Have a throbbing head or an aching back? Here's one possible prescription: Take two Mozart movements – or a big dose of pop, country or jazz, if you prefer – and call the doctor in the morning. Decades of studies, including one published recently, suggest that music might be a moderately effective pain reliever, an "audio analgesic".
At some hospitals, music therapists are on call to help patients through painful procedures; when medications fail, some even sing patients to sleep. Those who prescribe music aren't sure how it might work.
"It obviously has something to do with mind-body interaction," says Sandra Siedlecki, PhD, RN, a nursing researcher at the Cleveland Clinic who co-wrote the recent study on music and pain with Marion Good, PhD, RN, FAAN, of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Their study, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing, involved 60 patients with chronic, noncancer pain. Those who listened to music on headphones for an hour a day reported significantly less pain and depression and an increased sense of control. One theory is that music might induce hormonal or immune system changes that reduce pain; another is that music is simply a pleasant, but powerful, form of distraction.
"It probably works on several levels," Siedlecki says.
It should be noted that "there are studies that show music doesn't help pain," says Michael Thaut, PhD, RMT, a professor of music and neuroscience at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. "The evidence is inconsistent."
Pain isn't the only symptom treated with music. Thaut's own research focuses on the use of specially designed rhythmic music to treat adults who have impaired motor skills because of stroke and Parkinson's disease. The technique, which has shown particular success in improving walking, has become a standard part of rehabilitation programs nationwide, he says.
Newer studies are investigating whether similar methods can help children who have cerebral palsy, Thaut says.
The movement research is based on the idea that music and the human nervous system have deep, biological connections, Thaut says. "You play music with a strong beat and people start tapping their feet. That's a biological process, not a cultural process."
Meanwhile, others are using music in a variety of ways, including:
- Infants: Premature babies who listen to specially selected music for four hours a day gain weight more quickly and go home two weeks earlier than similar infants, says Jayne Standley, PhD, director of the music therapy program at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
- Emotional trauma: Music therapists were among the professionals who flocked to the Gulf Coast region after Hurricane Katrina and who are still there, helping children and others recover from emotional trauma, says Barbara Else, a music therapist and researcher who coordinated the response for the American Music Therapy Association.
Music also is used to help women in labor, people with mental health problems, and children and adults with autism and other developmental disorders. In addition, one of the oldest uses of music is in dentistry.
And, no, therapeutic music doesn't have to be classical or slow or instrumental, at least for most uses, researchers say. "Mozart isn't right for everyone," Standley says. "It's going to drive some people crazy."
Source: Kim Painter/The Shreveport Times
