Music therapy boosts recovery

Posted on Tuesday 25th Aug 09

Study author Lisa Gallagher, a music therapist with the Cleveland Music School Settlement and The Cleveland Clinic's Horvitz Centre for Palliative Medicine, said, 'We've known for a while that music therapy can be used for a wide variety of things in a medical setting. But this particular study clearly shows that it helps improve mood while decreasing pain, anxiety, depression and even shortness of breath among seriously ill patients'.

Between 2000 and 2002, researchers studied 200 patients fighting various types of cancer, noncancerous tumours, sickle cell disease, aortic aneurysm, pain disorders, Gardner's syndrome, AIDS, neurodegenerative conditions and other 'life-limiting' diagnoses.

Aged between 24 and 87 years, 60 per cent of the study subjects were female. The therapy involved Gallagher or a colleague playing musical selections of the patients' choice on keyboards for an average of 25 minutes per session. A comparison of psychological and physical tests conducted both before and after the music therapy sessions showed improvements to patient's anxiety levels, mood, pain levels and even breathlessness.

Gallagher said, 'Being a music therapist, I've always believed in the power of the music, but it was great to have it backed up and proven by the research'.

National director of mind-body medicine at the Cancer Treatment Centres of America, Katherine Puckett, commented, 'I've seen music be very comforting, relaxing, healing, calming and helpful with patient pain. It may be hard to put into words, because it's often a visceral reaction that people feel. But music can transport people, because they can really relate to it. So, it can distract from pain. It can even help regulate breathing, as a patient's breath comes in line with the music or tempo of the music. And if that music is tranquil and soothing, it can help quiet them down if they're anxious. So, I have to say that these findings are completely in line with my experience'.

Source: HealthDay News