Music Heals August 5, 2009
Posted by askpari in Calming Tunes, Feeling Down, Long-term Effects, Short-term Effects, Smooth Jazz.Tags: Blood System, Blues Music, Calm Music, Immunoglobulin A, Jazz, Line of Defense, Lounge Music, Music, Music Heals, Relaxing Tunes, Saliva, Stress
add a comment
It’s been said that music is able to calm the savage beast. But did you know that music can work wonders for your health, too?
According to Dr. Carl Charnetski and colleagues of Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, United States, listening to relaxing tunes can raise immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels, especially during times present in the body. IgA is the first line of defense against colds and flu. It is present in the blood system and is found in all mucosal linings of the body.
Charnetski’s team conducted studies on a group of Pennsylvania newspaper reporters. Saliva samples revealed that IgA levels dropped as the reporters closed in on their daily deadlines. However, after the scientists played smooth jazz for half an hour, IgA levels began to climb and remained elevated even after the music stopped. This indicated that even with continued stress, music exhibited long-and short-term effects by juicing up the immune system.
So the next time you feel down, try to sneak in a little bit of Top 40 or some blues or lounge music in your iPod. Hum along, tap your feet in sync with the beats, and let the healing begin.
Source:
● Charnetski CJ, Brennan FX Jr and Harrison JF, Effect of music and auditory stimuli on secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA). www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrive&db=PubMed&list_uids=10052073&dopt=Abstract
● Using Your Immune System to Stay Well. www.webmd.com/content/Article/116/112206.ht?pagenumber=5
