Healing through Music

Healing through Music - The last time I had a mammogram, I have a big surprise - and it was good.  

A string quartet played just outside the gates of breast imaging center, and immediately changed my thoughts "What will they find mammography?" A "Do Schubert or Beethoven?" For when my name was called, he had almost forgotten why I'm here.

The concert was an unexpected work Chartrand and Holly Lorrie Kubicek, therapists and co-coordinator of the Environmental Music in Massachusetts General Hospital. But bring music into hospital rooms is a complementary activity for music therapists. Most of his time is devoted to the use of music to help patients to achieve specific objectives, such as the recovery of their speech after a stroke and reduce the stress of chemotherapy.

Chartrand is a singer and a graduate of the Berklee College of Music. He decided to become a therapist to music when he realized he could use music to help others as he had supported all his life. "The favorite part of my job is to see how big an impact music can have on someone who is not feeling well," she said.

What is music therapy?

Music therapy is a growing field. These certificates are therapists are accomplished musicians who have a deep understanding of how music can evoke emotional responses to relax or stimulate people, or help them heal. Combine this knowledge with his familiarity with a wide variety of musical styles to find the specific type that you can get through a difficult physical rehabilitation session or will guide you in meditation. And they can find their favorite music style, or electro pop and grand opera.

Music therapists know few limits. They can play music for you or with you, or even teach you how to play an instrument. On any given day, the tank can Chartrand carrying a drum, a ukulele or iPad and speakers in the room of a patient. "Technology gives us both access to all types of music that can find and read almost any type of music you like," she said.

Proof of music therapy

A growing body of research shows that music therapy is most appreciated. It can improve the performance and quality of life health in a variety of ways. Here is an example:

Improved invasive procedures. In controlled clinical trials of people with colonoscopies, cardiac angiography and knee surgery, listening to music before your procedure had reduced anxiety and a reduced need for sedatives. Those who listened to music in the operating room reported less discomfort during the procedure. Listening to music in the recovery room under the use of opioid analgesics.

Restore lost his speech. Music therapy can help people who are recovering from a stroke or head trauma that damaged the left area of ​​the brain responsible for speech. Because singing ability comes from the right side of the brain, people can avoid the injury on the left side of his brain thought of singing first and then gradually release the melody.  

Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords uses this technique so that you can testify before a congressional committee two years after a gunshot wound in his brain destroyed his ability to speak.

Reducing side effects of cancer therapy. Music reduces anxiety associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. You can also relieve nausea and vomiting in patients receiving chemotherapy.

AIDS pain relief. Music therapy has been tested on patients from those suffering from severe acute pain in people with chronic pain of arthritis. In general, music therapy reduces the perception of pain, reduces the amount of necessary drugs against pain, helps relieve depression, and gives people a greater sense of control over their pain. 

Improving the quality of life for dementia patients. Because of the ability to interact with the music it remains intact until the disease process, music therapy can help you remember the memories, reduce agitation, communication aid, and improve physical coordination.
 
How to find a music therapist

If you face a procedure or disease, or just want relief from stress of everyday life and helps to stick to an exercise program of a music therapist may be able to help. You can find one on the website of the American Music Therapy Association. 
By: Beverly Merz 
 

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Incredible and true: the placebo effect

Incredible and true: the placebo effect - The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I have always been fascinated by the idea that something so inert and harmless as a sugar pill can ease the pain of a person or speed recovery with only the hope that it would.

Studies using placebo - an inactive treatment such as a sugar pill - in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active substance.

Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo may help researchers understand how good is the active drug.

The word "placebo" comes from Latin and means "I will please." And "please" did. In study after study, many people taking a placebo improved program in your symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is real

Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be. - And the benefits of treatment with placebo are not just "in your head" measurable physiological changes can be observed in those who received placebo, similar to those seen in people who take drugs effective. in particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results were shown to improve subsets of research subjects who responded to placebo.

Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we would not need medication at all. Instead, we just could exercise the power of suggestion. Understanding why some people improve with placebo treatment and others are not the "holy grail" of research placebo.Nocebo: Placebo evil twinThe power of suggestion is a double edged sword. If you plan a treatment to help you, they are more likely to do so. And if you expect to prejudicial treatment, it is more likely to feel the negative effects. This is called "nocebo effect" (Latin for "I will harm").  

For example, if you tell someone that a headache is a common side effect of a particular drug, that person is more likely to report headaches, even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is great and probably plays an important role in the benefits and side effects of commonly prescribed drugs.

It is the power of the placebo effect increases?

A new fascinating study examined the impact of the placebo effect in 84 trials for treatment of nerve pain that occurred over the last 23 years. The researchers found that the placebo effect has become much stronger, but this observation was seen in US studies.  

What for? One theory is that the flow of direct to consumer advertising of drugs in the United States (which is banned in most other countries) raises expectations of a drug to help patients. Stronger and expectations of a drug can lead to a greater placebo effect efficiency.

Another theory links the increased effectiveness of placebos to test their own research: the largest, most expensive and most elaborate judgment, plus expectations of study participants. Analyses of this type tend to be more common in the US than elsewhere.

Whatever the reason, there is a downside to this trend. A powerful placebo effect makes it more difficult for the researchers show that a new drug works. The stronger the placebo effect, it becomes more difficult to show a significant difference between the placebo and active drug - even if the active drug is quite good. Consequently, some effective drugs can "fail" in clinical trials. And that could lead researchers to spend their education outside of the US

What future?

Research on the pros cons of the placebo effect has changed the number of people think about this phenomenon. We used to think that the placebo effect is limited to those influenced disease-free "real"; Now we know better. But there is much that remains a mystery. We do not know how to predict who will respond to a placebo or how to reliably operate their power.  

And it is important to note that while "feeling better" is important, they do not always come with genuine health benefits. For example, some study subjects who took a placebo for asthma reported improvement of their symptoms but their lung function measures are not really better.

Yet the day will come when a better understanding of the placebo effect and, in appropriate circumstances, which are used effectively in clinical practice. Like many people either do not respond to standard medications or have unpleasant side effects, that day can not come soon enough.
By: Robert Shmerling, M.D.

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Half of all deaths from heart disease could be avoided

Heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases crashes kill nearly three quarters of a million Americans each year. They are the leading cause of death, accounting for nearly 30% of all deaths in the United States. But according to a new study published online today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, most of these deaths are preventable.

For the study, researchers from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta analyzed the cardiovascular mortality rate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They also noted the rate of five factors known modifiable risk factors or under the control of a person that influence the risk of cardiovascular disease. These include smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Rates of cardiovascular disease mortality covered a wide range surprising across the country. Mississippi topped the list, with 477 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. This was more than double the rate in Minnesota, which has the lowest rate to 195 per 100 000 inhabitants. In general, the southern states have the highest rates. (See list below.)

Nationally, 4 out of 5 people have at least one modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Distribution, state by state showed that people in the southern states tend to have more risk factors than residents of other states.

What if these five risk factors have disappeared - that is, if all smokers quit, all the obese people to lose weight, and so on? Researchers estimate that the removal of these five factors could prevent more than half of all deaths in the United States of cardiovascular disease. Realizing that the removal may not be possible, they asked what would happen if, as a nation, we have been able to do as well as residents of states with better performance. The result has been more modest 10% reduction in deaths from cardiovascular disease.

"Since 1960, deaths from cardiovascular disease in the United States have dropped by half," said cardiologist Dr. Gregory Curfman, editor in chief of Harvard Health Publications. "But we still have a long way to go. Reduce mortality further, focusing on five modifiable risk factors is a key objective for all Americans. " 

Protect your heart

Some of the things that cause or contribute to cardiovascular disease - genes, age, air pollution, buildings or neighborhoods that are walkable - are beyond the ability of the individual to change. But there are many other factors that we can control. As Emory study and others point out, modifiable risk factors are the root of many cases of cardiovascular disease.

Here are five of the most important things you can do to protect your heart:

     *  Exercise often.
     *  Eat healthy.
     *  Keep your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar under control.
     *  Lose weight if necessary.
     *  No Smoking. 

The rates of cardiovascular death in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

State                             Deaths per 100,000 residents

Mississippi                           477.0 
District of Columbia            440.9 
Alabama                               434.5 
Louisiana                              424.0 

Oklahoma                             414.9
Arkansas                               405.4
Tennessee                              393.0
Kentucky                               385.5
West Virginia                         371.3
South Carolina                       370.0
Georgia                                  368.6
Nevada                                   358.5
Missouri                                 346.7
Indiana                                   337.3
Michigan                                333.1
Ohio                                       325.3
North Carolina                       323.9
Texas                                      323.5
Maryland                                315.2
Illinois                                    309.7
Pennsylvania                          304.6
New York                               297.7
Delaware                                296.6
Virginia                                  291.1
Wyoming                               290.9
Iowa                                       284.1
Kansas                                   280.8
Alaska                                    271.4
Florida                                   267.3
North Dakota                         266.4
California                               265.5
New Jersey                             263.9
Wisconsin                               262.4
South Dakota                          258.1
Hawaii                                    257.3
Montana                                 256.0
Rhode Island                          252.6
Idaho                                      251.5
Arizona                                  249.9
New Mexico                          249.4
Washington                            243.9
Nebraska                                243.4
Maine                                     235.7
Connecticut                            232.5
Vermont                                 231.9
Oregon                                   231.5
Massachusetts                       228.0
New Hampshire                    226.6
Colorado                               219.3
Utah                                      217.8
Minnesota                             195.2

Source: A. Shivani Patel et al, "The cardiovascular mortality associated with five major preventable risk factors: Fractions State national data survey estimates and the" Annals of Internal Medicine; published online 29 June 2015 
 

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Report proposes new "vital signs" to measure the health of the nation

Doctors use vital signs as a relatively simple way to detect a disease or monitor the health of a person. The keys include blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate.  

A report from the newly appointed National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) proposes to use 15 "vital signs" to track how health care in the United States at the height:

  *     Life spans
  *     well be
  *     Overweight and obesity
  *     addictive behaviors
  *     unwanted pregnancies
  *     healthy communities
  *     prevention services
  *     access to care
  *     Patient Safety
  *     care based on evidence
  *     care that matches the patient's goals
  *     Load personal expenses
  *     weight of the expenditure of the population
  *     individual commitment
  *     community involvement.

Why to create such a list? the costs of health care in the US They are the highest in the world, but people in many countries that spend less on health services are healthier overall and have better health outcomes. To improve the performance of health care, we need to measure how you are doing in a logical and sustainable manner. But this does not happen today.

Many organizations try to measure quality, but the use of a large number of measures. For example, the quality of the National Forum, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving health care, more than 600 of these types of measures in their toolbox. And the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has more than 1,700. The new report from the National Academy of Medicine, called Vital Signs, estimated individual health systems employ an average of 50 to 100 people full time to measure performance, with costs ranging from $ 3.5 million to $ 12 organization per year. Factor in the number of health systems across the country, and that adds to real money.

"If we want to know how effective and efficient health are our spending to improve health and reduce costs, we must measure the most important health outcomes to guide our decisions and assess the impact," said chairman of the board David Blumenthal, president of the Commonwealth Fund in New York, said in a statement.

15 proposed measures vital signs panel are not intended to be used alone. Instead, they represent "the most powerful measures that have the greatest potential to positively influence the health and well-being of Americans," said Blumenthal. They pretend to be a reference basis points together to assess the most important aspects of health care and health.

Some of the 15 vital signs such as life expectancy, welfare, overweight and obesity, and addictive behavior, measure aspects of the health of the individual. Others, such as access to care, patient safety and care based on evidence, the assessment of the health system. Two types are needed to measure the health of the nation and the quality of our health care.

These vital signs will answer questions about what we do well and where we need to improve. The repetition of these measures over time will provide essential information on the history of the health of our nation and the course corrections necessary to improve it. Making these changes should improve our vital signs and diminish the monumental amount of money we spend on health care.

Image:pixabay.com

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Treatment of diabetes naturally.

In the medical world a lot of the treatments a person to get the healing of diseases ranging from consulting a doctor to treatment, but this way does not need to cost a little bit not to mention the side effects of the treatment.

If there is a cheaper way why not try? that is the natural way, in addition to any safe way too easy to obtain them.

On the last occasion I've written about the symptoms of diabetes, so we can detect as early as possible if there is a disease that began attacking. This time I will write about the treatment of diabetes naturally.

Treatment of disease naturally can also use regular vegetable or fruit we consume every day, but by knowing the reason why we eat then we are more prudent in consuming these vegetables, it means we can focus more on eating vegetables specially for the healing of a disease, in this case diabetes.

Ok, following the treatment of diabetes with noni fruit. 
The fruit is able to improve the insulin receptor is not normal anymore,
Trick. 

Take two or three and then clean the noni fruit, then grated and squeezed to take out the juice, strain it with a soft cloth so that water noni fruit is very smooth. Eat Noni juice is one drink a day.  

Second. ginseng
We recognize ginseng as a stamina enhancer but also ginseng may lower blood sugar levels.

Third is the fruit Pare.
Pare fruit can repair pancreatic beta cells, mode of manufacture. Take one or two Pare fruit puree and then strain to take the bitter melon juice. Pare fruit juice drink little by little, not too often Pare drink juice because it can cause diarrhea. Bitter taste, but if we are accustomed to is no longer an obstacle to drink.

The fourth is the beans.
Vegetable beans are very effective for lowering blood sugar levels, nutrients contained in vegetables beans are very useful to accelerate the formation of insulin in the pancreas. My message, frequent consumption of beans is the right step to cure diabetes naturally.

Indeed, natural healing can not quickly know the result but if we are patient and disciplined undoubtedly consume natural diabetes that you will soon recover.

Treatment naturally guaranteed safe and without negative side effects, so we did not hesitate to take it.     
Good luck and get well. 

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