News in Health Reveals Music as an Auditory Key to Good Health
It’s no secret that human beings have an affinity for music. The art has secured an indubitable place in nearly every culture since days of yore. It encapsulates our storytelling, defines our relationships, and underscores our day-to-day experiences. By 2018, music has earned the professional and scholastic attention of more than the humanities. Music is a science.
As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported this January via the National Institutes of Health’s monthly newsletter News in Health, the act of listening to music can be as much as a fundamental in determining both the strength of one’s mentality and the fitness of one’s physicality. In an article entitled “Sound Health”, readers are offered insight and explanation regarding the outcomes of music; music not only resonates in the brain to inspire a natural release of dopamine – it’s an invisible force that somehow impalpably motivates us into movement. As scientists continue to explore the advantages of music, they are gaining on making discoveries about how music can aid recoveries of even the most serious health conditions, such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, and traumatic brain injury.
A section of the article exclusively dedicated to music therapy caught the attention of ITA’s therapists and staff. It emphasized the importance of the modality’s connection factor which our music therapists build upon everyday within their practices. ‘With the help of music therapists, […] teenagers were able to identify their strengths and positive ways to cope, remain connected with family and friends, and improve communication during a challenging time,’ explained Dr. Sheri Robb. A behavioral interventionalist at Indiana University whose research focuses on the benefits of music therapy for youths with cancer, Robb conducts a work body that poses as a singular example that the elevating effects of music transcend all ages and abilities.
To read more about music’s relationship with the human mind, Robb’s research, and how music can be best integrated into your life, access the full article after the jump at https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/01/sound-health. For more information about ITA’s music therapy programs and services, visit https://itachicago.org/music-therapy/.