Jun 24, 2006 1:18 pm US/Central
Sound Therapy: A Prescription To Listen
by Dennis Douda
Minneapolis (WCCO) ―
Cancer survivor Rosemary Hernandez says going through chemotherapy was rough on her body and mind. When her oncologist suggested a new alternative therapy to treat both, it was music to her ears.
"It takes away depression. It even takes away pain," she said.
Rosemary is among a growing number of people trying something called sound therapy.
Patients listen to soothing music and chant while meditating and doing yoga-like breathing.
"I feel like I've been to heaven and back," she told WCCO-TV recently.
Oncologist Mitchell Gaynor wrote a book on sound therapy. He says the body normally vibrates at certain frequencies. When people are sick, he says they are out of tune. Vibrations from music or instruments work to reharmonize their bodies.
"The body is composed of 70% water. It's an excellent conductive medium for sound and vibration," Dr. Gaynor said.
Gaynor stresses sound therapy won't cure illness, but says it has a powerful impact on the body. He points to studies that show music can reduce burn victims' pain and lower the anxiety of surgical and cancer patients.
"We know that heart rate and blood pressure are affected by music. We know that stress hormones are lowered by pleasant music," he said.
But you don't need to be sick. Amrita Cottrell, director of the Healing Music Organization, says people also attend sound pods and meditation sessions for wellness.
"Happy, relaxed, vibrant -- those are many of the things that people have said to me that they feel after a session," said Cottrell.
Hernandez agrees. Even though she's cancer free now, sound therapy is still part of her daily routine.
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