More Evidence That Music is Good for the Body as Well as the Mind
When I first read this article from Yahoo, my reaction was “Duh. Of course music is beneficial to the body.” But hey, any new research that confirms anecdotal evidence is valuable, right? And if any of us will require surgery in the future, I’m all for anything that makes the experience less miserable.
To assess the impact of music on surgical outcomes, [Dr. Diana] Vetter and colleagues analyzed data from 47 studies, including 26 that looked at the effect of music before procedures, 25 looking at music in the operating room, and 25 looking at music during recovery.
Overall, music was linked to about 31 percent less pain, 29 percent lower odds of using pain medication, and 34 percent less anxiety.
In addition, music was tied to 40 percent lower blood pressure and 27 percent lower heart rate.
When patients choose their own tunes, the benefits sometimes increased, the researchers report in the Annals of Surgery.
Read the entire report here.
