Music Therapy An Effective Treatment For Wounded Veterans

The roots of music therapy dates back to World War II, when music was found to be an effective treatment for wounded veterans. Music Therapy is even mentioned in the Old Testament and its account of young David’s playing his harp for the troubled King Saul. Music therapy allows there to be an interaction, which is more than superficial, but rather and creates an opportunity of communication without necessarily using words. The sounds, rhythms, chords and volume may reflect the players emotional feeling providing a state of tranquility and reflection. Music has been shown using a functional magnetic resonance scan fMRI to view neurons firing on both sides of the brain rather than one side or the other but encompasses the disciplines of†¦show more content†¦Many nurses or other healthcare providers may be hesitant in utilizing music therapy for their patients but there are several documented studies providing the positive results of music therapy. One example provided b y The Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing, demonstrated in a study using 60 pediatric patients ranging from one month through five years in comparing the effect of music therapy to that of chloral hydrate requiring EEG testing. The study highlighted the percentage of children who were able to complete the EEG was 50% using chloral hydrate and 97.1% using Music Therapy. This was the first study of its kind in quantifying and comparing the effects of music therapy. (Loewy, Hallan, Friedman, Martinez, 2005, pp. 325-331) One of the best resources for nursing to utilize is Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine for which they have pioneered the way of music therapy and has many scholarly publications of studies demonstrating positive results. Music therapy is utilized in collaboration with everyone from the lonely patient, caregivers which are often tired and emotionally fatigued to involving even the nurses, advanced nurse clinicians, physicians and even o ther family members willing to participate. Lets not forget that music