Masters of Health Magazine April 2023 | Page 90

therapy first involves the singing of simple phrases to familiar music. Frequent repetition of these phrases helps patients turn their sing-song speech into normal speech over time. What’s even more exciting is that most patients maintain the improvements they gained through music therapy, which shows that the brain is capable of repair.

Music reduces the side effects of cancer therapy. Listening to music reduces anxiety associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It can also quell nausea and vomiting in patients receiving chemotherapy. An article in Very Well Health shared the results of several studies that dealt with this phenomenon.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/benefits-of-music-therapy-for-cancer-patients-2248912

“A few reviews have looked at several studies to date evaluating the effect of music on mood and anxiety in people with cancer. The overwhelming conclusion of these studies was that music decreases anxiety and has a strong positive impact on the ability of people to cope with cancer. Study subjects included those who took part in music therapy as part of a hospital program as well as people who simply listened to recorded music. One of the reviews also found that music could be helpful in alleviating depression related to cancer.”

The same article also indicated that music helped cancer patients deal better with their pain. Most used pain meds less frequently. I had some experience with this several years back when a friend of mine asked for some of my harp CDs to give to a friend of theirs that was undergoing cancer treatment. About 2 years lapsed and I had not heard from my friend about any results, so I had forgotten about the whole issue.

I happened to be attending a wedding, and at the reception, the cancer patient’s wife came up to me and expressed extreme gratitude for the music given to her husband to use during his battle with cancer. She told me that the music made a night and day difference in his pain management, and she expressed several times that she did not know what they would have done without the music. He had since passed, but his quality of life had been so enriched because of the harp music.

Music aids in pain relief. Music therapy has been tested in patients ranging from those with intense acute pain to those with chronic pain from arthritis. Overall, music therapy decreases pain perception, reduces the amount of pain medication needed, helps relieve depression, and gives people a sense of better control over their pain. Many studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of music in pain control, with the result being its acceptance in an increasing number of clinical settings.

An article in Practical Pain Management https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/treatments/psychological/utilizing-music-therapy-manage-chronic-pain  gave several case studies that illustrated how music “whether guided or used as part of self-care, has the power to reduce pain and associated feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation.”

The article shared several different techniques for using music to assist in pain management with the overall summation that music is quite effective in pain management and is relatively inexpensive compared to more pharmaceutical approaches.

Music aids in dealing with Parkinson’s Disease. A friend shared a YouTube video with me that I found to be amazing.

This man had severe Parkinson’s Disease and could barely walk with a walker assisted by a physical therapist. As you watch the video, you will see that as soon as the music starts playing, his whole gate changes and he is able to dance with the therapist.

There is overwhelming evidence that music has healing qualities for many of life’s challenges. No matter what situation you may be facing, I believe that music will have a beneficial impact on your life. A book could be written about all the different ways that music has enriched lives and brought healing and benefit in so many ways to so many people. I have many pages of testimony from people who comment on my YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/peregrinnatti) about how music has changed their lives for the better.

Next time you are suffering or experiencing a health challenge, don’t forget to bring music into your life and see what affects you experience – You may be surprised!