Music is a universal language that hurdles all obstacles, beliefs, and language barriers. It has a transcendent ability to touch the human soul like nothing else. The cells in our bodies respond to it, and even those who can’t hear it still feel it.
The organic power of music is inescapable.
When individuals find themselves facing physical or emotional distress, they commonly turn to traditional medicine to find relief. But medicine tends to treat symptoms; it doesn’t address the root cause of the imbalance.
Music is a holistic therapeutic alternative that can be a viable medical treatment – and there is a growing body of research that supports this unsung hero of healing.
Music’s Effect on Physical Health
Doctors and researchers are increasingly recognizing the physiological impact of music on the body’s natural rhythms.
A Wilkes University study suggests that certain types of music (particularly smooth jazz) may improve immune functioning. To reach this conclusion, researchers measured undergraduate students’ antibody levels before and after 30 minutes of exposure to one of four conditions: a tone click, a radio broadcast, a tape of smooth jazz, or silence. Amazingly, the study found that students exposed to the music had significantly greater increases in the antibody than in any of the other conditions.
Music can also help us help ourselves. Researchers in the U.K. found that listening to motivational music increased the length of time study participants could walk on a treadmill before reaching exhaustion. By improving our endurance and boosting our exercise performance, music can definitely contribute to an overall healthier lifestyle.
This is just the beginning of a long list of potential perks, as additional research indicates benefits along the lines of lower blood pressure, reduced pain, relieved headaches, enhanced learning retention, reduced muscle tension, improved focus, smoother digestion, better sleep, increased blood flow, and more.
Read more about the healing benefits of sound
A Time-Tested, Natural Remedy
Back in the Stone Age, man created crude instruments in an attempt to contact God and connect to the natural world. We invented the drum in response to thunder and the flute in response to wind, and for thousands of years since then, we’ve used music and chanting as a way to naturally treat and ward off disease.
Music is a completely natural, organic modality of healing with zero side effects, and it is painlessly simple and inexpensive to administer. There are several ways to introduce music into your daily regimen and vastly improve your physical and mental health almost instantly. Here are three of them:
1. Use sound to sleep soundly.
Music is known to influence and regulate your heart rate. At rest, a healthy human heart beats at approximately 60 to 80 beats per minute, so if you listen to a piece of music that has a similar (or slower) tempo, your heartbeat will sync with the music, and you will begin to relax. Create a long playlist of slow songs, and play them throughout the night – you’ll quickly be singing along with your own chorus of Z’s. A full night of rest is one of the most important investments you can make for your health; happiness and clarity will be the resulting dividends.
2. Tune in at work to tune out distractions.
Studies show that listening to music – especially the songs we love – while we work boosts brain activity and productivity. In 1972, Applied Ergonomics conducted a series of experiments on factory workers and discovered that there is a strong correlation between background music and workplace efficiency. Listening to music releases a powerful neurotransmitter called dopamine – a key emotion and mood driver that is also released when we eat delicious food and make love. Who isn’t more productive when they’re in a great mood?
Read more about natural remedies for the mind
3. Create harmony in your home.
I’ve discovered that there are seven healing frequencies in music that can be used to soothe mental and physical ailments. Try playing these tones on repeat at a low volume. You will notice a tangible peace in your home, your children and pets will be noticeably calmer, and you will get more accomplished throughout the day.
Why mask and numb ailments through unnatural medicines when we have one of man’s oldest creations abundantly available for our use? Music can safely accomplish far more in the realm of healing than we could possibly imagine, and the medical world is certainly beginning to take notice.
Michael Tyrrell is the founder of Wholetones. “Wholetones: The Healing Frequency Music Project” was created to promote positive, healthy change. This product consists of two-and-a-half hours of beautiful, transformative music that facilitates physical and mental healing and brings a tangible sense of peace. Wholetones differentiates itself from traditional music therapy with its unique use of frequencies other than 440 hertz.
Image via Nickolai Kashirin
