December 2011

   News Item  

The holidays are almost over now, and although many good times were had, there were also stressful moments for everyone I'm sure!  Holidays are just plain stressful for almost everybody because expectations get built up so easily.  As a therapist, I can tell you that everyone wants a Norman Rockwell or a Hallmark Christmas, Thanksgiving or Hanukkah.  Rarely does it happen that way. 

Now we have a fresh and beautiful New Year and, after the last strains of "Auld Lang Syne" have faded away, you get to choose, mindfully, what you will listen to!  What will you choose this year?

Just remember that healing music can be generally divided into two categories:  sedative music and stimulative music.  The genre is not as important as the mood of the music and how it affects you.  You may prefer jazz, classical, New Age, or even country music.  The healing effects of music will only be present for you, if you like the music.  It doesn't have to be familiar, although when people are not feeling well, they tend to prefer familiar music. 

Another rule of thumb is that the sicker a person is, the less likely they are to respond well to music with lyrics.  Go for a simple, instrumental favorite such as "Pachelbel's Canon," "Amazing Grace," or "Londonderry Air."  The music on my surgery playlist is all classical, calming music with a steady tempo and a serene mood.

When you want to energize yourself for a run, a major house-cleaning day or just to lift your spirits, choose something that is a long-time, upbeat favorite...possibly from your teen-age years!  I love the oldies stations and they will get me singing along faster than most anything else.

The idea is to choose your music mindfully.   Some people are very picky about their music and others will just turn on their iPod or radio or CD player and listen to whatever comes up!  Be your own best healing music DJ in the upcoming year and have fun doing it!  As always, let me know if I can help!  Have a Happy and Healthy New Year.

   Healing Music Blog

Music is Good for your Health: But we knew that!

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, MD, CM, MPH, FRCP(C)
Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Ontario Health Unit

In fact, Music Therapy is a recognized form of treatment for a variety of disorders and conditions.

Dr. Cash with Flautist, Carol Cutler

The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) states that “Music therapy is an established health-care profession that uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals of all ages.”

I am sure that you will agree that playing music or listening to your favorite tunes makes us feel good.

So now, wearing my medical hat, I want to look at the scientific evidence that confirms what we all think and feel. Here are seven proven benefits of music:

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As we enter a new year, a resolution to listen to or play more music is a healthy one.
I wish you and yours a happy, health and musical New Year!


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Newborn Baby at Christmas

All over the world today, Christmas babies were born. Having a baby on Christmas day is indeed a special thing and these babies have got to feel special for their entire lives. Earlier today, I was talking with my son-in-law who is an anesthesia resident at a large hospital in Boston. I asked him how many of the Moms that gave birth today used music during their procedure and was surprised to hear that not many of them did!?

Of course, he pointed out that he was only present for C-sections and those are very different from vaginal delivery births where the mom has gone into labor on her own and hopefully, planned her childbirth experience very intentionally.

Over the years, Moms and doctors have told me of babies born on Christmas to the strains of “For Unto Us a Child is Born,” “O Holy Night,” and other appropriate Christmas birthing music! The fact is, music during labor can do lots of wonderful things, from calming, comforting and distracting the Mom between contractions, to actually keep labor moving along with a consistent, persistant rhythmic beat. I’ve always thought that Ravel’s “Bolero” during labor would be quite enjoyable and helpful!

If you or a loved one had a baby at Christmas, please share your experience with me!

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Everyone knows the horrible story of the shooting of Senator Gabrielle Giffords. At the time of the shooting, her doctors were not sure she would even survive, much less recover. Today, she is a shining star of what modern medicine can accomplish…with a little help from the field of music therapy!

Research published earlier this year showed that listening to music releases the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain and sends pleasure signals to the rest of the body. Now findings recently published in NeuroImage offer additional insights into how music affects our neural circuits.

In the study Finnish researchers recorded the brain responses of individuals who were listening to a piece of modern Argentinian tango using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology. Afterwards, they used computer algorithms to analyze the musical content of the tango and illustrate how its rhythmic, tonal and timbral components evolved over time. They then compared the brain responses and the musical features. Medical News Today reports:

The researchers found that music listening recruits not only the auditory areas of the brain, but also employs large-scale neural networks. For instance, they discovered that the processing of musical pulse recruits motor areas in the brain, supporting the idea that music and movement are closely intertwined.
Limbic areas of the brain, known to be associated with emotions, were found to be involved in rhythm and tonality processing. Processing of timbre was associated with activations in the so-called default mode network, which is assumed to be associated with mind-wandering and creativity.

Similarly, a past Stanford study showed music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory. The findings also suggest that music can help the brain organize incoming information.

Published by Stanford University School of Medicine.  article by Lia Steakley

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I love performing, researching, and teaching and have put them all together in a career called "Music Medicine." 

See you next month!!

 Alice Cash