A Response to “can Music Be Used as Medicine?”

Camlyn Monfort

College English Composition

November 11, 2015

2W

A Response to “Can Music Be Used as Medicine?”

        In today’s world, music-streaming devices can predict the kind of music people want to listen to based on the touch of a button.  Almost everyone listens to music; whether it’s on the ride to work or going on a simple jog, it serves as a great mood enhancer for daily events.  Chau Tu in her article “Can Music Be Used as Medicine?” discusses how music affects the body and further suggests that music has the potential to bring benefits in many health conditions.  Experimentation in “The Sync Project” tracks how music may be interacting with the body through Fitbits and other digital devices.  Although the technology available isn’t advanced enough, companies are developing every possible sensor people can think of to put on a user’s body and measure their physiology to help cure diseases.  Tu is correct about the fact that music can benefit health conditions, but saying music can solve problems of disease is a bit of a stretch.

        Tu claims that music affects the body and brain and shows that there is at least some degree or influence, physically and psychologically.  Pharmacist Catherine Ulbricht noted in Psychology Today that “music may be used with guided imagery to produce altered states of consciousness that help uncover hidden emotional responses and stimulate creative insights.”  Listening to classical music may cause people to feel relaxation and comfort, while listening to rock music may lead to discomfort and anger.  According to Koelsch, “music can evoke activity changes in the core brain regions that underlie emotion” (qtd. in Tu). If music didn’t spark an emotion or mood, then what would be the point in having music?

        In fact, agreeing that music does impact emotion can aid in alleviating emotional conditions such as depression and anxiety.  Music allows people to express themselves and interact in a non-verbal way -- even when they cannot find the words to describe their inner experiences.  It’s melodic encouragement that helps people let go of suppressed feelings.  Researchers from the University of Utah Pain Research Center found that “music helps reduce pain by activating sensory pathways that compete with pain pathways, stimulating emotional responses, and engaging cognitive attention (taking the focus away from the pain)” (Nauert).  Music, therefore, provides meaningful intellectual and emotional engagement to help reduce pain.

        To most people, rock music is listened to when feeling angry or frustrated, but to others it’s a different case.  Some find it calming and relaxing to listen to rock music.  Coincidence or not, some of these people are drummers or in a band.  They find it soothing because they can pick up a pair of sticks and play along with the beat.  Drummers use this as a learning method because it teaches them to listen to the music instead of just reading the notes on the piece of paper.  The repetitive beat gets drilled into their heads in a way that it acts as a stress reliever.  If drummers were to listen to classical music, they would find it boring because there is no back beat for them to play along with; listening to it serves them no purpose. On another hand, the steady beat of rock music is found to be beneficial for some.  According to Tu, “Parkinson’s patients for example, often experience ‘breaks’ or ‘freezing’, and have trouble initiating movement.”  When caretakers play something with a steady beat such as a rock song, the patients seem to have improvements in their walking.  The music is often effective in elongating and improving the gait of Parkinson’s patients.  The rhythm of rock music drives responses in the movement areas of the brain, producing a clear beat that is easy to follow.