Surgery, Anesthesia and Music - A Formula For Faster, Safer Healing and Recovery

How many thousands of people around the worldneed to be given? The fields of music therapy and
have surgery or a surgical procedure each day?nursing research have conducted hundreds of studies
Considering that most municipal hospitals have atdocumenting music's benefit before, during and after
least twenty operating rooms that are in use forsurgery. The phenomenon of entrainment is incredibly
12-18 hours per day, we can safely assume thatpowerful and easily synchronizes a person's heartbeat
there are at least 50,000 per day. Each day peopleand breathing. When delivered through headphones it
have adverse reactions to the anesthesia associatedis doubly powerful because the slow, steady
with their surgery, whether a local anesthesia, ainstrumental music goes directly to the brain, through
regional anesthesia or a general anesthesia. Commonthe 8th cranial nerve, and entrains the bio-rhythms
side-effects are:while simultaneously blocking operating room
- Nauseaconversations and operating room sounds which can
- Dizzinessbe quite un-nerving. For example, during joint
- Blurred visionreplacement, there is hammering, drilling and sawing!
- Temporary loss of memoryEven when a patient is under general anesthesia,
- Loss of appetitesome of sounds penetrate into the subconscious and
- Headachecan cause the patient to wake up with severe
Of course general anesthesia carries the most seriousanxiety and even panic.
risks and as a direct result of the changes in bloodWhen the patient brings the ideal music into surgery
pressure and heart rhythms, heart attack and strokewith headphones or ear buds to deliver it, the patient
during surgery can occur. According to WebMD,usually requires less anxiety meds before, less
"death or serious illness or injury due solely toanesthesia during, and less pain and anxiety
anesthesia is rare and is usually also related tomedication afterward! it is such a simple intervention,
complications from the surgery. Death occurs inbut few hospitals provide music for the patient in the
about 1 in 250,000 people receiving generaloperating room. My goal is to educate the public and
anesthesia, although risks are greater for thosethe medical community and this easy-to-implement,
people with serious medical conditions."very low-cost, and totally danger-free procedure. Feel
But wait! Why subject your self to the risks andfree to contact me if I can help you with your
complications when you can add music to the mixupcoming procedure.
and greatly reduce the amount of anesthesia you