Music and Health Dance Together
Music is everywhere. Sounds of nature and music are vibrating and dancing with diverse energies. Music nurtures our feelings and emotions. Did you know that music can also serve as medicine even when prescription medications are not effective? Music is self-care benefiting our health.
Perhaps it is not surprising that infants can enjoy rhythmic movements to music,1 since we start to recognize sounds when we are exposed to the heartbeat rhythm. Music nurtures development of children through neuroplasticity.2 There are so many benefits of music for children supporting their health and well-being, as well as for those who live with disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, cancer and neurological conditions such as pain or epilepsy.3
While we appreciate the benefits of music for our brain and emotional health, did you know that music also improves our cardiovascular functions and the immune system? Music can lower blood pressure4 while also increasing immunoglobulins (antibodies) and immune cells which fight pathogens5. Furthermore, listening to music has anti-inflammatory effects.6 There are many ways by which music works including activation of the autonomous nervous system (parasympathetic tone) and the brain’s reward system via dopamine.7
“Music does a lot of things for a lot of people…”
Music is gentle yet powerful medicine. For children with epilepsy who cannot control their seizures with antiseizure prescription medications, listening to specific Mozart’s compositions (like sonata K.448) for 10 minutes per day before bedtime can significantly reduce epileptic seizures and abnormal brain activities (called epileptiform discharges)8. In fact, there are over a dozen clinical studies reporting positive effects of “antiseizure” Mozart’s music.9 In addition to epilepsy, there is a great body of evidence that music has antidepressant activities (reducing depression symptoms)10 and analgesic properties (reducing chronic and postoperative pain).11
Did you know that music-based interventions may include music therapy, neurologic music therapy, music medicine, music streaming, playing music, sound therapy, drumming, singing, chanting, dancing, or listening to music and nature sounds? Did you know that music streaming and mobile apps delivering music can be developed as medical treatments for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or epilepsy?12 Did you know that there is a music-based video game (MusicGlove) which is FDA-cleared for patients recovering from stroke, spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury?13
Music-based neurorehabilitation benefits patients recovering from stroke, dementia or multiple sclerosis14. People living with Parkinson’s disease can improve walking abilities when listening to specific rhythmic music (rhythmic auditory stimulation)15. What about dancing for Parkinson’s disease?16 Music for children with autism?17 Music for insomnia?18 Music for dementia?19 (perhaps you have also seen the documentary “Alive Inside”). Music for fibromyalgia?20 Yes, yes, yes, yes…
As a side note, let us be aware that music can have maladaptive and unhealthy effects.21
May this brief overview of music benefits inspire us to consider adding music to our self-care, along with healthy nutrition, physical activities and other ways to nurture our mind and body. After all, music can be preventive medicine, so please enjoy your favorite tunes together with daily self-care. In conclusion, music and health dance together.
In gratitude, thank you, best wishes and stay well,
Greg
PS. Our next blog will explore wonders of healthy nutrition, so please stay tuned for more insights.
2. Front Integr Neurosci 2020
3. Medicines 2016
4. Int J Cardiol 2016
5. Biol Psychol 2000; Trends Cogn Sci 2013
6. Trends Cogn Sci 2013; Brain Behav Immun 2014
7. Nat Rev Neurosci 2014; Nat Neurosci 2011
8. Epil Behav 2011
9. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2014; Clin Neurophysiol 2020
10. Front Psychol 2017
11. Pain Physician 2017; Pain Pract 2020
12. Front Publ Health 2016; Front Hum Neurosci 2018
13. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2014; J Rehabil Res Devel 2016
14. Lancet Neurol 2017
15. Front Neurol 2015; Sci Rep 2018
16. J Clin Med 2020; PLOS One 2020
17. Front Integr Neurosci 2013; Patient Relat Outcome Meas 2012; Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2019
18. Int J Nurs Stud 2018
19. Dementia (London) 2019; Eur Geriatr Med 2020
20. Front Psychol 2015; J Music Ther 2018
21. Child Adolesc Ment Health 2015; Front Hum Neurosci 2015
