Music: A Healing Gift

Instead of depending on medications, surgery, and other invasive and potentially harmful remedies to our medical conditions, it appears that natural treatments such as the use of therapeutic music are coming more and more into vogue, even in some enclaves of conventional medicine and the mainstream media.

Music has been used throughout history as a means to soothe both body and soul. The ancient Hebrew scriptures tell the story of the shepherd boy David who drove away the madness of the King by playing the harp. The article below references the beneficial effects of both music and audio books on the recovery of stroke victims. Many studies have indicated increased intellectual capacity and creativity in people who expose themselves to classical music.

Music is just one of many gifts provided to us by our Creator to enable health and healing, and as preventative measures against disease. As the hazards of modern medical practices become more and more evident, perhaps the trend towards these natural, more organic methods of pursuing wellness will become more established, and we can return to letting the body heal itself, as it is so wonderfully designed to do.


Music hits right note for stroke patients
By Michael Kahn, LONDON (Reuters)20/02/200807:02

A little Beethoven is good for the brain, according to a Finnish study published on Wednesday showing that music helps people recover more quickly from strokes.

And patients who listened to a few hours of music each day soon after a stroke also improved their verbal memory and were in a better mood compared to patients who did not listen to music or used audio books, the researchers said.

Music therapy has long been used in a range of treatments but the study published in the journal Brain is the first to show the effect in people, they added.

"These findings demonstrate for the first time that music listening during the early post-stroke stage can enhance cognitive recovery and prevent negative mood," the researchers wrote.

Strokes, which occur when blood flow to the brain is blocked, can kill brain tissue and are one of the worldwide leading causes of death and permanent disability. Treatments include blood thinning drugs and attempts to lower cholesterol.

The study involved 60 people who recently had a stroke of the middle cerebral artery in the left or right side of the brain. This is the most common stroke and can affect motor control, speech and a range of other cognitive functions.

One group listened to their favourite music every day or used audio books while another did not listen to any music. All volunteers received standard rehabilitation treatment.

Three months after stroke music listeners showed a 60 percent better improvement in verbal memory compared to an 18 percent benefit for those using audio books and 29 percent for people who did not listen to either.

The ability to focus attention also improved by 17 percent in music listeners, said Teppo Sarkamo, a psychologist at the Cognitive Brain Research Unit at the University of Helsinki, who led the study.

"We can't say what is happening in the brain but based on previous research and theory it may be music listening could actually activate the brain areas that are recovering," he said in a telephone interview.

Music might also in some way activate more general mechanisms that repair and renew the brain's neural networks after stroke, Sarkamo said.

Larger studies are needed to better understand exactly what is going on but these findings show that music may offer a cheap, easy additional treatment for stroke patients, he said.

"This could be considered a pilot study," Sarkamo said. "It is a promising start.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL1911114120080220?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&rpc=22&sp=true