The Patient Speaks!

So there I was, riding the Piccadilly branch of the London Undergound when I spotted a short article in the METRO newspaper entitled “Tune In”.  The first sentence is what caught my eye: “Listening to music can reduce chronic pain and depression by up to 25 percent, according to new research”.  It goes on to say there were tests done by having people listen to an hour’s worth of music every day and attributed the info to the Journal of Advanced Nursing.  The test subjects, as a whole, reported improved physical and psychological symptoms.  Amazing what you can learn on the Tube, or any other public transit system, eh?!

As I thought about my own experiences over the years – OK, decades – I half agreed and half disagreed with the article.  Then I narrowed it down further to what type of chronic pain I was challenged with at the moment.  For my headache, neither Bach, Strauss or Mozart would do any better for me than acid rock.  When it’s headache time it is “leave me alone” and turn out the lights.  Arthritis (primarily hands and neck) is a different story.  When I am sitting in my overstuffed leather chair listening to my favorite music of the moment, I get lost in the sounds and temporarily forget about my discomfort.  When the music is done, I may feel “better” enough to tackle the lawn mowing or my household chore of the week.

So there it is, then.  Next time your significant other glares at you with that “you’re lazy, bone-idle and a couch potato” accusatory laser stare, you can reply that you have engaged in a published method of physical recuperation that will allow you to actually “think” about doing the chores.  Nobody said it was scientifically proven, but it was published!