Music has been trying to set its feet in the field of medicine when it would be utilized to reduce anxiety and contribute towards improving the physical health.The therapeutic aspect of music can help in overcoming mental disorders like depression and even attacking the onset of certain malignant diseases.

At the ‘Institute for Music and Neurologic Function’ at the ‘Beth Abraham Family of Health Services’ in New York City, music therapy is an inherent part of the treatment of the Alzheimer’s patients; it helps them to remain calm and also assists in bringing improvement in their memories. At ‘Children’s Memorial Hospital’ in Chicago, board-certified music therapist Elizabeth Pociask puts music to a novel use for helping the new parents to calm their newly born kids.

It also helps in bringing calmness among the infants by distracting their minds from the thing which is upsetting them and putting them to sleep.

Cheryl Dileo, a Professor of ‘Music Therapy’ and Director of the Arts and Quality of Life Research Center at Temple University in Philadelphia say that the uses of music therapy are myriad. She adds that this therapy can be used to reduce the anxiety of patients who are undergoing complex medical procedures. Music helps in reducing the pain and also brings a positive change in the temperament of the patient. It can help a patient to come up with his feelings more openly. These patients are often depressed due to hospital stays and difficult medical treatments.

According to Dileo, through this therapy, physical, psychological, social and cognitive domains can be evidently reached through music experiences and it helps in building up a positive rapport and relationship between the client and the therapist.

Music is used for relaxation and many people use it for changing their mood however Dileo differentiates between the self-help through music and the music therapy. It can be administered by a trained physician who would try to evaluate the needs and areas of concern of his patient. Moreover, it requires interpersonal skills of the doctors to reach positive physical, psychological, cognitive and social results.

Dileo recommends the hospitals to recruit board certified music therapists who have attended at least a four-year college program, along with a supervised internship and cleared a national exam.

However, Cancer Treatment Centers of America adopts lesser formal music programs.  Katherine Puckett, who is the national director of mind-body medicine at the center, said that in spite of the absence of board-certified music therapists on staff, the centers has been using music therapy as the past of the treatment.

It helps to enhance the relaxation response, thereby improving deep breathing, lower heart rate, and lower blood pressure. It also lessens the muscle tension and combat the stress. This results on patients to achieve an easy sleep. Eventually the patients who have undergone cancer treatment which is usually painful need less pain medication.

Puckett added that music often comes as a help to those patients who need non-verbal release to express the suppressed emotions. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America has maintained a library for this and conducts special musical programs for the patients.