Music’s healing touch

Once thought to be a device merely to keep patients in good spirits, music therapy is today exploring new frontiers and coming into its own as a cure. Psychiatrists says that music has a direct impact on the mood and physical well being. In the West, it is widely being used in old-age homes, asylums and maternity wards.

Music has healing powers and a mood stability function. It works wonderfully on patients who have psychosomatic problems or those suffering from mental tension. Laboratory studies suggest that music also has the power to accelerate metabolism, increase or decrease muscular energy and regulate respiration. It also produces a positive effect on blood pressure and influences internal secretions. Psychiatric patients who are given music therapy show remarkable behavioral changes. Certain kind of background music can increase the quality of a patient’s verbal interaction. In fact ,music with smooth rhythm has a healing effect on the disturbed motor responses of schizophrenic patients It stimulates responses and encourages expression of thoughts and feelings. The techniques of music therapy are being applied in the treatment of autism,schizophrenia,retardation and behavioral as well as other psychiatric disorder in children,adolescents,adults and geriatric patients. Music is also used to rehabilitate patients with impaired vision, hearing and speech defects, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and orthopedic disorder.

Music, whether western or Indian classical, can contribute a great deal to medical science in relieving stress of the mind and body. The concept is not just being used at therapeutic centers but is being utilized at various public places like super markets, hotels, air-planes and even at some offices. Experiments are underway at interfacing musical instruments with medical programmes.Here rhythm is interlinked to a patient’s pulse and synchronized with breathing. The volume is gradually reduced and body metabolism comes down.