World Music Day 2019: Four times ‘music’ has been used for medical purposes

World Music Day or Fête de la Musique in French is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June. A gift of sound that is one among the greatest gifts to humankind, World Music Day is singled out of all the days to celebrate music as people take it to the streets, organise events, host events to celebrate the day. The one and only language not understood yet spoken by everyone, we have often heard of instances where music is used as a coping mechanism, heal from bad experiences, or seen as an escapade for reasons of their own excluding one’s own passion, leisure or love for it.

Today, on World Music Day, we bring you the amazing healing powers of music and how it has, is and can be used for various medical purposes:

To restore lost speech: Music therapy has been known to help people recover from stroke, traumatic brain injury where is some instances leaves the part of the part of the brain responsible for speech, irresponsive or damaged. Stephen Gibbs, a musician and music teacher amongst other things who developed aphasia after a stroke turned to music therapy and writing as part of his recovery.

Helping with physical therapy and rehabilitation: It shouldn’t come much a surprise that music is played, enjoyed during a physical activity or even during a physical therapy session such as yoga and meditation. According to a 2011 analysis of several studies suggests that music therapy enhances people's physical, psychological, cognitive, and emotional functioning during physical rehabilitation programs.

Acting as a pain reliever: According to various health studies, music therapy proved successful in treating various patients, ranging from those with intense short-term pain to those with chronic pain from arthritis. Studies suggested that music therapy decreases pain perception, reduces the amount of pain medication needed, helps relieve depression in pain patients, and gives them a sense of better control over their pain.

Improving life for people with dementia. The healing power of music remains intact even as the condition progresses. As such music therapy have been used to evoke memories, reduce agitation, assist communication, and improve physical coordination for people with the medical condition.