Evidence of Sound Healing

“Since the human body is over seventy percent water and since sound travels five times more efficiently through water than through air, sound frequency stimulation directly into the body is a highly efficient means for total body stimulation, especially at the cellular level. Direct stimulation of living cellular tissue using sound frequency vibration has shown marked cellular metabolism and therefore a possible mobilization of a cellular healing response.” P. 141 – Jeffrey Thompson, D.C.

From Mitchell L. Gaynor's : Sounds of Healing

Physiological changes that music can create:

-Reduced anxiety, heart and respiratory rates: Forty patients who had suffered recent heart attacks were exposed to 'relaxing music', then assessed for heart rate, respiratory rate, and measurable states of anxiety. Results indicated statistically significant reductions in all three measures which suggested to researchers that the use of music may be an effective way to reduce high levels of anxiety among heart patients.

-Reduced cardiac complications: Cathy Guzzetta reported that among patients who had been recently admitted to a coronary care unit after suffering heart attacks, those who were exposed to music for two days had fewer complications than those who were not.

-Lowered blood pressure: A 1989 study reported that systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced in nine subjects who listened to two albums, both of which had average beats of fewer than 55 hertz (the number of cycles per second at which a sound wave vibrates): Essence: Crystal Meditations, an album for piano and synthesizer composed by Don Campbell, and Timeless Lullaby, by Daniel Kobialka.

-Reduced blood pressure and heart rate: Other experiments that used recordings of varying musical styles suggest that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure may be lowered by as much as five points (mm/Hg) per listening session. Heart rates may decrease by four to five beats per minute.

-Blood pressure and excessive noise: Conversely, too much noise, which can set off the fight-or-flight response, can increase blood pressure by as much as 10 percent.

-Reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and noise sensitivity in heart surgery patients: Researchers examined whether listening to music could calm the nervous system and thus facilitate recovery among post surgical cardiac patients in noisy critical care units. Forty patients, both those who were shown to be highly sensitive to noise and those who exhibited less sensitivity, were tested the day after surgery for heart rate and arterial blood pressure following fifteen-minute periods during which music was played in the unite. The conclusion of this 1997 study was that 'use of a music intervention with cardiac surgery patients during the first postoperative day decreased noise annoyance, heart rate, and systolic blood pressure, regardless of the subject's noise sensitivity."

-Increased immune cell messengers: A 1993 report by scientists at Michigan State University disclosed that levels of interleukin-1 (an immune-cell messenger molecule that helps to regulate the activity of other immune cells) increased by 12.5 to 14 percent when subjects listened to music for fifteen-minute periods. Participants who listened to music they themselves preferred-whether Mozart, light jazz, 'New Age' or impressionist such as Ravel- exhibited up to 25 percent lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can depress the immune system when produced in excess. This finding led researchers to conclude that music of one's own choosing ' may elicit a profound positive emotional experience that can trigger the release of hormones which can contribute to a lessening of those factors which enhance the disease process."

-Boost in natural opiates: In an experiment conducted at the Addiction Research Center in Standford, California, subjects listened to various kinds of music, including marching bands, spiritual anthems, and movie soundtracks. Half of the subjects reported feelings of euphoria while listening, leading the researchers to suspect that the joy of music is mediated by the opiate chemicals known as endorphins-the brain's natural painkillers. To test this theory, investigators injected listeners with nalaxone, which blocks opiate receptors. The listeners experienced reduced sensations of pleasure, suggesting that certain types of music can boost endorphins, which have other health benefits- including a stronger immune system.

On top of these physiological examples, anecdotal evidence abounds within the field of Sound Healing. See these links for more!

http://healing.about.com/od/sound/a/kmucci_music.htm
http://www.david-howes.com/senses/snow_soundhealing.html