The Healing Power of Music

I found out about it by accident.

One day I was suffering considerable pain, and something told me to go sit down at the piano. Now, I'm no concert pianist, but I really enjoy playing. About 45 minutes later I realized that the act of making music had instantly and completely wiped out the pain - at least while I continued to play.

Curious, I decided to look into it.

I found several studies that show that music really does help reduce pain. Not only that, it helps fight depression and stress as well.

• A 1996 study of 60 arthritis patients showed that individuals who listened to music for an hour a day showed a 21 percent reduction in pain and a 25 percent reduction in depression associated with pain perception.(Journal of Advanced Nursing, June 2006)
• A Stanford University study revealed that 20 seniors who practiced stress-reduction techniques while listening to music during an 8-week study period enjoyed better moods and reduced depression. A control group who used the stress-busting techniques without the benefit of music saw no improvement.
• A review of four studies on music and pain relief led by M. Soledad Cepeda, M.D., a faculty member of the anesthesia department at Tufts-New England Medical Center, indicates that on average, music has the same effect as about 325milligrams of acetaminophen (Tylenol) - about half a regular adult dose.
  
• A study of 236 pregnant women at the College of Nursing at Kaohsiung Medical Universityin Taiwan found that listening to 30 minutes of calming music a day significantly reduced the women's psychological stress.

Many other studies and anecdotal evidence indicates that music can indeed help manage pain, improve mood and mobility of people with Parkinson's disease, reduce the need for sedatives and pain relievers during and after surgery, decrease nausea during chemotherapy, shorten hospital stays, ease anxiety, lower blood pressure, relieve depression, enhance concentration and creativity...the list goes on.

And the best thing is, there doesn't seem to be any one particular type of music that's better or worse for healing. Whatever people enjoy listening to seems to work.

So in tough times, when you find yourself stressed out, bothered by pain or just plain tired, remember that one form of relief is always close at hand.

Just open your mouth and sing!

P.S. I didn't find any studies comparing the benefits of actually making music vs. just listening. But in my own experience, music making beats out listening hands down.