Have you been told that you need some surgery? Or are you thinking
about an elective surgery procedure such as tummy tuck, liposuction,
or breast enhancement? No matter what type of surgical procedure
you're planning to undergo, the one thing they have in common is the
necessity for anesthesia.Now anesthesia is a very necessary and
important part of surgical procedures. You might need local
anesthesia, regional anesthesia or local anesthesia, but whatever kind
you require there are certain things you should know about anesthesia.
Anesthesia administration requires tremendous skill and precision. We
know from the Michael Jackson tragedy that just the tiniest amount too
much can be fatal. Although fatalities are rare, they do occur every
year all around the world and anesthesiologists have among the highest
malpractice insurance premiums of all physicians.
For that reason, I think you should know that there is a way that
you can use less anesthesia by listening to slow, steady, instrumental
music through headphones during your procedure. Here are seven tips
I've put together for you to help make your surgery safer.
1. If you've just found out that you're going to have surgery, talk
to your surgeon immediately about your intention of using music during
the surgery. The majority of surgeons today know the benefits of music
during surgery and may actually bring it up before you do!
2. If for any reason your doctor does not know about the benefits,
there are studies you can cite from the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland
Clinic, and hospitals around the world. Music in surgery has also been
reported on by the BBC, NY Times, and MD-online.
3. Begin thinking of the music that you most enjoy for
relaxation...music that calms and comforts you and helps you feel at
peace. You can purchase a small MP3 player just for this purpose and
load your music onto it, or you can buy pre-programmed cordless
headphones to take into your surgery.
4. If possible you can begin listening to this music for 45-60
minutes per day starting about a week before your surgery so that you
can begin to consciously relax when you hear this music. The process
of entrainment allow your heart-rate and breathing to synchronize with
the pulse of the music.
5. When your body is relaxed and your heart-rate and breathing are
slow and steady, your will require less anesthesia and still be just
as anesthetized as someone who takes more anesthesia. Your body is
being kept relaxed and entrained through the power of the slow, steady
music which is entering the brain through the eighth cranial nerve.
6. The headphones will not only put the music directly into your
brain but they will also block the sounds of operating room
conversations as well as sounds associated with various surgeries
including hammering, sawing, drilling, and cutting. Simply blocking
these sounds will undoubtedly prevent subconscious traumatic memories
that people frequently report hearing.
7. For those that can program their own iPod with the ideal music,
I recommend doing that. For people who would rather purchase the
pre-programmed headphones with the ideal type of music all ready to
go, that is probably the best solution. Also the fact that they have
no cords or wires to get tangled up with medical equipment makes them
extremely safe and practical.
If I can answer any questions for you, just drop me a line at
chantdoc at healingmusicenterprises.com
