Music for the Heart
Reported April 20, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) April 16, 2009 — The sweet sound of music may benefit heart patients who undergo treatment for their disease.
Researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia reviewed data from 23 studies that included nearly 1,500 patients. Two of the studies focused on patients treated with trained music therapists, but most included patients who listened to pre-recorded music on CDs.
Results showed listening to music decreased blood pressure, heart rate and levels of anxiety in the heart patients. There was also some evidence to suggest that the music improved mood in these patients. However, patients who suffered depression as a result of the disease did not show improvements in mood.
“We all know that music can have an impact on our emotions, our physiological responses, as well as our outlook on life, and this early research shows that it is well worth finding out more about how it could help heart disease patients,” Joke Bradt, who works at the Arts and Quality of Life Research Center at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., was quoted as saying.
Bradt also added that researchers should investigate whether trained music therapists offer different benefits than pre-recorded CDs.
SOURCE: Cochrane Systematic Review, 2009