How Sound Heals

If you’re anything like me, music plays an important part in your life. I walk around humming singing out loud, serenading my horses in the barn and my dogs over their morning cookies. Pandora plays in the background much of my workday and occasionally I stop to look up the lyrics so I can belt out a favorite song.

My vocal skills are not extensive and, despite my fantasies to the contrary, no one has ever urged me to quit my day job for a slot on American Idol.

Fortunately, I work at home and there is rarely anyone else around except my adoring audience of dogs, who don’t care if I can carry a tune.

I know singing de-stresses me when I put on some soft beautiful classical music at the end of the day or energizes me and speeds me up when I put on a rowdy tune while I’m cleaning the house.

I also know music lowers my blood pressure and increases my lung capacity.

Now there’s research that substantiates what most of us know instinctively: Music is good for our health.

These benefits of music, proven by researchers around the world, will probably surprise you. They surely surprised me:

• Eases the pain of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic back pain by up to 21 percent
• Reduces depression by 25 percent
• Helps people to consciously lower their blood pressure and keep it low by listening to classical, Celtic or raga music (right up my alley!) for 30 minutes
• Speed recovery from strokes
• Increase the production of hormones that improve immune function
• Improves learning abilities and memory, especially with music by Mozart and other baroque music that has a characteristic 60 beats per minute pattern
• Improved brain function, including reading skill, mathematical abilities and emotional intelligence
• The vibration –especially from humming — can stimulate thyroid hormone production

In addition to all of this, singing is simply fun!

You don’t have to sing to get the health benefits; just listening will give you many of the benefits.

But why not belt out the lyrics along with the Stones, the Beatles, Fun, Celine Dion and Josh Groban? (I know I’ve dated myself again!)

What have you got to lose? Well, you might scare away a few friends, but then they weren’t really friends anyway if they don’t embrace you despite your quirks. Belt it out and heal yourself!