The benefits of listening to music are widely known: music
can calm anxiety, ease depression, pump you up for the big game, and make for
an awesome study break dance party. However, Robert Vijay Gupta suggests music
transcends these commonly recognized advantages to the world of medicine and
mental health issues. Robert Gupta was once passionate about becoming a
neurologist but discovered his true calling in playing violin and advocating
for those in demoralizing situations, such as the mentally ill, homeless, and
incarcerated. During his talk, Mr. Gupta tells several anecdotes of the
profound effects of classical music: a patient who is aphasic after a traumatic
brain injury who is suddenly able to clearly enunciate musical lyrics, a
homeless man with schizophrenia who manages his psychiatric episodes by playing
violin on the streets, and a woman with Parkinson’s whose tremor steadies after
listening to classical music for the first time. His incredible stories
demonstrate how music appeals to many areas of the brain to aid with stress,
depression, autism, and Alzheimer’s disease. He cites Dr. Gottfried Schlaug who
studies melodic intonation therapy, which creates a homologous speech center in
the brain’s right hemisphere when the left hemisphere has been damaged. As
though these “medical miracles” aren’t compelling enough, Robert Gupta then
speaks to the humanizing power of music. He argues that music allows those
living in dehumanizing conditions, such as the homeless, mentally ill, and
incarcerated, to surpass the tragic world they live in and experience something
beautiful. Mr. Gupta states music reminds these vulnerable populations that
“humanity has not forgotten about them”.
The University of Michigan Medical School holds similar
beliefs as Robert Gupta and has developed the Medical Arts Program for medical
students. This program encourages students to regularly visit the museum of
modern art and musical performances to study the art of the human body. Students
involved in this program report that art and music allow them to humanize medicine,
allowing for a deeper, stronger relationship between doctor and patient. They
are also able to let themselves be human and react to medical tragedies as humans
should. Discussing art and music also promotes investigation and approaching
things from many perspectives, a critical skill for a physician.
I was particularly amazed by this TedTalk and Michigan
Health System article not only because of my love for music, but also due to my
passion for empathetic patient care. Although most of the benefits researched
have been caused by classical music, who’s to say Beyonce’s songs won’t have
the same effect? I guess there’s much more to discover in the world of music
and medicine!
U-M Health Article: http://www.medicineatmichigan.org/magazine/2015/summer/art-medicine
My favorite Beyonce song:
(See the effects of her music for yourself!)
Props for involving Queen B! That is my favorite Beyonce song too, she is awesome. I also think Michigan's Med School is awesome for providing such an invaluable resource to humanize medicine, foster stronger doctor-patient relationships, and accommodate safe catharsis. Programs like this would greatly benefit med students, not only because it makes for more "well rounded" individuals but will hopefully benefit factors like bedside manner and emotional stamina when they enter the workforce. This is important because many doctors lack bedside manner which cultivates distrust and unnecessary suffering.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who is interested in music therapy as a career for the exact same instances that you stated about the brain injury and schizophrenia, he truly believes in the power of music and wants to help people discover its life-changing effects. Being a musician himself, all he really needs to do after a stressful day is sit down and have a solid jam session to relax and get in a better mindset, but he also believes that even people who aren't musically inclined can relieve loads of stress by playing a simple instrument, even just making rhythms with a little drum. For instance, an interesting study was done on females in rehab centers and the effect of music therapy on their stress levels, showing short term decline of depression, stress, anxiety and anger following the therapy sessions (http://jmt.oxfordjournals.org/content/42/1/64.short). Listening to music stimulates the brain on one level, and playing music stimulates it on a whole different, more intense level. I think that there is a lot of potential in this kind of therapy, especially if people are given options of how they want to enjoy their music, whether that is listening to a certain artist or genre, or making music to let off some creative energy. The amount of conditions that music can have a positive effect on is astounding, and the fact that med schools such as Michigan are incorporating the relationship between music and medicine is a promising look into the future of healthcare.
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