Imagine you are about to have surgery. If you were told that there was a free, painless, non-drug, completely safe and enjoyable way to reduce your pain and anxiety after the operation, would you believe it?
You should, according to a new study about music therapy from the U.K.
It’s not a new notion – Florence Nightingale wrote about music therapy in her 1860 Notes on Nursing, saying, “The effect of music upon the sick has been scarcely at all noticed…wind instruments, including the human voice, and stringed instruments, capable of continuous sound, have generally a beneficent
effect.”
The value of music in patient well-being is a known fact, according to Lynn Williams, a licensed clinical health psychologist and family psychiatric nurse practitioner with a private practice in Vero Beach. Dr. Williams says there have been many studies, in various settings and related to many different physical conditions, which have shown the benefits of music’s therapeutic.
The U.K. researchers analyzed 72 randomized controlled trials involving almost 7,000 patients. The resulting study, published in Britain’s premier medical journal The Lancet, found that patients who listened to music before, during or after surgery experienced much less pain and anxiety than patients who did not. The effects were most pronounced for those who listened to music prior to surgery.
Because those who listened to music experienced less pain, the study found they were less likely to need pain medication. The study’s lead author, Dr. Catharine Meads from Brunel University in Uxbridge, England, believes that music should be incorporated into therapeutic interventions for hospital patients. She says, “Music is a noninvasive, safe, cheap intervention that should be available to everyone undergoing surgery. Patients should be allowed to choose the type of music they would like to hear to maximize the benefit to their wellbeing.”
Why might it be that music has such a positive impact? Advocates say it produces beneficial physiological changes associated with “calming,” including improved respiration, lower blood pressure, improved cardiac output, reduced heart rate, and relaxed muscle tension. Dr. Meads adds that it may be because music provides us with a sense of familiarity, especially if it’s music we have chosen ourselves; it may also simply be creating a distraction.
Music therapy is a formal thing, carried out by a trained music therapist, in sessions that last an hour or so; the therapist plays live or recorded music which often serves to slow the patient’s breathing. However, most studies show that the use of in-hospital music has benefits even when trained therapists are not involved. A doctor or nurse can play the music, even without monitoring the patient’s response, or a patient can play the music own their own. This practice is called “music medicine.”
While it’s preferred to have the patient choose the music, there is a caution, as characteristics of the music should be taken into consideration. Joanne V. Loewy, director of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel says, “Even though your favorite song might be rock ‘n’ roll, if you’re playing it without monitoring it could be too fast, possibly increasing your heart rate and anxiety.” Calm, slow, gentle music was shown to produce the most positive results.
In addition to the reduction of pain and anxiety, listening to music also seems to have a significant, positive impact on a surgical patient’s perceived effectiveness of treatment – their overall satisfaction level – which puts them in a good frame of mind as they begin their recovery.
Vero’s Dr. Williams says that music has also been proven to be of benefit for patients in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. “Music is a really potent and effective mood changer,” she says. “Even patients who appear to be unresponsive will perk up when their favorite music is played.” She says “Even people who are near-death will respond to music being played.” That’s why radios or CD players or should be a staple in elder-care environments.
Dr. Williams also spoke of the value of music in the recovery of people who have suffered a stroke, citing studies that show listening to their favorite music helps those patients recover mental function and makes them less depressed and confused. Researchers from a 2008 Finnish study say this is due to the effect of music on “neural mechanisms”; simply put, it enhances alertness and stimulates the recovery of damaged parts of the brain.
Dr. Williams was recently appointed to the board of directors of Florida Center for Nursing. Her office is located at 2770 Indian River Blvd., Suite 310, in Vero Beach; her office phone is 772-234-4511.
