Wednesday, February 28, 2007 Turkish music eases pain By Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T. Breakthroughs
“BUT I can’t listen to music too often,” remarked Vladimir Ilyich Lenin while listening to Beethoven. “It affects your nerves, makes you want to say stupid, nice things, and stroke the heads of people who could create such beauty while living in this vile hell.”
Lenin understood well the therapeutic effects of music. But had he picked up the right lessons, the world would have been better because of him.
Music has a long mark in therapeutic history. The traditional Turkish classical music, a slow and relaxing type of music, has been established in 1999 by N Komurcu to have the most recreative effect on people’s psychological state.
The ney (reed flute) is considered the most suitable instrument for this purpose. Uygur Turks are known to use their music in treating patients, especially those who are psychologically ill. The patients relaxed while listening to the sound of the ney.
In a recent study, led by Nimet Ovayolu, Turkish classical music (TCM) was found to have helped reduce the dose of sedative medication during colonoscopy. It also reduced patient anxiety, pain, and dissatisfaction.
Ovayolu is a researcher at the Gaziantep University Health School (Gaziantep, Turkey).
Colonoscopy is a procedure that uses a small, flexible tube with a light and a lens on the end. The procedure is used to look for early signs of cancer in the colon and rectum.
Since it is an uncomfortable and painful procedure, it has been a standard procedure to administer sedation before the procedure.
The clinical trial involved 60 volunteers divided equally into two groups. The study group was exposed to about 30 minutes of TCM. Both groups were given initial intravenous doses of meperidine (10 mg) and midazolam (1 mg).
During the endoscopy procedure, both groups were given increments of the same drugs when they showed signs of discomfort, pain, restlessness, or agitation.
The results, published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology (2006), showed that doses of midazolam and meperidine were smaller among those who had gone through music therapy before colonoscopy. The anxiety level and pain scores were lower; and the satisfaction level for the procedure was higher.
To-date, at least four clinical trials show music can alleviate anxiety, and improve tolerance and compliance during endoscopy.
“Music,” W. H. Auden said, “is the best means we have of digesting time” and of bringing down the discomfort, pain, and anxiety of life, so-to-say. (For comments or suggestions, email to ztliteratus6046@lycos.com, or text to 0927-979-3519.)
