Does Music Therapy Improve Health?

Music therapy is the use to music to improve health and alleviate pain. Music stimulates certain parts of the brain and therefore causes decrease in stress levels. Psychiatrists would agree that it may even be significant in improving mood and mental health of the people. Music therapy involves not just listening to music but also writing lyrics and composing music.

It is especially for those suffering from some ailment, as it helps cope with the illness such as anxiety and depression. Music therapy is an effective way to cope with different emotional and physical problem and comes with a lot of benefits.

Helps with Pain Management:

Music therapy has been effectively used in pain management. Music acts as a distraction from the pain experienced. It also causes the respiration rate to normalize as acts to regularize the breathing.  Music can also relax the body to draw out the tension.

Infact, some of the songs stimulate pleasant imagery, thus de-stressing the patient and enhancing mood. Furthermore, it causes the brain to release hormones like dopamine that help relieve the pain.

All these factors then contribute to ease the patient. This has been popular amongst the cancer patients, especially those undergoing radiation therapy.  Moreover, pain killers can have several side effects, from drug overdose to drug dependence. Therefore, music therapy is a much safer option.

Helps with Depression:

Depression although a mental disorder, affects the overall health of the person. It interferes with the daily living of the person and their quality of life is compromised. Music therapy has helped people battle depression as it increases the body’s response towards antidepressants.

It also normalized blood pressure and heart rate. Research has shown that the combination of music and standard treatment of depression are more effective than standalone medication.

Helps with Autism:

Autism is a brain disorder which compromises mental development. Autistic people generally have trouble communicating and interacting with people. However, music therapy has shown to greatly improve the verbal and nonverbal communication of the autistic people. It also aids in their normal development and improves their focus.

Helps with dementia:

The people suffering from dementia lose their cognitive functions, including memory, understanding etc. The patients have little or no recollection of their lives.

Music therapy thus helps them remember things and improve their mood. It also makes them less agitated making it easier for the caretaker to handle them. The therapy also increases their physical coordination and reduces risk of heart diseases in them.

Helps manage stress:

Music acts as a mood enhancer and can ease stress. It decreases the level of cortisol—the stress hormone. Music improves overall well-being of the people and can combat insomnia thus helping people sleep better. The restful sleep improves the overall disposition of the people. It decreases heart rate and blood pressure that are highly affected due to music.

Music therapy can be an excellent source of healing for a wide variety of ailments. The experts can help design the regimen best suited to your needs.

Book an appointment with top psychiatrists in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad through oladoc.com, or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT Doctor for your concerns.