africa, to Asia, to Europe, has had a history of music being used as a healing tool. There is evidence of music therapy leading to an increase in emotional functions and motor control skills (Warner et al, 15).

Due to the extensive procedures surrounding treatment, patients often experience a variety of physical and psychological symptoms and side effects that negatively impact their quality of life and ability to cope with and manage an illness. Providing a choice of music during a receptive music therapy session may not only distract the patient from negative affective states, but also may provide a sense of autonomy and control over a patient 's immediate environment. The purpose of the essay was to determine whether receptive music therapy can improve two general dimensions of emotional experience and pain in a single session for patients. The guiding research question was: Will participants experience improved positive affect following a music therapy session? In my opinion ,I think the answer is yes. music therapy definitely have a positive effect on patients.

Reducing pain among terminally ill persons is a nursing phenomenon of great importance. In this evidence based paper, terminally ill refers to patients with cancer that have six months or less to live and patients that are in hospice or undergoing palliative care. Pain, weakness, decreased intake of food and fluid, and altered breathing patterns are some physical symptoms often experienced by the terminally ill (Leow, Drury & Poon, 2010). Treating pain in the terminally ill is very important and challenging for nurses. Therefore, it is important for nurses to use both pharmacologic and nonpharmacological methods to reduce patient pain. Music therapy is one specific non pharmacological intervention nurses can use to manage pain in the terminally ill. The purpose of this paper is to write an empirically based literature review related to the effects music therapy has on reducing pain in the terminally ill.

This article focuses on hospice patients. Hospice provides music therapy to patients and they often prefer it over other therapy’s. “Patients expect multiple benefits from music therapy, including emotional and spiritual support, support coping with pain, and an opportunity to express feelings. (Burns, 225) Study approved by Purdue University focused on patients physical, emotional and spiritual comfort in their last days. Also keeping in mind length of stay gender, marital status, home care and visitors. These could all effect the mood rather than just the music therapy. “Anxiety and pain are common reasons for referral to music therapy; however, research supporting the use of music therapy to decrease anxiety and pain is equivocal.” (Burns, 229) In conclusion, family’s did not notice a change in pain or anxiety and through research there was no significant change within the hospice

Hilliard, R. E. "Music Therapy in Hospice and Palliative Care: A Review of the Empirical Data."

In the event of a burn, the patient undergoes severe pain that is often described as excruciating; therefore controlling pain through the use of music therapy is an important nursing strategy (Zwicker, 2010). Research has shown that pain and stress are interrelated, as stress in the form of anxiety, often heightens the perception of pain, and pain further exacerbates feelings of anxiety (Wentz & Warnock, 2010). Although the standard use of controlled pharmacological interventions helps alleviate some burn pain, it alone does not prove to be as effective as the combined use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. In fact, Miller et al. (1992) found that seventy-five percent of burn patients do not have effective pain relief with analgesics alone (as cited in Fratianne, Presner, Huston, Super, Yowler, & Standley, 2001). Introducing a non-pharmacological intervention, specifically music therapy, has been found to significantly reduce the

‘Controlled use of music and its influence on the human being in physiological, psychological, and emotional integration of the individual during treatment of an illness or disability’.

Another big part of music therapy in palliative care is that it isn't just about the terminally ill patient. It is as much about bringing closure to the patients' families as it is getting the patient more comfortable and in control of their inevitable end. A huge part of palliative music therapy is helping make the patient as comfortable and in control of the time they have left, and this time also includes helping the people close to the patient with the truth and helping them find closure once the time has come for the patient to pass on. Amy Clements-Cortes (2016) writes, "At the end of life, music therapy is not only beneficial to patients with anticipatory grief but it is also valuable in supporting grief and bereavement of family and

Pain, increased weakness, decreased intake of food and fluid, altered breathing patterns are some physical symptoms often experienced by the terminally ill (Kouch, 2006 as cited in Leow, Drury & Poon, 2010). Treating pain in the terminally ill is very important and challenging for nurses. Therefore, it is important to use both pharmacologic and nonpharmacological methods to reduce pain. The ability of nurses to use music therapy as a nonpharmacological method to manage pain in the terminally ill is a phenomenon of great importance to nursing. Terminally ill in this literature refers to patients with cancer that have six months or less to live and patients that are hospice or are undergoing palliative care. This literature revealed that using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), significantly less posttest pain was reported in the music versus the control group. Cancer patients that listened to soft music in addition to using analgesics experienced increased compared to those using analgesics alone (Huang, Good, & Zauszniewski, 2010). Furthermore, statistical difference was noticed between the groups for mood level and oxygen saturation during live saxophone performance (Burrai, Micheluzzi, & Bugani, 2014). In addition, this research indicated that music may have a more positive effect on females and elderly than younger and more educated males (Chan, Chung, Chung, & Lee, 2008). The

Needle pricks, medicine, exhaustion, sickness, pain, feeling different ‒ these are just a few of the things that people with mental disabilities and serious diseases have to go through on a daily basis. But what if there was a different kind of treatment that could comfort them or reduce their pain even a little bit? Fortunately, for the people facing these issues, there is. Music therapy is a relatively new approach that doctors, teachers, and many others are taking to help heal and improve the quality of life for their patients and students. It’s starting to become more common around the United States and is expected to become even more popular in the future. Books like Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart support the idea of music therapy by demonstrating how music can be used to soothe and improve the moods of individuals regardless of what they may be going through. Music therapy is an effective way to speed up the healing process and improve the emotional state of a wide range of people facing different obstacles in life.

The use of music as a non pharmacological measure can be an essential element in dealing with pain since it is easy and safe to

Music therapy, a clinical use of music interventions to accomplish therapeutic goals, involves a broad range of activities including playing an instrument, singing, or listening to music. Similar to occupational and physical therapy, this expressive arts therapy remedies psychological conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or hypertension to maintain the well-being of an individual. Likewise, music has been a therapeutic tool that has shown positive effects to parts of the brain including regions involved in emotion, sensation, movement, and cognition. Although music therapy is a somewhat new-found treatment, it is used prominently today. Administered by a trained therapist, this type of therapy is used in correctional facilities, nursing homes, hospices, and special education schools.

Alternative methods of healing have been utilized by non-western medicine for generations. The use of acupuncture to heal everything from seasickness to muscle soreness is well documented and widely used. Physical therapy is often a precursor to surgery and many times will prevent the need to undergo a more invasive procedure. A lesser-known form of alternative healing but becoming more popular is music therapy. In the late 18th century, scientists began to investigate the effects of music on the human body; however, using music as a healing medium dates back to ancient times. There are many forms and techniques of music therapy that aid a variety of disabilities having to do with communication, behavioral issues, the autism spectrum,