I thought I’d momentarily stray from our “how-to” posts to bring you something a little fun… and possibly shocking. Remember, this post is meant to be light-hearted… not actual advice! 🙂
Imagine the look on your doctor’s face when, just before surgery, you dismiss the anesthesiologist in favor of your iPod. Brave… absolutely, ridiculous… maybe not!
Recent studies have discovered that music can bring relief when heading under the knife. In a series of studies, researchers compared the amount of sedative required during surgery for patients who listened to music and those who did not listen to music. Their findings revealed that patients who listened to music required much less sedative than those who listened to white noise or nothing at all (1).
How does music achieve this effect? That question is still under debate. Many believe that music’s effect on blood pressure is the reason it may reduce patients’ pain during surgery. Music, which has been proven to lower blood pressure, relieves some pre-surgery anxiety, hereby allowing the body to cope with pain more effectively.
Despite these findings, I would suggest that if you are having a cesarean section, or an appendix removed, don’t send the anesthesiologist packing. However, if you are looking at a root canal, then music might be a pleasant supplement to regular anesthetic. Also, turn up the volume; studies have revealed your doctor will perform better when listening to music.
1. Nilsson U, Unosson M, Rawal N. Stress reduction and analgesia in patients exposed to calming music postoperatively: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2005 Feb;22(2):96-102.
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