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A study was done to see if music being played during a ride in an ambulance had positive effects on the injured party.

Music was played for eligible adult patients during Critical Care Transport (CCT) while recording vital signs. A questionnaire was subsequently mailed to patients to rate whether the ambulance transport was stressful, the impact music had on transport, whether music changed their anxiety, whether music made them comfortable and relaxed, and whether they would prefer music to be played on future transports. Vital signs were compared between respondents who perceived transport as stressful and those who did not.

One hundred two patients were enrolled; 23 respondents (22.5%) constituted the study group. Four patients (17.4%) reported CCT as stressful (average response, 4.75). Nineteen (82.6%) rated CCT as not stressful (average response, 1.63). Subjectively, patients reported a positive impact of music on transport, with improved comfort and relaxation but only a minimal decrease in anxiety. No statistically significant change in vital signs was observed between cohorts; too few patients were enrolled to generate power to detect any difference.

Music therapy is a simple adjunct for use during CCT that may increase patient comfort and alleviate anxiety.

According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy interventions can be designed to:
- promote wellness
- manage stress
- alleviate pain
- express feelings
- enhance memory
- improve communication
- promote physical rehabilitation

So, in essence it absolutely makes sense that music could ease the mind a bit if you're going through a traumatic ambulance experience.

Labels: music, stress, therapy

I knew it!

Self-medication via blogging has become prominent enough that Scientific America has published a study focused on this topic.

"Self-medication may be the reason the blogosphere has taken off. Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not."

This makes perfect sense to me. While I do not believe blogging can change your life if you are severely depressed or something of that nature, I do think it is therapeutic to write a journal and essentially that is what a blog can be. A blog can be an online log of your life, a "web log" which coined the word "blog".

SOURCE

Labels: self medication, therapy, writing

When you don't know what to do in an emotional situation things can get pretty tense. This is heightened when there is tension between you and a loved one.

I recently read about a Seattle couples therapy or in some cases it is for whole families. The sessions are held with Brien R. Wood, MA, MHC, MFT.

He is devoted to helping couples and families improve strained communications. His philosophies stem from research that shows "couples with well functioning relationships are less likely to get physical illnesses like cancer and heart disease, have stronger immune systems, and increased ability to handle stress and anxiety. Long term committed relationships are hard work, worth the effort, and provide a safe haven in a complex and uncertain world."

He will help you to "explore the benefits and limitations of your habitual ways of responding to the environment and experiment with increasing your power to choose behavior, and ability have deeper and more meaningful interactions with yourself and others."

Communication is key. It is not wrong to seek a third party to help you with learning better communication techniques. In fact, it shows you are mature enough to admit you may not know it all and responsible enough to do something about it. =o)

This post has been sponsored.

Labels: Emotional, Mental, therapy