“Music is medicine for the soul and a pathway to the heart”. This quote was written by author Maria Fenton Gladis and it proves to be appropriate for today. Music is a part of people’s everyday lives. Music is found everywhere: in every room, every profession, and in every person. As a result, it makes sense that every person can connect to at least one song, given its variety. Music creates a different feeling for everyone, which allows connections to be made. Now, music is one of medicine’s instruments. It strums its cords and beats its drum to mend the heart and soul. Music and medicine feed off of one another. The smallest sound in a song and the tiniest bit of medication can impact someone's life. Although medicine is a science and music is a form of creativity, they both are art. All forms of art have power, and the power of music has many characteristics. The first is that it increases mental health. The second consists of it improving physical health. The last point is that music affects everyone since they were in their mother’s womb. All three aspects – mental and physical health, brain signals, and babies in the womb - benefit from listening to music.
Listening to music can have numerous beneficial effects on a person’s mental and physical health. Music can draw in emotions. This occurs because listeners can connect a song to a sentimental memory. They paint a picture in their mind and remember what they felt at that time. They think of their loved ones and how much they loved they had in their heart. It is common for these emotions to result in people having more motivation to improve their lives and live as if their loved one is looking down on them, protecting them. Also, Molly Warren, who has received a master’s degree in music therapy, explains that she worked with a child who was constantly in a bad mood. They did music therapy sessions where they would listen to music and talk about its meaning. She noticed that music gave him, resilience, self-worth, and strength. His engagement improved his emotions, as well as his social skills. As Molly Warren stated, “People who have difficulty expressing their feelings in words sometimes feel more comfortable expressing these emotions through music”. Music allowed him, and many other people, to express their true feelings in a safe environment. Furthermore, music can aid relaxation. This is because music can alter our moods. If a person is mad or stressed, their mind and body are tense. Therefore, they are not relaxed. Music can cause them to shift to a more positive state of mind. As a result, it calms their mind and bodies.
Scientifically, adding music to people’s lives benefits their health and helps them heal quicker. Music is connected to the autonomic nervous system because it deals with brain function, blood pressure, and heartbeat, and the limbic system because it focuses on feelings and emotions. It functions as a medium for developing emotions but is also used as a controlling agent for stress and anxiety. Its rhythm causes the neocortex of the brain, which is responsible for calming a person, to be engaged. For example, when a slow song is played, the heartbeat slows and is followed by blood pressure dropping. Breathing becomes slower, releasing tension on the body too. This means less stress and anxiety in the body. Also, people who listen to music can experience less pain and quicker recovery time. There was a study describing that injured soldiers in World War Ⅱ felt healthier when nurses sang to them compared to those who weren’t sung to. It was found that their speed of recovery was quicker as well. This is a result of neurotransmitters being released, and they then boost the positive chemical based on the people we are with. When music is incorporated into rehabilitation, patients seem to have an increased rate of healing. Researchers at Stanford University found that listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication. Furthermore, hearing music changes neurochemicals in the brain and causes dopamine to be released, which improves memory functioning. Overall, listening to music causes chemicals to be released in the body which aids in healing processes.
Babies in the womb can begin to hear music as soon as their mom is sixteen to seventeen weeks pregnant, and their behavior reflects mostly what their mom is feeling. If their mom is stressed or doesn’t like a particular song, her heart rate will increase and it is unhealthy for the baby. Babies will follow the mom’s pattern, their heart rate will increase, and they too will be stressed. This can be detrimental to the baby’s health in the long run if the mom constantly has anxiety. Lead clinical psychologist of Austria General Franz Wendtner states that music is an important part of our physical and emotional well-being, ever since we were babies in our mother’s womb, listening to her heartbeat and breathing rhythms. Listening to a song the mother likes can be very impactful on the baby’s future life. This is due to the fact that babies are born with one hundred billion nerve cells that are loosely connected. Different experiences and cognition can help strengthen their connections to the brain. Scientists believe that music is an important brain-building exercise that affects the baby’s development in the future. Their memory improved, as well as their motor skills, cognitive skills, and language development. In fact, there was a study demonstrating that babies who were exposed to music in the womb had a higher level in these aspects than babies who weren't.
The three elements that make music a style of medicine are mental health, physical health, and babies being able to hear music in the womb. Music allows people to make connections to certain events or people that they are fond of. Memories are remembered which draws emotion and causes the person to feel close to their story or loved one. Music can also benefit one’s health. Music was and is used as a form of healing and therapy. It can decrease stress and promotes involuntary actions to improve their state of mind. Finally, babies are aware of the sound of music even in the womb. They draw an attachment to a sound if their mother finds it appealing. This causes their heart rate to decrease and they feel more relaxed. Music is medicine. It bandages, it mends, and it fixes. Music plays its instrument of medicine.