Music for the heart
Courtesy Public domainThat's right - the Bee Gees, the Brothers Gibb, those high-pitched Kings of the Disco Era! Well, to tell the truth it's not really the Bee Gees, per se, but rather one of their songs - the classic (and in this case appropriate) "Stayin' Alive". Researchers at Illinois College of Medicine have determined that the number of beats in that particular song (103 per minute) is almost exactly the number you want to count out while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on someone. Bottom line: if you have that song looping through your head while you're doing heart compressions on a heart attack sufferer, you'll keep the recommended per minute rhythm and triple the victim's chances of survival. Read more here.

Tags : music therapy, music, medicine, heart beat, heart attack, heart, health, Bee Gees, coincidence, serendipity

read more... | add a comment | share

Music medicine man: Jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan is a big proponent of the medicinal effects of music in helping cure people of illnesses.
Courtesy Official Stanley Jordan websiteSeveral years ago I encountered a wonderful situation. I was at the Wabasha Street Caves club here in St. Paul to see a big band featuring many veteran musicians perform for a group of swing dancers made up mostly of college students.

Charles, the leader of the band was well into his 80s and needed a walker to get across the dance floor before the show started. Other band members helped him take his seat smack dab in the middle of the saxophone section, where he played alto sax and also led the band.

Several songs into the set, it was Charles’ time for a solo. Caught up in the spirit of the music, he bounced up from his chair unassisted, wailed on his horn and was groovin’ like the hip cat he’s always been for decades. Needing a walker or assistance was the last thing his body needed at that time.

It was a truly remarkable moment and fueled my suspicions that music holds medicinal properties we don’t fully understand.

My belief was reinforced today after coming across this article about jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan. He thinks the same way I do.

After being sick with the flu, he spent and entire day surrounded by song and recovered nearly instantly, he related. And now he’s studying the theory academically to see how music can intentionally be used to help people get over physical ailments.

"In five to 10 years, music therapy is going to be a household term," Jordan is quoted in the USA Today article. "I say that because it's so holistic and versatile. It addresses every part of the body in some way or another."

In a nutshell, Jordan feels that there are four distinct dimensions to music’s healing power: physical, mental, emotionally and spiritual healing. Want to learn more? Here’s a link to his website where you can learn more about his thoughts on music therapy.

So what do you think? Are there untapped healing powers in music? Have you experienced this effect yourself? What types of music do you find especially rejuvenating? Share your thoughts here with other Buzz readers.

Tags : music therapy, alternative medicine, Stanley Jordan, health

read more... | add a comment | share