Music An Effective Remedy For Chronic Pain

May 29, 2006 8:45 p.m. EST

Shaveta Bansal - All Headline News Contributor
New York, NY (AHN) - US researchers have confirmed that music can be
used as an effective remedy to combat severity of chronic pain.

Researchers tested the effect of music on 60 patients by dividing them
into music listening group and non-music listening group.

All the patients were suffering from severe pain due to conditions such
as osteoarthritis, disc problems and rheumatoid arthritis for an
average of six-and-a-half years.

Among those who listened to music, half were allowed to choose their
favorite selections, the rest picked from a list of five relaxing tapes
provided by the researchers.

The investigators found that those who listened to music reported a cut
in pain levels of up to 21 percent, and in associated depression of up
to 25 percent, compared to those who did not listen.

Researcher Dr Sandra Siedlecki, of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation,
said, "There were some small differences between the two music groups,
but they both showed consistent improvements in each category when
compared to the control group."

Previous research published in the same journal found listening to 45
minutes of soft music before going to bed can improve sleep by more
than a third.

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