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Other common
name(s): none
Scientific/medical
name(s): none
Description
Music therapy is the use of music by health care professionals
to promote healing and enhance quality of life for their patients.
Music therapy may be used to encourage emotional expression, promote
social interaction, relieve symptoms, and for other purposes. Music
therapists may use active or passive methods with patients, depending
on the individual patient's needs and abilities.
Overview
There is some evidence that, when used with conventional
treatment, music therapy can help to reduce pain and relieve
chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. It may also relieve stress
and provide an overall sense of well-being. Some studies have found
that music therapy can lower heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing
rate.
How is it promoted for use?
Music therapists work with a variety of physical, emotional,
and psychological symptoms. Music therapy is often used in cancer
treatment to help reduce pain, anxiety, and nausea caused by
chemotherapy. Some people believe music therapy may be a beneficial
addition to the health care of children with cancer by promoting social
interaction and cooperation.
There is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood
pressure, rapid heart beat, depression, and sleeplessness. There are no
claims music therapy can cure cancer or other diseases, but medical
experts do believe it can reduce some symptoms, aid healing, improve
physical movement, and enrich a patient's quality of life.
What does it involve?
Music therapists design music sessions for individuals and
groups based on their needs and tastes. Some aspects of music therapy
include making music, listening to music, writing songs, and talking
about lyrics. Music therapy may also involve imagery and learning
through music. It can be done in different places such as hospitals,
cancer centers, hospices, at home, or anywhere people can benefit from
its calming or stimulating effects. The patient does not need to have
any musical ability to benefit from music therapy.
A related practice called music thanatology is sometimes used
at the end of a patient's life to ease the person's passing. It is
practiced in homes, hospices, or nursing homes.
What is the history behind it?
Music has been used in medicine for thousands of years.
Ancient Greek philosophers believed that music could heal both the body
and the soul. Native Americans have used singing and chanting as part
of their healing rituals for millennia. The more formal approach to
music therapy began in World War II, when U.S. Veterans Administration
hospitals began to use music to help treat soldiers suffering from
shell shock. In 1944, Michigan State University established the first
music therapy degree program in the world.
Today, more than seventy colleges and universities have degree
programs that are approved by the American Music Therapy Association.
Music therapists must have at least a bachelor's degree, 1,200 hours of
clinical training, and one or more internships before they can be
certified. There are thousands of professional music therapists working
in health care settings in the United States today. They serve as part
of cancer-management teams in many hospitals and cancer centers,
helping to plan and evaluate treatment. Some music therapy services are
covered by health insurance.
What is the evidence?
Scientific studies have shown the value of music therapy on
the body, mind, and spirit of children and adults. Researchers have
found that music therapy, when used with anti-nausea drugs for patients
receiving high-dose chemotherapy, can help ease nausea and vomiting. A
number of clinical trials have shown the benefit of music therapy for
short-term pain, including pain from cancer. Some studies have
suggested that music may help decrease the overall intensity of the
patient's experience of pain when used with pain-relieving drugs. Music
therapy can also result in a decreased need for pain medicine in some
patients, although studies on this topic have shown mixed results.
In hospice patients, one study found that music therapy
improved comfort, relaxation, and pain control. Another study found
that quality of life improved in cancer patients who received music
therapy, even as it declined in those who did not. No differences were
seen in survival between the 2 groups.
A more recent clinical trial looked at the effects of music
during the course of several weeks of radiation treatments. The
researchers found that while emotional distress (such as anxiety)
seemed to be helped at the beginning of treatment, the patients
reported that this effect gradually decreased. Music did not appear to
help such symptoms as pain, fatigue, and depression over the long term.
Other clinical trials have revealed a reduction in heart rate,
blood pressure, breathing rate, insomnia, depression, and anxiety with
music therapy. No one knows all the ways music can benefit the body,
but studies have shown that music can affect brain waves, brain
circulation, and stress hormones. These effects are usually seen during
and shortly after the music therapy.
Studies have shown that students who take music lessons have
improved IQ levels, and show improvement in nonmusical abilities as
well. Other studies have shown that listening to music composed by
Mozart produces a short-term improvement in tasks that use spatial
abilities. Studies of brain circulation have shown that people
listening to Mozart have more activity in certain areas of the brain.
This has been called the "Mozart effect." Although the reasons for this
effect are not completely clear, this kind of information supports the
idea that music can be used in many helpful ways.
Some clinical trials that involve listening to music have
shown no benefit on anxiety during surgical procedures, although one
study that allowed patients to choose their own music showed improved
anxiety levels. One recent review of studies looked at the effect of
music on all types of pain and found a wide variation in its effects.
The study authors observed that the best effects were on short-term
pain after surgery. It is important to note that not all studies of
music use music therapists, who assess the patient's needs,
circumstances, and preferences, as well as the different effects of
certain types of music. This may account for some differences in
clinical trial results.
Are there any possible problems or
complications?
In general, music therapy done under the care of a
professionally trained therapist has a helpful effect and is considered
safe when used with standard treatment. Musical intervention by
untrained people can be ineffective or can even cause increased stress
and discomfort. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or
delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health
consequences.
Additional Resources
More information from your American Cancer
Society
The following information on complementary and alternative
therapies may also be helpful to you. These materials may be found on
our Web site (www.cancer.org)
or ordered from our toll-free number (1-800-ACS-2345).
References
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relevant to the Mozart effect: brain areas involved in spatial-temporal
reasoning. Neurol Res.
2001;23:683-690.
Cepeda MS, Carr DB, Lau J, Alvarez H. Music for pain relief. Cochrane
Database Syst Rev. 2006;(2):CD004843.
Clark M, Isaacks-Downton G, Wells N, et al. Use of preferred
music to reduce emotional distress and symptom activity during
radiation therapy. J
Music Ther. 2006;43:247-265.
Ezzone S, Baker C, Rosselet R, Terepka E. Music as an adjunct
to antiemetic therapy. Oncol
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Hilliard RE. The effects of music therapy on the quality and
length of life of people diagnosed with terminal cancer. J Music Ther.
2003;40:113-137.
Jausovec N, Habe K. The "Mozart effect": an
electroencephalographic analysis employing the methods of induced
event-related desynchronization/synchronization and event-related
coherence. Brain Topogr.
2003;16:73-84.
Krout RE. The effects of single-session music therapy
interventions on the observed and self-reported levels of pain control,
physical comfort, and relaxation of hospice patients. Am J Hosp Palliat Care.
2001;18:383-390.
Lane D. Music therapy: a gift beyond measure. Oncol Nurs Forum.
1992;19:863-867.
Lane D. Music therapy: gaining an edge in oncology management.
J Oncol Manag.
1993;2:42-46.
Pelletier CL. The effect of music on decreasing arousal due to
stress: a meta-analysis.
J Music Ther. 2004;41:192-214.
Phumdoung S, Good M. Music reduces sensation and distress of
labor pain. Pain Manag
Nurs. 2003;4:54-61.
Schellenberg EG. Music and nonmusical abilities. Ann N Y Acad Sci.
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Schellenberg EG. Music lessons enhance IQ. Psychol Sci.
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Watkins GR. Music therapy: proposed physiological mechanisms
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Clin Nurse Spec. 1997;11:43-50.
What is music therapy? American Music Therapy Association Web
site. Accessed at http://www.musictherapy.org/ on May 23, 2008.
Note:
This
information may not cover all possible claims, uses, actions,
precautions, side effects or interactions. It is not intended as
medical advice, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for
consultation with your doctor, who is familiar with your medical
situation.
Last Medical Review: 11/01/2008
Last Revised: 11/01/2008
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