Group found that drumming effectively helped drummers (skilled and unskilled) suffering from neuroendocrine disorders such as pituitary tumors and intestinal issues caused by disconnections between the endocrine gland and nervous systems. They further confi rmed that group drumming reduced stress chemicals such as cortisol in the drummers. Muscle Tension Dysphonia: Even tuneless humming sounds like “um-hum” can have a measurable therapeutic effect on individuals that have lost their voices due to overuse. Pain: When a group of British citizens suffering from chronic pain joined a choir, a Lancaster University study found they were better able to manage their condition for improved quality of life. Just listening to harp music for 20 minutes decreased anxiety, lowered blood pressure and relieved pain in a group of U.S. heart surgery patients with short- term pain participating in a University of Central Florida study in Orlando. Alzheimer’s Disease: In addition to reducing the agitation and anxiety frequently accompanying Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at Florida’s University of Miami School of Medicine found that a group of patients that participated in music therapy for four weeks experienced increased levels of the calming brain chemical melatonin.


How It Works


“Humming or singing causes longer exhalations than normal, helping to naturally eliminate toxins and acidity,” says Dr. Madan Kataria, of Mumbai, India, who has spawned 5,000 laughter clubs worldwide. “We started experimenting with the


vowel sounds and humming sound. An early unpublished humming study I did in Denmark showed that people that hummed anything for just 10 minutes were able to reduce their systolic blood pressure by 10 to 15


In Nigeria, we say that rhythm is the soul of life, because the whole universe revolves around rhythm; when we get out of rhythm, that’s when we get into trouble.


~Babatunde Olatunji, drummer and social activist


points, their diastolic by four to fi ve points and their pulse rate by 10 beats per minute.” Kataria found that people with breathing problems like asthma and emphysema experienced especially positive effects because it strengthened belly muscles used in breathing. Kataria is also a fan of kirtan—Hindu


devotional call-and-response chants often accompanied by ecstatic dancing. “Kirtan takes away self-consciousness or nervousness and anxiety,” he says. Dr. Eben Alexander, who recorded his near-death experience in Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, says the “indescribable” cosmic music he experienced has helped him come to understand the effects of specifi c sound frequencies on the brain. He now provides audio tools to help bring the brain to a higher state and help it match that higher and more conscious state. In his medical practice in Charlottesville, Virginia, he often employs music from a patient’s past to help them emerge from a brain injury or coma and even “reconnect pathways in a damaged brain.”


Alexander explains that binaural beats and other sound effects combine to create “brain entrainment” and also in theory, “monotonize” it to free awareness and access realms other than the physical. “It’s magical what the right type of music can do to the brain stem to free up our consciousness,” he observes.


No Talent Needed Experts agree that people without musical talent are able to experience the same benefi ts as virtuosos, based on


Nature’s Healing Sounds


The calming sounds of rushing water and gentle breezes are well known; science is now confi rming the therapeutic effects of singing birds. Belgian researchers confi rmed that bird song helps drown out the stressful effects of traffi c noise, and Korean scientists found it makes people feel less crowded. A study published in the American Journal of Physiology showed that it can even help regulate participants’ circadian rhythms, contributing to restful sleep and overall wellness.


their degree of engagement with music. Anyone can hum, and most research confi rms that benefi ts are enhanced in creating music rather than merely listening to it.


Group singing has become increasingly popular, especially following the hit TV show Glee. Time magazine reported in 2013 that 32.5 million American adults sang in choirs, up about 30 percent from a decade earlier. The choice of musical genre matters. Recent data from Montreal’s McGill University shows that types of music tend to have specifi c effects; for example, blues slows heart rate and calms an anxious person, rock and punk can boost energy, and reggae can help control anger.


Spirit Moves The spiritual aspects of virtually all types of music cannot be underestimated, says Michael Hove, Ph.D., a cognitive neuroscientist affi liated with Harvard Medical School and Fitchburg State University, in Massachusetts. His research has primarily focused on drumming to induce altered states of consciousness that shamans from diverse cultures use to bring about physical and emotional healing. What Hove calls a “boring and super-predictable” drumbeat of 240 beats a minute induced a deep trance state within minutes in most subjects, and brain scans confi rmed that it enabled them to focus intensely and block out distracting sounds within eight minutes. This aligns with Alexander’s view that,


“The sound of music is absolutely crucial in launching us into transcendental awareness. For the true, deep seeker, sound and vibration and the memory of music can serve as a powerful engine to help direct us in the spiritual realms.”


Kathleen Barnes has authored numerous natural health books, including her latest, Our Toxic World: A Survivor’s Guide. Connect at KathleenBarnes.com.


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