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Discover Music
With Surgery...
Music with Surgery: Why
Why talk to the
Anesthesiologist?
Calling Dr. Mozart!
Fear of Anesthesia
How Music Affects the
Body
Hospital Studies
Benefits of Less Anesthesia
Music with Surgery: Why?
Why would you want music during surgery? As I travel the country talking
with people about the importance of music during surgery, there is one
question that arises over and over. The question is a good one: why would
you want music during surgery if you're going to be asleep? Very logical
question and luckily, the answer is very logical too. Music during surgery
is not about entertainment; it is not about soothing a person or even
comforting them. The whole point of using music during surgery is to relax
the body so that less anesthesia is needed. Secondarily, when you have music
coming through headphones, the music enters the brain through the eighth
cranial nerve and entrains or synchronizes the heartbeat and breathing with
the tempo of the music. For this reason, you want to choose music with the
tempo of the healthy resting heartbeat. You also want to choose music that
is purely instrumental, i.e., nothing with lyrics. The third and final
reason to use music through head- phones during surgery is to block out
comments and conversation of the medical staff that might be negative or
pessimistic and influence you subconsciously.
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Why talk to the anesthesiologist?
If you're thinking about using music with your surgery, you really do want
to talk with the anesthesiologist first. Why? Because the anesthesiologist
is the one whose job will be most affected by the patient's use of music.
Why is that, you say? One of the main reasons to use music through
headphones during surgery is because the patient is able to use up to 50%
less anesthesia when they are hearing music through headphones during the
procedure. As I've said many times, even though there are many, many studies
documenting this phenomenon, many physicians still are not aware of it and
therefore will need to be educated about the benefits. If you're interested
in trying it but don't know enough to talk with your doctor, use the link
above to order my two-tape set which will give you the info you need as well
as the music you need! You'll be so glad you did!
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Calling Dr. Mozart!
The operating room of a hospital is a highly stressful place. Surgeons and
assistants have to be extremely attentive, moving quickly but carefully.
Playing music during surgeries has been shown to relax the staff and the
patients. Some of the benefits that extend to the recovery room are lower
heart rate, blood pressure and reduced need for pain medication. Dr. Claudius
Conrad, now a senior surgical resident at Harvard Medical School, suggests
music can go even further. He’s published a paper suggesting that music can
stimulate a 50 percent jump in pituitary growth hormone. The hormone is
associated with stress but, paradoxically, can help exert healing. Dr.
Conrad is also a classically-trained pianist with a doctorate in music
theory. Also, the study of music therapy has evolved in the United States
for the past half a century, and there’s growing evidence that music is as
good for the body as it is for the soul.
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Fear
of Anesthesia
It's not too surprising that many people have a crippling fear of
anesthesia. As a matter of fact, their fear is so intense and so
overwhelming that they choose not to have surgery, rather than subject
themselves to their terrifying projections. But is anesthesia really that
dangerous? According to Sarah Wassner Flynn, "Serious complications from
general anesthesia are extremely rare: Malignant hyperthermia affects about
one in 10,000 to one in 30,000 patients and far fewer – about five in one
million – will die. But even one is too many. More common are side effects
like nausea, dizziness and muscle aches, which are much less dangerous and
easily managed. Of course, my purpose in introducing this topic is to let
you know that listening to soft, slow, steady instrumental music during
surgery has been proven to relax the mind and body tension to the point that
up to 50% less anesthesia can be taken and still the body and mind are
completely anesthetized! Now that's worth investigating, isn't it? To read
more, go to MUSIC FOR SURGERY. Feel free to contact me if you have any
questions at all about the process, the research, or the music I have
chosen! To your successful surgery!
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How music affects the
body during surgery
Why use music during surgery? This is one of the frequent questions asked
when I go out into the world and quite understandable. In our society, music
is thought of primarily as entertainment. Yes, people put it on their iPod
or car CD player or home stereo system to chill-out, energize, or just as
background music to their day. Our world is full of music: TV, radio, movies
and the ubiquitous iPod but music can also have powerful therapeutic
benefits. When used during surgery music can help make the heart rate
steady, the breathing steady, and the blood pressure moderate and steady. As
a result, you will need less anesthesia to stay relaxed and sound asleep
during your procedure. If this sounds too good to be true, just Google
"music and surgery research" to see the hundreds of studies that have been
conducted on this. There is absolutely no doubt about music's effectiveness!
If you'd like to get the music that I have carefully and scientifically
chosen for surgery, click on the link in the upper left corner. You can
download it directly to your iPod or other MP3 player! Don't hesitate to
contact me with any questions. Best wishes for your successful surgery!
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Hospital Studies
"Yale University Patients' favorite music during surgery lessens need for
sedative New Haven, Conn."--Patients listening to their favorite music
required much less sedation during surgery than did patients who listened to
white noise or operating room noise, according to a Yale School of Medicine
study published in May. The senior author, Zeev Kain, M.D., professor in the
Department of Anesthesiology, said previous studies have shown that music
decreases intraoperative sedative requirements in patients undergoing
surgical procedures under anesthesia. He wanted to know if the decrease
resulted from listening to music or eliminating operating room noise The
study included 36 patients at Yale-New Haven Hospital and 54 patients at the
American University of Beirut Medical Center. The subjects wore headphones
and were randomly assigned to hear music they liked, white noise or to wear
no headphones and be exposed to operating room noise. Dropping a surgical
instrument into a bowl in the operating room can produce noise levels of up
to 80 decibels, which is considered very loud to uncomfortably loud. What
they found is that blocking the sounds of the operating room with white
noise did not decrease sedative requirements of listening to operating room
sounds. Playing music did reduce the need for sedatives during surgery.
"Doctors and patients should both note that music can be used to supplement
sedation in the operating room," Kain said. The lead author was Chakib
Ayoub, M.D., with co-authors Laudi Rizk, M.D., Chadi Yaacoub, M.D., and
Dorothy Gaal, M.D., of the University of Beirut Medical Center. The study
was supported in part of National Institutes of Health grants. ###
Anesthesia & Analgesia 100: pp 1316-1319 (May 2005)
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Study: Music helps colonoscopy patients tune out test anxiety
While few people will rank a colonoscopy as a favorite medical procedure,
one statistic argues clearly in its favor: a 90 percent cure rate in colon
cancers caught at an early stage. Benjamin Krevsky, a professor of medicine
at the School of Medicine and director of gastrointestinal endoscopy at
Temple University Hospital, found that when patients undergoing a
colonoscopy listened to music, they required less sedation. (Photo by Ryan
S. Brandenberg / University Photography) Still, patients often approach the
test with a mixture of dread and anxiety. Despite sedation, people fear
discomfort, and often put off the appointment. To address this common
problem, doctors have added an extra ingredient: music. A new study reveals
that patients who plug into their favorite tunes during a colonoscopy
procedure may be able to relax enough to require less sedation, without
sacrificing comfort. Results of the double-blind study by doctors at Temple
University in Philadelphia were presented at this year’s American Society
for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy national meeting. Their findings align with
other research that has shown music reduces anxiety before surgical
procedures. Such promising results have led several hospitals around the
country to begin studies on how music affects health. In the colonoscopy
study, researchers asked 44 female and 29 male subjects to either bring
music from home or choose from a selection of available CDs. Before the
procedure, ear buds were taped to all of the participants’ ears and volume
set to be audible to only the patient. After the patient received his or her
initial dose of medication, an investigator opened a randomized envelope to
see if the music selections would be played. Following the colonoscopy, the
attending doctor, fellow and nurse evaluated pain, anxiety and comfort
levels for each patient. A non-participating medical provider conducted a
second, later interview. Results revealed that those who listened to music
required less sedation (3.8 mg of midazolam vs. 4.4 mg, and 87 mcg of
fentanyl vs. 93 mcg) yet reported the same comfort levels as those receiving
the higher amounts. The reductions, equal to about one less dose of
medication, are considered clinically significant, according to Benjamin
Krevsky, M.D., M.P.H., the lead author of the study, who is a professor of
medicine at Temple University School of Medicine and director of
gastrointestinal endoscopy at Temple University Hospital. “It’s true that
many patients don’t like the procedure,” said Krevsky, “but many find that
the preparation for the test is worse than the test itself.” Co-investigator
Kevin Skole, M.D., who was a gastroenterology fellow at Temple, had the
original idea for the study. Krevsky too was inspired when a dentist handed
him ear buds to listen to music during a dental procedure. “Over all,
colonoscopies are very, very safe,” Krevsky said. “And while the risks of
sedatives are relatively small, in general, less medication is always
better.” Krevsky also notes the decreased drug dose may translate into
reduced healthcare costs. Most of the participants picked gospel tunes, but
the type of music didn’t appear to make a difference. “Offering music makes
sense,” Krevsky said. “It has no downside, it may prove beneficial, and
patients appear to be satisfied with the procedure.” All of which may add up
to less anxiety and more colonoscopies. By Ilene Raymond For Temple Health
Sciences PR
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Benefits of Less Anesthesia
As I talk to people about the benefits
of music during surgery, invariably I get the question, "But Alice, why
would you want less anesthesia during surgery...I want MORE anesthesia!" OK,
I know what you're thinking: you don't want to risk feeling any pain or
being "accidentally awake" though the doctors think you are asleep. Yes,
there's been a lot in the news about that recently. Here are some of the
many benefits of using less anesthesia:
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anesthesia can take up to 6 months
to completely leave your system
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all bodily systems are brought to
an almost complete halt by anesthesia, severe constipation being a
common result
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anesthesia is fraught with adverse
reactions in patients including allergy and just plain sever
side-effects
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side-effects include prolonged
nausea, dizziness, fuzzy thinking, rashes, double vision and depression
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the less anesthesia you have, the
sooner you can leave the hospital, begin your healing journey and get on
with your life!
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If you could have beautiful music
playing through headphones cordless, self-contained, lightweight
headphones during your procedure and take less anesthesia without an
increase in pain, wouldn't you do it??
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