Western Medicine: The Effects Of Music On The Human Body

Following the developing of social sciences, everybody has started to get concerned about the issue if music is good for healthy body and mental recently. This phenomenon makes the music therapy becomes popular. Music therapy is defined as “ the therapeutic use of music as to reduce anxiety, improve cognitive functioning, promote physical rehabilitation, or enhance interpersonal communication that typically involves listening to music, singing, playing musical instruments, or composing music “ in the Merriam-Webster.com. In other words, through the activity of music people can improve physical or psychological disease that achieves cure and health.

Not only does music affect thought, but it also benefits health. Students usually study in quiet, relaxed surroundings while listening to serene music. Classical music can steady a fast heartbeat and a slower heartbeat induces relaxation. Exercise plays a critical role in maintaining good health, and relaxing music can be favorable to this. Music reduces muscle tension, resulting in a better work out. Scientists performed controlled studies using adult males who were around twenty-five years old. Blood samples were taken before and after treadmill running. The experiment found that with the presence of music, “heart rate, blood pressure, and lactate secretion in the brain were significantly lower” . The results proved that music

A chemical substance used in the treatment, cure,prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being. A key factor appears to be rhythm. One reason is that neurons in the brainstem seem to fire synchronously with the tempo of sounds we hear. In a review of research on the neurochemistry of music, Levitin and his colleague Mona Lisa Chanda cited research showing that slow-tempo music can reduce heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and other responses controlled by the brainstem. Such rhythm effects might help music combat stress and anxiety(Young). When this happens people become a more relaxed person because your breathing slows and your blood pressure drops. This is helpful in people who have depression, anxiety, etc. I know through personal experience that this statement is true. I became depressed when my mother took back my horrid step father. It allowed me to feel sad, happy, and angry all at the same time. It helped me to let things go and to learn things from the lyrics. The only way I could cope with things was talking to my friends and listening to

c. What hormone in the body is relieved by music? The stress hormone, cortisol. According to the journal The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response was significant positive changes in cortisol were reported when listening to music before and / or during medical interventions considered stressful (decreases and lower increases in cortisol). Thoma, M. V., La Marca, R.,

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.

Therapeutic use of music is also extremely effective at reducing the everyday aches and pains that humans experience. Slow and methodical music slows the brain waves and helps the muscles in our body to relax, reducing muscle pain (Coleman). A significant amount of today’s population also experiences depression in some shape way or form and music therapy has been proven to be one of the most successful ways to help patients cope with depression. “Individual music therapy combined with standard care is extremely effective for lowering [depression] among working age people,” says Professor Christian Gold at the University of British Columbia (Paddock). “Music therapy is so effective because it allows patients to express their feelings in a safe way,” mentions Elizabeth Fawcett (MT-BC) (Peach). Hospital patients experienced consistently shorter and more pleasant stays when undergoing music therapy along with traditional treatment (Meyer).

Music can change mood, have stimulant or sedative effects, and after physiologic process such as heart rate and breathing.

The article “ How music affects us between music and medicine” reveals a story about a girl named Gabriella Giffords. Gabby had a problem with speech after she had gotten hit by a bullet in the left hemisphere, it had knocked out the speech center of her brain. As Gabby is working with a speech therapist she struggles to produce some of the most basic words you can pronounce today. Because of this she breaks down into tears, and now her therapist tries a new strategy for her to try, its singing. Singing makes it easy for her to clearly pronounce the words “ let it shine let it shine let it shine” sung Gabriella. The ability of music has the ability to speak where words fail. Dr. Godfer Schnautz found out that some people couldn't form up

The article Is Music Really Good for the Brain, by Jennifer Vose, provokes the question whether or not music is good for the brain. Some say they have been captivated by the Mozart effect, which is “the belief that listening to Mozart's music, in particular, can lead to enhanced intellectual and cognitive capabilities.” It is also said that “if we listen to music, like that of Mozart, we might do better in school, be more productive and creative at work, or even become smarter.” Therefore, many people persistently count on Mozart to advance their mental capabilities. Some may say music has no effect on academic achievement or intelligence at all, but statistics have proven that music improves self esteem, confidence, and lifts your spirit.

Being a surgeon, I can imagine is a very stressful job. You literally have someone’s life in your hands, and what you do can determine if they live or die. I know when I get super stressed out I listen to music. It makes me forget about everything and just focus on myself. So I was wondering, does music affect the way surgeons preform during surgery? I have always wondered how doctors or surgeons kept their calm in high-pressure situations and does it have to do with the biology of one’s mind? “Confession. I listen to Lady Gaga in the operating room. Except when I do a face lift.” Anthony Youn, M.D. admits. Apparently the type of music your surgeon plays really does matter. Youn explains his many experiences in the operating room, both good and bad. Most prefer classical, but it really depends on who your doctor and operating staff are. Some surgeons say playing music in the operating room is distracting and makes it hard for staff to focus. But according to HuffingtonPost, more than half of surgeons, between 62-72% of them find it helpful and relaxing. Playing music doesn’t just benefit the surgeon but the patient as well. I feel like if more than half of surgeons play music it must have some affect on their performance. If a surgeon is nervous and stressed they might be more tense and have a heavier hand. Listening to music and relaxing I would suspect would make the job easier. If the surgeon were less tense or stressed so, their staff would probably work

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.

In the ‘Fewer Thoughts, Clarity’ category in (Figure 1) the mantra test group has a higher reported instance of 11 percent over the silent meditation group. The mantra recording has a rhythm that can act like an anchor for the mind and this could grab people’s attention. In an article by Emily Saarman (2006) Feeling the beat: Symposium explores the therapeutic effects of rhythmic music, in a Stanford report she quotes Harold Russell, a clinical psychologist that said “ Most music combines many different frequencies that cause a complex set of reactions in the brain, but researchers say specific pieces of music could enhance concentration or promote relaxation. If we can get some reliable evidence from neuroscientists that music therapy works,

Usually, when one considers what they can do to fight off a cold, relieve pain, or alleviate mental illness, the first things that comes to mind may be to take over-the-counter drugs or prescribed medications. However, the cure to these and many other infirmities may be found within your own ipod. Music, in its many forms, can and should be used as a healing instrument. While it may not completely alleviate the need for drugs, it's possible that music therapy could accompany medical drug use in order to lessen the amount of potentially harmful medications often consumed by patients.

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,