Music as medicine By: Harvard Men's Health Watch William Congreve observed, "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast." That was some 300 years ago, but Congreve was hardly the first to tout the beneficial effects of music. Early supporters included Plato, Pythagoras, and Aristotle — but even they were simply echoing a belief as old as recorded history. Tradition is one thing, science another. But a series of 20th-century investigations demonstrated that music can indeed be relaxing. Low tones played on stringed instruments at a tempo of about 60 beats per minute appear most successful. In 21st-century America, relaxation is a rare commodity. Music may help calm the strife of daily life, but can it actually help patients make it through stressful medical events like operations and major illnesses? Two recent studies suggest it can, at least to the extent that it can improve blood pressure and cardiovascular function. A study from New York examined how music affects surgical patients. Forty cataract patients with an average age of 74 volunteered for the trial. Half were randomly assigned to receive ordinary care; the others got the same care but also listened to music through headphones before, during, and immediately after their operations. Each participant had a normal blood pressure of less than 140/90 a week before surgery; the average was 129/82 in both groups. The average blood pressure in both groups rose to 159/62 just before the operation, and in both groups the average heart rate jumped by 17 beats a minute. But the patients surrounded by silence remained hypertensive throughout the operation, while the pressures of those who listened to music came down rapidly and stayed down into the recovery room, where the average reduction was an impressive 35 mm Hg systolic and 24 mm Hg diastolic. The listeners also reported that they felt calmer and better during the operation. The ophthalmologic surgeons had no problems communicating with their patients over the sound of the music, but the researchers didn’t ask the doctors if their patients’ improved blood pressure readings made them more relaxed as they did their work. Music and the mind How does music affect human biology? It’s still something of a mystery, but a study from Harvard suggests that the right music can activate the same portions of the brain that respond to powerful stimuli such as food, sex, and addictive drugs. The volunteers were 10 musicians who picked a "spine-tingling" favorite musical selection. All the subjects were evaluated by positron emission tomography (PET) scanning while listening to music. In each case, the "spine-tingling" selection lit up the brain’s reward and emotion centers while other musical numbers had no effect. This study may help explain why stimulating music has a strong effect, but since an earlier Harvard study found that meditation can activate the brain’s reward circuitry, it may also help us understand why mellow music is relaxing. It’s only a small study, but for music lovers it strikes a responsive chord. Eye surgery is stressful, and so are heart attacks. A study from Wisconsin suggests that music may help cardiac patients too. Forty-five patients who had suffered heart attacks within the previous 72 hours volunteered for the trial. All the patients were still in an intensive care unit but were clinically stable. The subjects were randomly assigned to listen to classical music or simply continue with routine care. All were closely monitored during the 20-minute trial. Almost as soon as the music began, the patients who were listening showed a drop in their heart rates, breathing rates, and their hearts’ oxygen demands. Music had no effect on their blood pressure; however, nearly all heart attack patients are given beta blockers and ACE inhibitors, both of which lower blood pressure (see Harvard Men’s Health Watch, October 1998). The improvements linked to music lasted for at least an hour after it stopped. In addition to the cardiac benefits of music, psychological testing demonstrated a lower level of anxiety. Every man who has lived with teenagers knows that music can be irritating as well as calming. Still, these two studies confirm the common experience that the right music can be relaxing. If you feel calmer and better listening to music, tune in to the selection that suits you best. You won’t have a scientist hovering around to check your heart and blood pressure, but the new studies give you reason to expect that your circulation will respond just like your mood. Joseph Addison called music "the greatest good that mortals know." When it comes to reducing medical stress, at least, he may have been on to something. Harvard Health Publications, 3/03 Cancer, 12/03 LINK "critically acclaimed solo piano music sharing a hope-filled and inspiring survivorship story through soothing, relaxing and spiritually healing music" LINK "Examines the power of music as a coping skill. Examples of popular music which can be used in therapy. Includes info about Freudian Slip, therapeutic rock band" LINK to Dr. Harry Henshaw, Florida-based. Sells music CDs and provides online articles. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.