Jo Wadham
Baby Reflex is based on the idea that applying pressure to different areas on the foot can help the body heal itself.
Reflexology, an alternative therapy based on the belief that certain parts of the foot correspond to different parts of the body, has been practised in India, Egypt and China since ancient times. Now a new course designed for babies, Baby Reflex, aims to give parents techniques for dealing with childhood problems such as colic and teething pain.Reflexologists maintain that by applying pressure to different areas on the foot, they can help the body heal itself by unblocking energy pathways.
Sceptics may wonder how pressing on a part of their foot can help their sinus problems, but while they may not be able to prove that it works, practitioners and many of their clients insist that reflexology has helped them, either in terms of relaxation or by alleviating a specific condition. In a paper published in the journal Neuroscience Letters last year, Japanese researchers said that reflexology has a physical effect on the body. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, the researchers found that applying pressure to the zones of the foot relating to the eyes, shoulder and small intestine resulted in the stimulation of the corresponding areas of the brain. The researchers also looked at previous neurological studies carried out in relation to acupuncture. “Those results indicated that reflexology had some effects that were not simply sensory stimulation. Our results support that claim,” they said.
Jenny Lee is a chartered physiotherapist and reflexologist who spent more than 15 years working with UK doctors and children with asthma. One study, funded by Prince Charles’s Foundation for Integrated Medicine, monitored 47 asthmatic children who were given a weekly session of reflexology. “Not only was their asthma reduced, but we found some interesting side effects,” Lee says. “One was that their sleep improved. Their morning peak-flow reading [lung function test] was miles higher than usual. We also found that the children started joining in with their family’s interests and were nicer to their parents; they were bonding much more with their family.”
Spurred on by these results, Lee launched Baby Reflex in 2006. There are now Baby Reflex therapists working in Australia, Ireland, Spain, France, Turkey, Japan and the UAE.Lee says one of the advantages of reflexology over other alternative treatments such as acupuncture is that it is not painful. “Reflexology is something babies enjoy and is entirely pleasurable. It has a wonderful effect on babies. It calms and relaxes them. It’s not an ‘either/or’ with massage; they are great complementary treatments.”
According to Lee, Baby Reflex not only helps parents bond with their children, but it can also help with childhood issues such as colic, reflux and ear congestion. It also boosts the immune system. Shirley Ali trained with Lee and is now teaching Baby Reflex to small classes at The Club in Abu Dhabi. Ali is a trained aromatherapist, beauty therapist, masseuse and Reiki master and has been practising reflexology in the UK and in the UAE for more than 20 years.
Each course of classes lasts three weeks and is suitable for babies aged one month to two years. “The idea is to make it bite-sized,” Ali says, “because when you are a new mother you can’t take in as much information, and it’s not fair to keep the baby there too long.”Parents learn the reflexology techniques by practising on each other’s feet before trying the movements on their babies. “Baby reflexology works in the same way as reflexology for adults, but you have to take into account the size of the baby’s foot and the pressure you can apply,” Ali says.
Jane Miller, a Briton who has lived in Abu Dhabi for three years, has just finished a Baby Reflex course with Ali and has been using her new skills on her 10-week-old baby, Alice. Miller enrolled in the course in the hope that reflexology might help Alice’s colic, but says she knew at the very least that Alice would benefit from the relaxation aspect of the sessions. “Having experienced reflexology and knowing how lovely and relaxing it was, I wanted to do the same for Alice,” Miller says. She continues to use reflexology on Alice now that the course has finished, but there are some practical challenges. “Her feet are so small and she constantly pulls them away from me. She has tiny feet and I feel very clumsy doing it.”
Despite this, Miller thinks the reflexology may have had an effect. “She is definitely much more settled now and the colic is better. Whether this is coincidence because she is simply maturing, I don’t know, but I enjoy doing it and it’s another tool in the box.”In the first week of Ali’s course, parents are taught how to use reflexology to assist their baby’s feeding and digestion. Ali holds up diagrams of a baby’s feet with the relevant zones marked on them. Ali says one of the most helpful areas of the foot for parents to become familiar with is the calming zone just under the pad of the big toe. “Just use the knuckle of your little finger to apply a small amount of pressure, brushing down this area,” she says. Parents are also taught how to manipulate the areas relating to reflux and colic relief.
In week two, Ali explains how to help babies sleep or calm down. As well as the big toe calming zone, parents are taught the relax stroke down the inner arch of the foot from toe to heel. The final week covers general well-being. Parents learn the strokes for relieving teething pain, sinus pain, blocked ears and even insect stings. “The thing about baby reflexology is that it is portable, much more so than baby massage where you need to lie your baby down in the warmth,” Ali says. “You can do it while they are sitting in the trolley at the supermarket. If the baby is agitated or crying, you can just take their shoe off and press on the area relating to calming.”
The treatment time is brief. Ali recommends limiting each session to five minutes and not doing more than three sessions in 24 hours. Laura Dempsey, another of Ali’s students, agrees that the ease with which you can do reflexology is appealing. She has just returned from a trip home to the UK with her 15-week-old son, Hugo. “It was really useful in the plane,” says Dempsey, who lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband and two other children, aged three and two. “I did the calming one on the flight and he didn’t cry too much. It’s better than resorting to chemical medication.”
Dempsey, like Miller, was drawn to the course partly as a result of her positive experiences with reflexology treatments. “I had reflexology with Shirley when I was pregnant with Hugo,” she says. “I had a bad back, but the reflexology cleared it for the rest of my pregnancy. Reflexology is good for making you feel in balance. I came out feeling less heavy and more aligned.”She decided to try it on her baby. “I thought if I enjoy it, maybe he will, and maybe there is something in it. It’s a nice social time, too, to meet other mums with kids of similar ages and similar problems.”
Lee hopes to launch a new course for toddlers soon. “Once they are more mobile, we work on their hands,” she says. “We focus on different parts of the body using different nursery rhymes.” The apparent benefits of reflexology on young children continue to be shown. One Baby Reflex therapist in Ireland has noted improvements in children with cerebral palsy who have weekly reflexology sessions, and has started working with physiotherapists to develop this. As Lee says: “The research is only the beginning.”
For more information visit the www.babyreflex.co.uk or e-mail infoshirleypurly@hotmail.com.
Showing posts with label asthma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asthma. Show all posts
22 December 2009
16 November 2009
We found we were not alone
Your world is turned on its head and suddenly even the everyday tasks that we all take for granted become so much harder.
She and husband, Bernard, are full-time carers for their grandson, Kyle.
The 12-year-old has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, asthma, global development delay and learning difficulties.
“Caring for a disabled child you tend not to go out and about as much,” says Mary, 61.
She considers the family lucky as Kyle is mobile, but she says: “People whose children are severely disabled can find it difficult to even go on the bus - simple things that we take for granted.”
That is why the Middlesbrough couple decided to join Parents 4 Change, a network that brings together parents, carers and service users to share their experiences and work alongside the professionals to find solutions to everyday challenges.
“We have learned an awful lot about different disabilities and how people cope,” says Mary. “It makes you feel as though you are not alone and it puts your own child’s disabilities into perspective.”
She and husband, Bernard, are full-time carers for their grandson, Kyle.
The 12-year-old has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, asthma, global development delay and learning difficulties.
“Caring for a disabled child you tend not to go out and about as much,” says Mary, 61.
She considers the family lucky as Kyle is mobile, but she says: “People whose children are severely disabled can find it difficult to even go on the bus - simple things that we take for granted.”
That is why the Middlesbrough couple decided to join Parents 4 Change, a network that brings together parents, carers and service users to share their experiences and work alongside the professionals to find solutions to everyday challenges.
“We have learned an awful lot about different disabilities and how people cope,” says Mary. “It makes you feel as though you are not alone and it puts your own child’s disabilities into perspective.”
18 September 2009
Medikidz comic heroes to help children understand diseases and treatment
Sam Lister
A team of comic-book superheroes living inside the human body is to be used to help children understand complex diseases affecting them or their parents and reduce fear surrounding treatment and side-effects.
A children’s medical publisher is to be launched this week in London, supported by leading paediatricians, celebrities and campaigners including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to tackle poor understanding of disease among the young.
The project, called Medikidz, will provide a range of comic books explaining diseases such as leukaemia, scoliosis, asthma and epilepsy that affect children, as well as those prevalent in adults, such as breast cancer and depression. A national catering company has ordered 100,000 advance copies of a title on childhood obesity for distribution in UK schools.
The superheroes include characters based on the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems, the lungs, brain and skin and bone who take the reader on an adventure explaining their condition and the treatments they are likely to receive. Children will also be able to find out more from a website which will offer social networking to allow young patients to share their experiences.
The project, which will be launched at the Evelina Children’s Hospital at St Thomas’ Hospital on Wednesday, has been set up by two junior doctors frustrated by the lack of child-friendly information available. Backers include the musician Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas, Jacqueline Wilson, the children’s author, and Archbishop Tutu, who is due to address the launch.
The comic books are aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 15.
Kim Chilman-Blair, Medikidz founder, said that she had first noticed the problem while training in paediatrics at Otago Medical School in New Zealand. “I was looking after an eight-year old epileptic girl, and trying to explain her condition to her,” she said. “It was very difficult. I went and asked the consultant if there was any material that I could use, and there wasn’t anything. It started me thinking.
“When children fall ill they naturally look to adults for courage, comfort and explanation. In most cases these adults are unprepared and unqualified to deal with these situations and they have no useful information to give to young people to explain what is happening to them.”
Paediatricians said that they agreed that there was a paucity of engaging material for the young, with parents too often told of the problem and left to explain what was going on to their children. They said that being properly informed should be central to a child’s treatment.
Professor Ricky Richardson, a leading paediatrician and government adviser, said: “There is an enormous need to provide appropriate information about disease processes to children in a form they understand. Having this in comic book format and using social networking technology will be enormous step forward.”
Prof Richardson, who sees patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor, and is chair of the Medikidz medical advisory board, said.
“It moves the focus away from parents to children. The psychology of the relationship between parents and children can complicate things, because parents will naturally protect their children and may not pass on information to them. But in fact that child can gain much more from properly understanding where they are and what’s happening to them.”
Dr Chilman-Blair and Kate James, the company’s co-founder, said that the focus would also be on developing countries, with titles covering major paediatric diseases such as HIV/Aids and tuberculosis. Every book, which is designed by a former Marvel comic book writer, is subject to clinical peer review by paediatricians and specialist nurses.
Archbishop Tutu, a campaigner for health and human rights who has been particularly vocal in support of controlling TB and HIV, is known to be a keen supporter of the venture. He is scheduled to address the launch of the programme. He said: “It is extremely important that they feel reassured, informed and included during the diagnosis and treatment process, and this initiative should be supported for helping to achieve this,” he said.
A team of comic-book superheroes living inside the human body is to be used to help children understand complex diseases affecting them or their parents and reduce fear surrounding treatment and side-effects.
A children’s medical publisher is to be launched this week in London, supported by leading paediatricians, celebrities and campaigners including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to tackle poor understanding of disease among the young.
The project, called Medikidz, will provide a range of comic books explaining diseases such as leukaemia, scoliosis, asthma and epilepsy that affect children, as well as those prevalent in adults, such as breast cancer and depression. A national catering company has ordered 100,000 advance copies of a title on childhood obesity for distribution in UK schools.
The superheroes include characters based on the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems, the lungs, brain and skin and bone who take the reader on an adventure explaining their condition and the treatments they are likely to receive. Children will also be able to find out more from a website which will offer social networking to allow young patients to share their experiences.
The project, which will be launched at the Evelina Children’s Hospital at St Thomas’ Hospital on Wednesday, has been set up by two junior doctors frustrated by the lack of child-friendly information available. Backers include the musician Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas, Jacqueline Wilson, the children’s author, and Archbishop Tutu, who is due to address the launch.
The comic books are aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 15.
Kim Chilman-Blair, Medikidz founder, said that she had first noticed the problem while training in paediatrics at Otago Medical School in New Zealand. “I was looking after an eight-year old epileptic girl, and trying to explain her condition to her,” she said. “It was very difficult. I went and asked the consultant if there was any material that I could use, and there wasn’t anything. It started me thinking.
“When children fall ill they naturally look to adults for courage, comfort and explanation. In most cases these adults are unprepared and unqualified to deal with these situations and they have no useful information to give to young people to explain what is happening to them.”
Paediatricians said that they agreed that there was a paucity of engaging material for the young, with parents too often told of the problem and left to explain what was going on to their children. They said that being properly informed should be central to a child’s treatment.
Professor Ricky Richardson, a leading paediatrician and government adviser, said: “There is an enormous need to provide appropriate information about disease processes to children in a form they understand. Having this in comic book format and using social networking technology will be enormous step forward.”
Prof Richardson, who sees patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor, and is chair of the Medikidz medical advisory board, said.
“It moves the focus away from parents to children. The psychology of the relationship between parents and children can complicate things, because parents will naturally protect their children and may not pass on information to them. But in fact that child can gain much more from properly understanding where they are and what’s happening to them.”
Dr Chilman-Blair and Kate James, the company’s co-founder, said that the focus would also be on developing countries, with titles covering major paediatric diseases such as HIV/Aids and tuberculosis. Every book, which is designed by a former Marvel comic book writer, is subject to clinical peer review by paediatricians and specialist nurses.
Archbishop Tutu, a campaigner for health and human rights who has been particularly vocal in support of controlling TB and HIV, is known to be a keen supporter of the venture. He is scheduled to address the launch of the programme. He said: “It is extremely important that they feel reassured, informed and included during the diagnosis and treatment process, and this initiative should be supported for helping to achieve this,” he said.
02 July 2009
Do we know the power of Yoga?
Caroline Phillips
24.06.09 One woman has thrown away the wheelchair to which she was confined for two years.
She suffered from ME (chronic fatigue) for 15 years and now, confounding medical orthodoxy, is symptom-free.
Another patient says he endured asthma intermittently for 30 years - and is now cured.
Improbably, both say their transformation is down to yoga. They are not alone, because many major health benefits are now being claimed for the discipline.
The number of people practising in Britain has tripled in the past decade and now the first NHS yoga facility in a primary healthcare centre has opened in London's Kentish Town.
"It specialises in yoga for diabetes, back pain and breathing difficulties," says its founder, biochemist Dr Robin Monro, also founder of the Yoga Biomedical Trust, which runs clinical trials into yoga and offers lessons.
A recent study showed that yoga can significantly lower levels of triglycerides - the fats in your blood which if elevated can lead to heart disease.
Another concluded that yoga can increase brain gamma-aminobutyric levels, which when lowered are associated with depression, anxiety, epilepsy and even Alzheimer's.
It's also known to lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels and improve memory, sleep, energy, gastrointestinal function and tolerance to pain. In some instances, chronic pain can be eliminated.
Jo Manuel is a practitioner who helps sufferers of illnesses from muscular dystrophy to Parkinson's.
In 2004, she founded the Special Yoga Centre and launched Yoga for the Special Child, a unique service in Britain for disabled children.
For a small, charitable facility in Kensal Rise, it punches way above its weight - Jo's techniques have been adopted by all New York's special-needs schools.
It was to the SYC that Samantha Cameron took her and David's late son, Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy. "Sam said yoga helped her son relax and find more peace in his body," says Jo.
Last month SYC held a charity art auction and raised a whopping £100,000 - with artists from Marc Quinn to Sam Taylor-Wood personally donating works - to fund its work.
Television presenter Gaby Roslin said: "I've watched Jo working with autistic children. I'm astounded by what she achieves with kids who can't normally even make eye contact or sit still."
The centre teaches several forms of yoga, from ashtanga to kundalini, in general classes and has 40 instructors.
There are special classes for adults with everything from ME to MS and sessions for pre-natal teenagers. Jo's speciality, a hatha-based practice, is the one she uses to treat 350 special-needs children a week.
Jo believes yoga has a positive effect on even the most serious illnesses. Fiona Agombar, a former high-flying executive and author of Beat Fatigue Through Yoga, is one of the centre's teachers.
"I had ME for 15 years, I was in hospital for months with appalling fatigue and muscular pain, and in a wheelchair for two years.
"The medical view is that after five years with ME, you don't get better," she says. "With yoga, I've become symptom-free. Last year I went trekking in Nepal."
So can yoga cure any illness? "MS, for example, isn't going to be stopped by it," says Jo. "But it can slow the degeneration and help sufferers manage the pain. I also see Down's children meeting their developmental milestones earlier than those who don't do yoga."
Dr Monro believes more investigation is necessary if yoga is to be accepted as a part of everyday healthcare.
For Jo, however, success is measured in smaller steps, such as when the mother of one disabled girl who attends SYC told her recently that thanks to Jo's yoga classes her daughter had slept properly for the first time in nine years.
Special Yoga Centre, The Tay Building, 2A Wrentham Avenue, NW10 (020 8968 1900, www.specialyoga.org.uk).
Pamper Evening 26 June, 5pm-10pm, £5 entry fee, treatments from reflexology to Indian head massage.
For donations visit www.justgiving.com/syc/donate
24.06.09 One woman has thrown away the wheelchair to which she was confined for two years.
She suffered from ME (chronic fatigue) for 15 years and now, confounding medical orthodoxy, is symptom-free.
Another patient says he endured asthma intermittently for 30 years - and is now cured.
Improbably, both say their transformation is down to yoga. They are not alone, because many major health benefits are now being claimed for the discipline.
The number of people practising in Britain has tripled in the past decade and now the first NHS yoga facility in a primary healthcare centre has opened in London's Kentish Town.
"It specialises in yoga for diabetes, back pain and breathing difficulties," says its founder, biochemist Dr Robin Monro, also founder of the Yoga Biomedical Trust, which runs clinical trials into yoga and offers lessons.
A recent study showed that yoga can significantly lower levels of triglycerides - the fats in your blood which if elevated can lead to heart disease.
Another concluded that yoga can increase brain gamma-aminobutyric levels, which when lowered are associated with depression, anxiety, epilepsy and even Alzheimer's.
It's also known to lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels and improve memory, sleep, energy, gastrointestinal function and tolerance to pain. In some instances, chronic pain can be eliminated.
Jo Manuel is a practitioner who helps sufferers of illnesses from muscular dystrophy to Parkinson's.
In 2004, she founded the Special Yoga Centre and launched Yoga for the Special Child, a unique service in Britain for disabled children.
For a small, charitable facility in Kensal Rise, it punches way above its weight - Jo's techniques have been adopted by all New York's special-needs schools.
It was to the SYC that Samantha Cameron took her and David's late son, Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy. "Sam said yoga helped her son relax and find more peace in his body," says Jo.
Last month SYC held a charity art auction and raised a whopping £100,000 - with artists from Marc Quinn to Sam Taylor-Wood personally donating works - to fund its work.
Television presenter Gaby Roslin said: "I've watched Jo working with autistic children. I'm astounded by what she achieves with kids who can't normally even make eye contact or sit still."
The centre teaches several forms of yoga, from ashtanga to kundalini, in general classes and has 40 instructors.
There are special classes for adults with everything from ME to MS and sessions for pre-natal teenagers. Jo's speciality, a hatha-based practice, is the one she uses to treat 350 special-needs children a week.
Jo believes yoga has a positive effect on even the most serious illnesses. Fiona Agombar, a former high-flying executive and author of Beat Fatigue Through Yoga, is one of the centre's teachers.
"I had ME for 15 years, I was in hospital for months with appalling fatigue and muscular pain, and in a wheelchair for two years.
"The medical view is that after five years with ME, you don't get better," she says. "With yoga, I've become symptom-free. Last year I went trekking in Nepal."
So can yoga cure any illness? "MS, for example, isn't going to be stopped by it," says Jo. "But it can slow the degeneration and help sufferers manage the pain. I also see Down's children meeting their developmental milestones earlier than those who don't do yoga."
Dr Monro believes more investigation is necessary if yoga is to be accepted as a part of everyday healthcare.
For Jo, however, success is measured in smaller steps, such as when the mother of one disabled girl who attends SYC told her recently that thanks to Jo's yoga classes her daughter had slept properly for the first time in nine years.
Special Yoga Centre, The Tay Building, 2A Wrentham Avenue, NW10 (020 8968 1900, www.specialyoga.org.uk).
Pamper Evening 26 June, 5pm-10pm, £5 entry fee, treatments from reflexology to Indian head massage.
For donations visit www.justgiving.com/syc/donate
12 March 2009
Oxygen Therapy Is Valuable, Sometimes
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: March 9, 2009
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was long called a treatment in search of diseases. But in recent years, laboratory and clinical studies have found more than a dozen serious diseases for which it is considered a valuable — and sometimes life-saving — treatment.
Although the administration of pure oxygen in a high-pressure chamber has been around as a therapy for more than 300 years, it is only now beginning to reach its potential, according to a report in the November issue of the journal Emergency Medicine.
At the same time, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has joined the ranks of unproven remedies for many conditions, especially incurable ones like cerebral palsy and autism. The use of the therapy in these situations often borders on quackery that exploits desperate patients and parents. One family I know spent $40,000 in a futile attempt to reverse their child’s cerebral palsy; another spent more than that and even bought a home hyperbaric unit to treat their child’s autism.
The Credibility Factor
The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, the professional organization in this field, recognizes 13 conditions for which it is legitimate to place patients in high-pressure chambers that force pure oxygen into their blood and tissues. Eleven of those conditions have been approved by Medicare for reimbursement, indicating that solid evidence supports these uses of hyperbaric oxygen.
The list includes decompression sickness (“the bends”), necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease), carbon monoxide poisoning, gas gangrene, the bone infection osteomyelitis, nonhealing wounds and delayed radiation injury to bone and soft tissue.
But nowhere in the list are cerebral palsy, autism, multiple sclerosis, stroke, macular degeneration, spinal cord injury, sports injuries, heart attack, postpolio syndrome, Lyme disease, migraine, cirrhosis, myasthenia gravis, fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome — among the dozens of conditions that independent clinics claim to treat with hyperbaric oxygen. Not to mention the claims of celebrities like Michael Jackson, who used it in the hope that it will keep him alive to 150, and Keanu Reeves, who used it for insomnia.
“Credibility is a huge problem,” said Richard E. Clarke, director of the Baromedical Research Foundation, which sponsors scientifically sound research. “We are all tarred by the same brush.”
“Although hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been suggested as beneficial in several other conditions, unfortunately, clinically valid evidence is virtually nonexistent,” he said. “This is relatively expensive and time-consuming therapy, and it makes sense to ask whether it is cost-effective and whether the benefits are long-lasting.”
Even for conditions approved by Medicare, supporting evidence is often contradictory. “A persistent criticism of hyperbaric medicine regards the lack of large-scale, multicenter, randomized studies for several of the primary indications,” noted Dr. Chris Maples and Dr. Moss Mendelson of Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, in the Emergency Medicine report. “Data are conflicting, particularly on carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injuries and some soft tissue infections. Some trials demonstrate benefit while others show no difference.”
Problems and Risks
One problem in conducting good studies is the difficulty of randomly assigning patients into treatment and control groups in a way that “blinds” them to the group they are in, Dr. Charles S. Graffeo, a specialist in hyperbaric medicine at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, said in an interview. Another problem is finding enough patients with the same condition, which is crucial in gathering statistically significant data.
Dr. Graffeo said there was “a good theoretical basis and some promising evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy could help treat clots on the retina, acute frostbite, recluse spider bites and thermal burns.”
“But there are just not enough scientific studies,” he said. “Conducting controlled clinical trials of hyperbaric oxygen is a bit more challenging than testing drugs.”
He cautioned patients to steer clear of independent hyperbaric centers owned by a single doctor or small medical group that is not affiliated with a major hospital or medical school. Commenting on claims commonly made by such clinics, he said: “No legitimate organization would condone treating cerebral palsy with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. I haven’t seen anything that is even potentially promising to support such a use. If I had a C.P. child, I wouldn’t even consider it.”
Furthermore, the therapy is not without risks, though most are mild and usually short-lived and there has been no documented fatality in more than 75 years of use in North America. The risks include ear and sinus pain, low blood sugar, nearsightedness that can last for weeks, and anxiety attacks resulting from confinement in the chamber. Also, the therapy is clearly dangerous for some patients, including those with a collapsed lung and those receiving chemotherapy with cisplatinum or adriamycin. The therapy may also be hazardous for pregnant women and people with poorly controlled asthma or active cancer, among others.
Established Benefits
Hyperbaric oxygen can be life-saving for patients with the bends, like divers who have surfaced too quickly. For those suffering from severe carbon monoxide poisoning, the most rigorous study so far found that three hyperbaric treatments decreased cognitive damage later. Traumas like crush injuries and thermal burns that deprive tissues of adequate oxygen also benefit from high-oxygen therapy, as do life-threatening infections called necrotizing fasciitis, if the condition is treated in its early stages, the experts in Virginia reported. The therapy may also be useful for sepsis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection in the blood and tissues.
Dr. Graffeo said the therapy was useful in treating diabetic foot ulcers and bone infections. It is beneficial for patients whose tissues were damaged by radiation therapy — cancer patients, for example, who can develop oxygen-deficient wounds that do not heal well. Hyperbaric oxygen promotes the release of growth hormone and helps to form blood vessels in irradiated tissue, he said.
A study published last September in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics found hyperbaric oxygen helpful for patients with radiation proctitis, which can cause bleeding, rectal ulcers and loss of bowel control. Though the costly treatment can involve as many as 40 two-hour sessions, “the net effect is reversal of the problem in the majority of patients, which in the end is cost-saving and greatly improves quality of life,” said Mr. Clarke, whose foundation sponsored the study.
Oxygen therapy is being tested in patients with new diagnoses of head or neck cancer to increase the tumor’s sensitivity to radiation treatments, Mr. Clarke said. Future studies will test benefits to patients with cancers of the larynx, skin and gynecological organs.
“The most important question to answer, in addition to cost-effectiveness,” he said, “is whether the therapeutic benefit lasts and clearly improves patients’ quality of life.”
Published: March 9, 2009
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was long called a treatment in search of diseases. But in recent years, laboratory and clinical studies have found more than a dozen serious diseases for which it is considered a valuable — and sometimes life-saving — treatment.
Although the administration of pure oxygen in a high-pressure chamber has been around as a therapy for more than 300 years, it is only now beginning to reach its potential, according to a report in the November issue of the journal Emergency Medicine.
At the same time, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has joined the ranks of unproven remedies for many conditions, especially incurable ones like cerebral palsy and autism. The use of the therapy in these situations often borders on quackery that exploits desperate patients and parents. One family I know spent $40,000 in a futile attempt to reverse their child’s cerebral palsy; another spent more than that and even bought a home hyperbaric unit to treat their child’s autism.
The Credibility Factor
The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, the professional organization in this field, recognizes 13 conditions for which it is legitimate to place patients in high-pressure chambers that force pure oxygen into their blood and tissues. Eleven of those conditions have been approved by Medicare for reimbursement, indicating that solid evidence supports these uses of hyperbaric oxygen.
The list includes decompression sickness (“the bends”), necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease), carbon monoxide poisoning, gas gangrene, the bone infection osteomyelitis, nonhealing wounds and delayed radiation injury to bone and soft tissue.
But nowhere in the list are cerebral palsy, autism, multiple sclerosis, stroke, macular degeneration, spinal cord injury, sports injuries, heart attack, postpolio syndrome, Lyme disease, migraine, cirrhosis, myasthenia gravis, fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome — among the dozens of conditions that independent clinics claim to treat with hyperbaric oxygen. Not to mention the claims of celebrities like Michael Jackson, who used it in the hope that it will keep him alive to 150, and Keanu Reeves, who used it for insomnia.
“Credibility is a huge problem,” said Richard E. Clarke, director of the Baromedical Research Foundation, which sponsors scientifically sound research. “We are all tarred by the same brush.”
“Although hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been suggested as beneficial in several other conditions, unfortunately, clinically valid evidence is virtually nonexistent,” he said. “This is relatively expensive and time-consuming therapy, and it makes sense to ask whether it is cost-effective and whether the benefits are long-lasting.”
Even for conditions approved by Medicare, supporting evidence is often contradictory. “A persistent criticism of hyperbaric medicine regards the lack of large-scale, multicenter, randomized studies for several of the primary indications,” noted Dr. Chris Maples and Dr. Moss Mendelson of Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, in the Emergency Medicine report. “Data are conflicting, particularly on carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injuries and some soft tissue infections. Some trials demonstrate benefit while others show no difference.”
Problems and Risks
One problem in conducting good studies is the difficulty of randomly assigning patients into treatment and control groups in a way that “blinds” them to the group they are in, Dr. Charles S. Graffeo, a specialist in hyperbaric medicine at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, said in an interview. Another problem is finding enough patients with the same condition, which is crucial in gathering statistically significant data.
Dr. Graffeo said there was “a good theoretical basis and some promising evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy could help treat clots on the retina, acute frostbite, recluse spider bites and thermal burns.”
“But there are just not enough scientific studies,” he said. “Conducting controlled clinical trials of hyperbaric oxygen is a bit more challenging than testing drugs.”
He cautioned patients to steer clear of independent hyperbaric centers owned by a single doctor or small medical group that is not affiliated with a major hospital or medical school. Commenting on claims commonly made by such clinics, he said: “No legitimate organization would condone treating cerebral palsy with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. I haven’t seen anything that is even potentially promising to support such a use. If I had a C.P. child, I wouldn’t even consider it.”
Furthermore, the therapy is not without risks, though most are mild and usually short-lived and there has been no documented fatality in more than 75 years of use in North America. The risks include ear and sinus pain, low blood sugar, nearsightedness that can last for weeks, and anxiety attacks resulting from confinement in the chamber. Also, the therapy is clearly dangerous for some patients, including those with a collapsed lung and those receiving chemotherapy with cisplatinum or adriamycin. The therapy may also be hazardous for pregnant women and people with poorly controlled asthma or active cancer, among others.
Established Benefits
Hyperbaric oxygen can be life-saving for patients with the bends, like divers who have surfaced too quickly. For those suffering from severe carbon monoxide poisoning, the most rigorous study so far found that three hyperbaric treatments decreased cognitive damage later. Traumas like crush injuries and thermal burns that deprive tissues of adequate oxygen also benefit from high-oxygen therapy, as do life-threatening infections called necrotizing fasciitis, if the condition is treated in its early stages, the experts in Virginia reported. The therapy may also be useful for sepsis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection in the blood and tissues.
Dr. Graffeo said the therapy was useful in treating diabetic foot ulcers and bone infections. It is beneficial for patients whose tissues were damaged by radiation therapy — cancer patients, for example, who can develop oxygen-deficient wounds that do not heal well. Hyperbaric oxygen promotes the release of growth hormone and helps to form blood vessels in irradiated tissue, he said.
A study published last September in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics found hyperbaric oxygen helpful for patients with radiation proctitis, which can cause bleeding, rectal ulcers and loss of bowel control. Though the costly treatment can involve as many as 40 two-hour sessions, “the net effect is reversal of the problem in the majority of patients, which in the end is cost-saving and greatly improves quality of life,” said Mr. Clarke, whose foundation sponsored the study.
Oxygen therapy is being tested in patients with new diagnoses of head or neck cancer to increase the tumor’s sensitivity to radiation treatments, Mr. Clarke said. Future studies will test benefits to patients with cancers of the larynx, skin and gynecological organs.
“The most important question to answer, in addition to cost-effectiveness,” he said, “is whether the therapeutic benefit lasts and clearly improves patients’ quality of life.”
21 February 2009
Movement strengthens the brain
Professional development days let teachers keep learning, from educators and the community. Later this month, they’ll have an opportunity to take a workshop with yoga instructor Melissa Verton Rinvold of Blue Eagle Yoga in Vernon.
Verton Rinvold will demonstrate movement techniques, not yoga, that are designed to make the brain stronger, smarter and more balanced, which makes the body healthier and more functional. The movement can be done in the classroom without any special equipment and some teachers are already using it as part of the 30 minutes per day of physical activity now required for all students.
“Athletes have long known about the benefits of yoga for recovering from injury and building strength and endurance. I have adapted the principals and written an illustrated manual that is so clear that the exercises could be used in groups, as part of individual station training or as preparation for taking part in sports,” said Verton Rinvold, who calls the program Smart Movement.
“There are also benefits to the brain. The movements connect with breathing and the cross co-ordination circuits the brain to work harder and become more creative. This is much more than exercise, it is training the brain. When I have done presentations to children and young people, I have found that they are interested in learning how their bodies work and what they can do.”
Verton Rinvold, originally from Chicago, began practising yoga when she was 17 to recover from a car accident and found that it also improved her concentration in her pre-med studies at university. She decided instead to pursue her interest in dance and art and studied yoga when she moved to San Francisco. While she studied many forms of yoga, she specialized in Raja yoga, the oldest form, which concentrates on the importance of breathing leading to flexibility and endurance. She also studied kinesiology, anatomy and homeopathy at university levels.
She has also worked with children with asthma, autism, cerebral palsy and brain damage.
She has worked with adults with a variety of needs, including physical and mental challenges, psychological issues, recovering from illness or injury and conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“I am so passionate about my work because it works. With the proper training, the body can support what is decided in the mind. I impart these powerful principles, tools and techniques that have for thousands of years claimed specific cures and approaches for health and well being,” said Verton Rinvold, who moved to Vernon 10 years ago, where she teaches groups and individuals as well as leading workshops and co-ordinating yoga/dance projects for community organizations. She also designs programs for sports teams and is working on a series of manuals with yoga for specific conditions.
“Breathing is the essence of life that enhances all aspects of life. It’s empowering. It’s something I do regularly to make me happier and healthier. When people take these tools and use them, they really work but they have to do the work and apply the principles. I’ve never not seen it work.”
For more information call 250-503-0255 or e-mail blueeagleyoga@yahoo.ca.
Verton Rinvold will demonstrate movement techniques, not yoga, that are designed to make the brain stronger, smarter and more balanced, which makes the body healthier and more functional. The movement can be done in the classroom without any special equipment and some teachers are already using it as part of the 30 minutes per day of physical activity now required for all students.
“Athletes have long known about the benefits of yoga for recovering from injury and building strength and endurance. I have adapted the principals and written an illustrated manual that is so clear that the exercises could be used in groups, as part of individual station training or as preparation for taking part in sports,” said Verton Rinvold, who calls the program Smart Movement.
“There are also benefits to the brain. The movements connect with breathing and the cross co-ordination circuits the brain to work harder and become more creative. This is much more than exercise, it is training the brain. When I have done presentations to children and young people, I have found that they are interested in learning how their bodies work and what they can do.”
Verton Rinvold, originally from Chicago, began practising yoga when she was 17 to recover from a car accident and found that it also improved her concentration in her pre-med studies at university. She decided instead to pursue her interest in dance and art and studied yoga when she moved to San Francisco. While she studied many forms of yoga, she specialized in Raja yoga, the oldest form, which concentrates on the importance of breathing leading to flexibility and endurance. She also studied kinesiology, anatomy and homeopathy at university levels.
She has also worked with children with asthma, autism, cerebral palsy and brain damage.
She has worked with adults with a variety of needs, including physical and mental challenges, psychological issues, recovering from illness or injury and conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“I am so passionate about my work because it works. With the proper training, the body can support what is decided in the mind. I impart these powerful principles, tools and techniques that have for thousands of years claimed specific cures and approaches for health and well being,” said Verton Rinvold, who moved to Vernon 10 years ago, where she teaches groups and individuals as well as leading workshops and co-ordinating yoga/dance projects for community organizations. She also designs programs for sports teams and is working on a series of manuals with yoga for specific conditions.
“Breathing is the essence of life that enhances all aspects of life. It’s empowering. It’s something I do regularly to make me happier and healthier. When people take these tools and use them, they really work but they have to do the work and apply the principles. I’ve never not seen it work.”
For more information call 250-503-0255 or e-mail blueeagleyoga@yahoo.ca.
18 November 2008
Greetings from the most inflexible yoga teacher
by Danielle Hope Hier, Tampa Bay Yoga Examiner
I am a yoga teacher...No, really. It's true, though you wouldn't think so. In fact, If I could go back in time, my high school yearbook should have read, "The least likely person on the planet to ever become a yoga instructor."
Why?
Last year, a neurosurgeon looked - dumbfounded - at my MRI following a car accident, saying the that person on the Xrays should be on the operating table at that moment, not touching her toes, swimming, dancing, lifting weights and having a greater level of mobility than the average - uninjured - person.
"Whatever you're doing," He informed me. "Keep doing it. Because, it seems to be working for you."
What I was "doing" was teaching and practicing yoga.
Born with scoliosis that not only came with a curved spine, but also a reversed curve in my neck, a shortened hamstring, misaligned hips and shoulders and extra pressure on my lungs (leaving me prone to allergies, sinus and bronchial infections), I was the kid in high school gym class who could barely touch her kneecaps (vs. toes) and had asthma-like reactions to exercise.
Now, I was being told that I additionally had a torn shoulder and a herniated disk in my low back...Not a great overall diagnosis for someone who earns a living keeping people healthy and fit.
Refusing to admit defeat, I tailored my practice and kept moving.
The results?
In a strange twist (corny pun intended), I began working a local neuromuscular center designed to provide yoga for those recovering from back and neck injuries, or dealing with ailments such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, spinal stenosis. And in my advanced classes, I could lead students through poses that my body didn't want to do, but were appropriate for them.
My point here is that when people say to me, "I wish I could do yoga, but I'm not that flexible" or, "I can't do yoga, because I'm too...[insert appropriate reason: injured, overweight, old]" I try to impress upon them that if it is something they want to learn, it can be adapted, even if that means teaching yoga from a chair vs. standing, or using props (like tables, chairs, blocks or yoga straps) that help facilitate stretching and balance.
Also, the physical practice of yoga (known as "Hatha" [pronounced: Hah-Tah] , is only one aspect of an entire philosophy, and is subject to interpretation. Therefore, assuming that yoga is only one way, is a misunderstanding. And, within that aspect are a million and one styles of yoga (like world religions and music), that translate into very specific methods.
So, while a person studying Ashtanga might be more interested in power, strength and cardiovascular development, someone studying Kundalini might be more in tune with kirtan (chanting) and energy-building excecises.
Do I think that means that all yoga classes are suitable for everyone all the time?
No, of course not.
However, I would offer that there is a class out there specifically for you (be it in physical practice, devotional studies or community service). Listed below are some resources for finding an appropriate school in your area.
For more info: www.birdlandyoga.com, www.iayt.org, www.yoganetwork.org, www.yogafamily.com
I am a yoga teacher...No, really. It's true, though you wouldn't think so. In fact, If I could go back in time, my high school yearbook should have read, "The least likely person on the planet to ever become a yoga instructor."
Why?
Last year, a neurosurgeon looked - dumbfounded - at my MRI following a car accident, saying the that person on the Xrays should be on the operating table at that moment, not touching her toes, swimming, dancing, lifting weights and having a greater level of mobility than the average - uninjured - person.
"Whatever you're doing," He informed me. "Keep doing it. Because, it seems to be working for you."
What I was "doing" was teaching and practicing yoga.
Born with scoliosis that not only came with a curved spine, but also a reversed curve in my neck, a shortened hamstring, misaligned hips and shoulders and extra pressure on my lungs (leaving me prone to allergies, sinus and bronchial infections), I was the kid in high school gym class who could barely touch her kneecaps (vs. toes) and had asthma-like reactions to exercise.
Now, I was being told that I additionally had a torn shoulder and a herniated disk in my low back...Not a great overall diagnosis for someone who earns a living keeping people healthy and fit.
Refusing to admit defeat, I tailored my practice and kept moving.
The results?
In a strange twist (corny pun intended), I began working a local neuromuscular center designed to provide yoga for those recovering from back and neck injuries, or dealing with ailments such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, spinal stenosis. And in my advanced classes, I could lead students through poses that my body didn't want to do, but were appropriate for them.
My point here is that when people say to me, "I wish I could do yoga, but I'm not that flexible" or, "I can't do yoga, because I'm too...[insert appropriate reason: injured, overweight, old]" I try to impress upon them that if it is something they want to learn, it can be adapted, even if that means teaching yoga from a chair vs. standing, or using props (like tables, chairs, blocks or yoga straps) that help facilitate stretching and balance.
Also, the physical practice of yoga (known as "Hatha" [pronounced: Hah-Tah] , is only one aspect of an entire philosophy, and is subject to interpretation. Therefore, assuming that yoga is only one way, is a misunderstanding. And, within that aspect are a million and one styles of yoga (like world religions and music), that translate into very specific methods.
So, while a person studying Ashtanga might be more interested in power, strength and cardiovascular development, someone studying Kundalini might be more in tune with kirtan (chanting) and energy-building excecises.
Do I think that means that all yoga classes are suitable for everyone all the time?
No, of course not.
However, I would offer that there is a class out there specifically for you (be it in physical practice, devotional studies or community service). Listed below are some resources for finding an appropriate school in your area.
For more info: www.birdlandyoga.com, www.iayt.org, www.yoganetwork.org, www.yogafamily.com
26 July 2008
Sounds of Healing: Music Therapy
"Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast,
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak."
-William Congreve
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by a mellifluous strain that tears have streamed down your eyes in a wave of catharsis? Or has a soulful melody opened the flood gates of old memories, to transport you back in time to a beautiful reverie? How often have you rocked your blues away listening to feet tapping music?
From infants to the infirm, music’s appeal is universal and nonpareil, wafting its way to the heart!
Dan Ellsey, a 33 year old cerebral palsy patient couldn’t agree with this more, for him music has become a novel way of expression. On his specially designed computer program called hyper score, Ellsey breaks into a composition to convey the innermost feelings in his heart. Just like Ellsey and for a many others, the repertoire of musical notes has helped convey a myriad of emotions, which words often fail to do.
The quintessence of communication, sound, is evident right from the instant of birth. A baby’s cry is endowed with a certain rhythm, pitch, intensity and purpose, to attract an appropriate response from the parents.
Our hearts beat to an internal rhythm. It is further believed that sounds influence the complete human energy system, increasing our response to them, which is perhaps one good reason why we are also called ‘musical beings’.
Music Therapy is "the prescribed use of music by a qualified person to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of individuals with health or educational problems" (American Music Therapy Association 1999).
Sound of Music in Medicine
The connection between music and healing dates back to the time of Plato and Aristotle when vibrations of sounds were employed to alleviate physical pain and relieve psychosomatic disorders.
Music therapy rose to prominence during World War I and World War II; at that time musicians were employed to render appropriate musical notes to alleviate mental trauma and physical pain to veterans of war. The response was so good that many hospitals began to employ musicians.
With the increasing popularity of music in medicine, the need for formal training in music therapy was felt. Thus, the first music therapy degree program was created in 1944 in Michigan State University. Many numbers of colleges have grown since then which enable degree programs in music therapy.
During the 1960’s, in Scandinavia and Britain, musical vibrations were used to heal. Popularly called as music baths, clients in Norway were bathed in sound and music.
The more recent form of music therapy called as vibroacoustic therapy, is an extension of music baths, where sound is transferred directly from the air into the body of the patient. Certain medical conditions like cerebral palsy, asthma, constipation, abdominal pain, and sleeplessness have responded well to the treatment.
Music therapy involves the methodical application of music by a qualified music therapist to treat psychological and physiological aspects of illnesses. It also lends itself as a diagnostic tool in locating developmental delays and psychological issues in children. Further, music therapy supports other forms of medical treatment.
Broadly music therapy is used to alleviate pain, control stress, build communication, assist in physical rehabilitation, enhance memory, and aid expression. The services of music therapists’ are sought in hospitals, mental health departments’ nursing homes, psychiatric rehabilitation centers, and schools.
Music learning is known to give an impetus to communication skills, so the services of music therapists are sought in schools for helping special learners. It also helps people with mental health problems understand their feelings better, and leads to positive changes in their mood, enabling better control over their lives.
Music also provides the background support for physical exercise and takes away boredom while performing routine chores. It can be employed for reducing stress even among healthy people.
Music therapists initially make an assessment of the person against a set of parameters which includes – cognitive skills, physical health, emotional health, and communicative abilities. The therapists tailor music to meet the specific health needs of the individuals, which also involves periodical evaluation and follow up.
Body Tunes into Melody
Wondered why a baby sleeps peacefully hearing a lullaby?
Human behavior is profoundly influenced by music, according to the book ‘Biomedical Foundations of Music as Therapy’ by Dale B. Taylor. According to Dale, the brain is absolutely captivated by music and this positive influence is transmitted to the rest of the body.
"Musicophilia”, a book by neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, tries to delve into a deeper understanding of the brain’s responses to music. Offering an explanation he says, “It’s unclear why humans are so uniquely sensitive to music - certainly music shares many features with spoken language, and our brains are particularly developed to process the rapid tones and segments of sound that are common to both."
It is said that the moment we hear a tune, deep breathing increases, which is a good way to beat stress. Music also reduces heart rate, and regulates the body temperature appropriate for relaxation to set in. Further, the body secretes more of serotonin, in response to music. This is perhaps why a lullaby calms the baby, soothing it to sleep.
Research Sings Paeans
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." -Red Auerbach
The state of ‘happiness’ while listening to a favorite number shows up in brain scans as evidence of positive response to music, report Scientists from the Montreal Neurological Institute. Appealing music is thought to titillate certain regions in the cortex of the brain, importantly regions associated with ‘thinking’. There have been many scientific studies that have enumerated the benefits of music therapy. Results of some of these are enlisted below:
• A 2001 study conducted on burn patients, whose burns required to be periodically scraped to lessen the formation of dead tissue, found that music therapy helped alleviate extreme pain occurring during the procedure.
• A 2007 endeavor by Cochrane Collaboration, studied the data from 51 ‘pain’ studies and it showed that music helped reduce pain and the requirement for narcotic drugs.
• Cochrane Collaboration also found the immense benefits of music therapy in the improvement of certain mental conditions, for instance schizophrenia.
• Premature infants who listened to lullabies were found to be quick in learning the art of ‘sucking’ which helped them gain weight faster, compared to preemies not exposed to the benefits of music therapy.
• Hospitalized children suffering cancer showed a boost in their immune system when they sang, played and listened to music as compared to children who were not exposed to music therapy according to Deforia Lane, director of music therapy at the Ireland Cancer Center in Cleveland. Stroke patients and music therapy for regaining speech: Music’s impact on the brain is certain, according to Dr. Gottfried Schlaug, chief of the Cerebrovascular Disorder Division and Stroke-Recovery Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Schlaug found those suffering a stroke on the left side of the brain, with their speech centers damaged, responded very well to “melodic intonation therapy." Using two tones to sing and communicate this form of music therapy helped patients graduate into actual speech much faster than others.
• Paralysis and Music Therapy to regain gait: Music therapy has helped patients suffering partial paralysis to regain their gait, according to research from the Center for Biomedical Research in Music at Colorado State University. Walking to the rhythms of music, patients retrain to walk much faster than patients who were not exposed to music therapy for rehabilitation.
• Autistic children and music therapy: To understand how the autistic brain processes music, a new study is proposed to be conducted by Istvan Molnar-Szakacs, a researcher at the UCLA Tennenbaum Centre for the Biology of Creativity. Explaining the background of the study, Istvan Molnar-Szakacs said, "Music has long been known to touch autistic children. Studies from the early days of autism research have already shown us that music provokes engagement and interest in kids with ASD. More recently, such things as musical memory and pitch abilities in children with ASD have been found to be as good as or better than in typically developing children."
Healing is undoubtedly a divine manifestation of music. From ‘touching a chord’ to ‘touching a cure’ the world of medicine is swaying to the boundless repertoire of music. ‘Without music, life is a journey through a desert’, Pat Conroy said, and medicine agrees to it wholeheartedly!
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak."
-William Congreve
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by a mellifluous strain that tears have streamed down your eyes in a wave of catharsis? Or has a soulful melody opened the flood gates of old memories, to transport you back in time to a beautiful reverie? How often have you rocked your blues away listening to feet tapping music?
From infants to the infirm, music’s appeal is universal and nonpareil, wafting its way to the heart!
Dan Ellsey, a 33 year old cerebral palsy patient couldn’t agree with this more, for him music has become a novel way of expression. On his specially designed computer program called hyper score, Ellsey breaks into a composition to convey the innermost feelings in his heart. Just like Ellsey and for a many others, the repertoire of musical notes has helped convey a myriad of emotions, which words often fail to do.
The quintessence of communication, sound, is evident right from the instant of birth. A baby’s cry is endowed with a certain rhythm, pitch, intensity and purpose, to attract an appropriate response from the parents.
Our hearts beat to an internal rhythm. It is further believed that sounds influence the complete human energy system, increasing our response to them, which is perhaps one good reason why we are also called ‘musical beings’.
Music Therapy is "the prescribed use of music by a qualified person to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of individuals with health or educational problems" (American Music Therapy Association 1999).
Sound of Music in Medicine
The connection between music and healing dates back to the time of Plato and Aristotle when vibrations of sounds were employed to alleviate physical pain and relieve psychosomatic disorders.
Music therapy rose to prominence during World War I and World War II; at that time musicians were employed to render appropriate musical notes to alleviate mental trauma and physical pain to veterans of war. The response was so good that many hospitals began to employ musicians.
With the increasing popularity of music in medicine, the need for formal training in music therapy was felt. Thus, the first music therapy degree program was created in 1944 in Michigan State University. Many numbers of colleges have grown since then which enable degree programs in music therapy.
During the 1960’s, in Scandinavia and Britain, musical vibrations were used to heal. Popularly called as music baths, clients in Norway were bathed in sound and music.
The more recent form of music therapy called as vibroacoustic therapy, is an extension of music baths, where sound is transferred directly from the air into the body of the patient. Certain medical conditions like cerebral palsy, asthma, constipation, abdominal pain, and sleeplessness have responded well to the treatment.
Music therapy involves the methodical application of music by a qualified music therapist to treat psychological and physiological aspects of illnesses. It also lends itself as a diagnostic tool in locating developmental delays and psychological issues in children. Further, music therapy supports other forms of medical treatment.
Broadly music therapy is used to alleviate pain, control stress, build communication, assist in physical rehabilitation, enhance memory, and aid expression. The services of music therapists’ are sought in hospitals, mental health departments’ nursing homes, psychiatric rehabilitation centers, and schools.
Music learning is known to give an impetus to communication skills, so the services of music therapists are sought in schools for helping special learners. It also helps people with mental health problems understand their feelings better, and leads to positive changes in their mood, enabling better control over their lives.
Music also provides the background support for physical exercise and takes away boredom while performing routine chores. It can be employed for reducing stress even among healthy people.
Music therapists initially make an assessment of the person against a set of parameters which includes – cognitive skills, physical health, emotional health, and communicative abilities. The therapists tailor music to meet the specific health needs of the individuals, which also involves periodical evaluation and follow up.
Body Tunes into Melody
Wondered why a baby sleeps peacefully hearing a lullaby?
Human behavior is profoundly influenced by music, according to the book ‘Biomedical Foundations of Music as Therapy’ by Dale B. Taylor. According to Dale, the brain is absolutely captivated by music and this positive influence is transmitted to the rest of the body.
"Musicophilia”, a book by neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, tries to delve into a deeper understanding of the brain’s responses to music. Offering an explanation he says, “It’s unclear why humans are so uniquely sensitive to music - certainly music shares many features with spoken language, and our brains are particularly developed to process the rapid tones and segments of sound that are common to both."
It is said that the moment we hear a tune, deep breathing increases, which is a good way to beat stress. Music also reduces heart rate, and regulates the body temperature appropriate for relaxation to set in. Further, the body secretes more of serotonin, in response to music. This is perhaps why a lullaby calms the baby, soothing it to sleep.
Research Sings Paeans
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." -Red Auerbach
The state of ‘happiness’ while listening to a favorite number shows up in brain scans as evidence of positive response to music, report Scientists from the Montreal Neurological Institute. Appealing music is thought to titillate certain regions in the cortex of the brain, importantly regions associated with ‘thinking’. There have been many scientific studies that have enumerated the benefits of music therapy. Results of some of these are enlisted below:
• A 2001 study conducted on burn patients, whose burns required to be periodically scraped to lessen the formation of dead tissue, found that music therapy helped alleviate extreme pain occurring during the procedure.
• A 2007 endeavor by Cochrane Collaboration, studied the data from 51 ‘pain’ studies and it showed that music helped reduce pain and the requirement for narcotic drugs.
• Cochrane Collaboration also found the immense benefits of music therapy in the improvement of certain mental conditions, for instance schizophrenia.
• Premature infants who listened to lullabies were found to be quick in learning the art of ‘sucking’ which helped them gain weight faster, compared to preemies not exposed to the benefits of music therapy.
• Hospitalized children suffering cancer showed a boost in their immune system when they sang, played and listened to music as compared to children who were not exposed to music therapy according to Deforia Lane, director of music therapy at the Ireland Cancer Center in Cleveland. Stroke patients and music therapy for regaining speech: Music’s impact on the brain is certain, according to Dr. Gottfried Schlaug, chief of the Cerebrovascular Disorder Division and Stroke-Recovery Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Schlaug found those suffering a stroke on the left side of the brain, with their speech centers damaged, responded very well to “melodic intonation therapy." Using two tones to sing and communicate this form of music therapy helped patients graduate into actual speech much faster than others.
• Paralysis and Music Therapy to regain gait: Music therapy has helped patients suffering partial paralysis to regain their gait, according to research from the Center for Biomedical Research in Music at Colorado State University. Walking to the rhythms of music, patients retrain to walk much faster than patients who were not exposed to music therapy for rehabilitation.
• Autistic children and music therapy: To understand how the autistic brain processes music, a new study is proposed to be conducted by Istvan Molnar-Szakacs, a researcher at the UCLA Tennenbaum Centre for the Biology of Creativity. Explaining the background of the study, Istvan Molnar-Szakacs said, "Music has long been known to touch autistic children. Studies from the early days of autism research have already shown us that music provokes engagement and interest in kids with ASD. More recently, such things as musical memory and pitch abilities in children with ASD have been found to be as good as or better than in typically developing children."
Healing is undoubtedly a divine manifestation of music. From ‘touching a chord’ to ‘touching a cure’ the world of medicine is swaying to the boundless repertoire of music. ‘Without music, life is a journey through a desert’, Pat Conroy said, and medicine agrees to it wholeheartedly!
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