Music To My Ears. And Heart. And Lungs, And...
Written by Kathryn Savage
Surgeons everywhere have been rocking out in the operating room for years. And now, we find out those surgery mix tapes might be good for you, the patient.
Claudius Conrad, surgeon, musician, researcher, and music theory buff, (he has a doctorate in music philosophy) is coming up with all sorts of reasons why listening to music may speed the post-op recovery process. In a New York Times article, he elaborates on his research.
What’s the big idea?
Dr. Conrad suggests “that music may exert healing and sedative effects partly through a paradoxical stimulation of a growth hormone generally associated with stress rather than healing.” In a recent study, Dr. Conrad tested patients post-op by administering headsets. Five patients listened to Mozart, five listened to nothing.
The result?
The patients listening to Mozart experienced “reduced blood pressure and heart rate, less need for pain medication and a 20 percent drop in two important stress hormones, epinephrine and interleukin-6, or IL-6.” What also jumped out at researchers, is that these patients also experienced a “50 percent jump in pituitary growth hormone.”
Why is this revealing? “...growth hormone itself may reduce the interleukin-6 and epinephrine levels that produce inflammation that in turn causes pain and raises blood pressure and the heart rate.”
For more on Dr. Conrad’s fascinating research follow this link.
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