healthbriefs
Music Harmonizes the

Brain and Heals the Heart
discovered that brain wave similarities
within and between the musicians’
brains increased as they listened to the
beat of a metronome while preparing
to play. The brains’ synchronization
then continued when they began mak-
ing music.
Another U.S. study monitored the
steady pulse of a recovering heart sur-
gery patient as it charted the progress
of his mending heart, while a quiet
symphony filled the room. For nine
days, the patient soaked up the tran-
quil, wordless strumming of a Brazilian
guitarist. Music became his medicine, Yoga Helps Breast
as his heart literally fell into rhythm
CanCer patients
W
hen two guitarists play together,
with the tunes. Increasingly, doctors
more than their instruments
are studying and employing music as
Feel Better
play in time; their brainwaves match
a healing tool; in measuring the brain’s
Women undertaking a 10-week
up, too, according to new research
response to musical notes, they are
program of restorative yoga
from Germany. When the German
discovering music’s harmonizing route
classes experienced a 50 percent
scientists analyzed electrical activity
from head to heart.
reduction in depression and a 12
in the brains of eight pairs of guitar-
percent increase in feelings of
ists as they played a short jazz-fusion Sources: msnbc.msn.com, BBC News,
peace and meaning after the yoga
melody together up to 60 times, they 2009
sessions, according to a recent
study published in the journal
Psycho-Oncology.
Meditation and Yoga Change
Source: PhysOrg.com
Genes’ Response to Stress
R
esearch now suggests that mind- sion of genes involved with inflamma- changes were the opposite of stress-
body techniques like yoga and tion, programmed cell death and the associated changes,” and were “much
meditation, which can put the body handling of free radicals. They noted more pronounced” in long-term
into a state of deep rest known as the that such deep relaxation practices practitioners.
relaxation response, are capable of have been used across cultures The researchers at Benson-Henry
changing how human genes behave for millennia to help prevent Institute for Mind/Body Medicine
in response to stress. and treat disease. at Massachusetts General Hospital
Many experts see the relaxation Dr. Jeffery Dusek, co- and the Genomics Center at
response, which is characterized by lead author of the study Beth Israel Deaconess Medi-
reduced oxygen intake, increased at the Benson-Henry cal Center published their
exhalation of nitric oxide and low- Institute, and now with results in PLoS One.
ered psychological distress, as the Abbott Northwestern
counterpart to the flight-or-fight stress Hospital in Min- Source: Medical-
response. The authors say their study neapolis, remarks NewsToday.com
showed that the relaxation response that, “The relaxation-
further acted to change the expres- response-associated
12 Phoenix
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