Book Review: The Power of Music

If you're into music, you should read this book for sure! But this is an MS/pain/health blog, so I won't ramble on and on about the cool stuff in this book that might not excite everyone as much as me. The book doesn't have a major or direct relation to MS, but it does talk about music as a therapeutic tool and has some relevant and interesting points that I wanted to share.

One is just the reminder of music as an agent of healing and the suggestion that we can and should use music to harness the possibilities of neuroplasticity. I know I need to harness the power of music more often...to distract, to change mood, to energize, to relax, and so on. I think music therapy is a very powerful type of CAM that should be more a part of everyone's treatment (and life) plan.

There was also mention of the relatively new field of physchoacoustics and its use in helping relieve pain. Dr. Concetta Tomaino of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at Beth Abraham Medical Center in NYC did a pilot study on phsychoacoustics and MS patients with spasticity that had impressive results in reducing the amount and frequency of spasticity. An intriguing field and definitely to keep an eye (or ear?) on.

What are your favorite musical ways to affect how you feel? Do you have a song that energizes or relaxes you when you hear it?