Health & Medicine
Music Therapy Improves Symptoms In COPD Patients
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Dec 26, 2015 02:35 AM EST
Music therapy may aid in the rehabilitation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); this chronic inflammatory lung disease makes it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Researchers at The Louis Armstrong Center of Music and Medicine at Sinai Beth Israel (MSBI) found that patients who received music therapy saw improvements in symptoms relating to psychological well-being and quality of life when compared to patients receiving rehabilitation alone.
"Music therapy has emerged as an essential component to an integrated approach in the management of chronic respiratory disease," said Jonathan Raskin, MD, co-author of the study and Director of the Alice Lawrence Center for Health and Rehabilitation at MSBI, in a news release. "The results of this study provide a comprehensive foundation for the establishment of music therapy intervention as part of pulmonary rehabilitation care."
During the study, researchers examined 68 participants diagnosed with chronic disabling respiratory diseases, including COPD. A randomized group of the patients attended weekly music sessions over the course of six weeks; each session included instrument playing and singing, live music, visualizations and incorporating breath control techniques.
The music therapy sessions proved particularly helpful as they also incorporated patients' preferred music, which helped to encourage increased engagement in therapeutic activities, self-expression and the opportunity to cope and understand challenges resulting from the illness.
"The care of chronic illness is purposefully shifting away from strict traditional assessments that once focused primarily on diagnosis, morbidity and mortality rates," said Joanne Loewy, DA, Director of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at MSBI, where the study was conducted. "Instead, the care of the chronically ill is moving toward methods that aim to preserve and enhance quality of life of our patients and activities of daily living through identification of their culture, motivation, caregiver/home trends and perceptions of daily wellness routines."
The study is published in the journal Respiratory Medicine.
COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States with symptoms including shortness of breath, wheezing, an ongoing cough, frequent colds or flu, and chest tightness. Patients with COPD are often socially isolated, unable to get to medical services and underserved in rehabilitation programs, making effective treatment difficult.
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TagsHealth, Human, Respiratory Medicine, COPD, The Louis Armstrong Center of Music, Medicine at Sinai Beth Israel, MSBI, Music Therapy, Music, therapy, Disability ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Dec 26, 2015 02:35 AM EST
Music therapy may aid in the rehabilitation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); this chronic inflammatory lung disease makes it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Researchers at The Louis Armstrong Center of Music and Medicine at Sinai Beth Israel (MSBI) found that patients who received music therapy saw improvements in symptoms relating to psychological well-being and quality of life when compared to patients receiving rehabilitation alone.
"Music therapy has emerged as an essential component to an integrated approach in the management of chronic respiratory disease," said Jonathan Raskin, MD, co-author of the study and Director of the Alice Lawrence Center for Health and Rehabilitation at MSBI, in a news release. "The results of this study provide a comprehensive foundation for the establishment of music therapy intervention as part of pulmonary rehabilitation care."
During the study, researchers examined 68 participants diagnosed with chronic disabling respiratory diseases, including COPD. A randomized group of the patients attended weekly music sessions over the course of six weeks; each session included instrument playing and singing, live music, visualizations and incorporating breath control techniques.
The music therapy sessions proved particularly helpful as they also incorporated patients' preferred music, which helped to encourage increased engagement in therapeutic activities, self-expression and the opportunity to cope and understand challenges resulting from the illness.
"The care of chronic illness is purposefully shifting away from strict traditional assessments that once focused primarily on diagnosis, morbidity and mortality rates," said Joanne Loewy, DA, Director of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at MSBI, where the study was conducted. "Instead, the care of the chronically ill is moving toward methods that aim to preserve and enhance quality of life of our patients and activities of daily living through identification of their culture, motivation, caregiver/home trends and perceptions of daily wellness routines."
The study is published in the journal Respiratory Medicine.
COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States with symptoms including shortness of breath, wheezing, an ongoing cough, frequent colds or flu, and chest tightness. Patients with COPD are often socially isolated, unable to get to medical services and underserved in rehabilitation programs, making effective treatment difficult.
Related Articles
Smokers With COPD Twice As Likely To Develop Lung Cancer
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: COPD Risk May Occur In Adolescence
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sistersite, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone