Music is a healing force Alexio Kawara makes his way up the stage a few days after getting injured in an accident
Alexio Kawara makes his way up the stage a few days after getting injured in an accident

Alexio Kawara makes his way up the stage a few days after getting injured in an accident

Fred Zindi Music—
In his theory on human motivation, Abraham H. Maslow must have forgotten to include music in his hierarchy of needs. For music, it has been discovered, is a basic human need.
When I visited Alexio Kawara at Parirenyatwa Hospital after his leg injury in a  car accident, I noticed that apart from enduring pain, the man was also bored. He had no books to read or any form of entertainment and I thought to myself if only the hospital could pipe some music into his ward, it would ease the pain the man was suffering from. No such facility was available at the precinct.

This is something the authorities have to think about and act upon. It is not too expensive to establish a community radio station broadcasting in hospitals.

A lot of people underestimate the power of music as a therapeutic force but little do they know that music has been used over the centuries as a treatment for diseases and disorders such as stroke, depression, heart disease, autism, neurological disorders, dementia, amnesia, aphasia, schizophrenia and other psychological disorders.

Music has been used as a healing force for centuries. I can easily go into historical and philosophical evidence to prove the usefulness of music in treating disorders and diseases.  Apollo is the ancient Greek god of music and medicine. Aesculapius was said to cure diseases of the mind by using song and music, and music therapy was used in Egyptian temples. Plato said that music affected the emotions and could influence the character of an individual. Aristotle taught that music affects the soul and described music as a force that purified the emotions. Aulus Cornelius Celsus advocated the sound of cymbals and running water for the treatment of mental disorders. Music therapy was practised in biblical times, when David played the harp to rid King Saul of a bad spirits. As early as 400 BC, Hippocrates played music for his mental patients. In the thirteenth century, Arab hospitals contained music-rooms for the benefit of the patients. In the United States, native American medicine men often employed chants and dances as a method of healing patients. This shows that music and dance were critical in treating illnesses.

Musical therapy has also been recognised as a method for children with autism as it helps to stabilise moods, increase frustration tolerance, identify a range of emotions, and improve self-expression.

To those unfamiliar with music therapy the idea may seem a little strange, but music therapy has been found to be as effective as traditional forms of therapy.

Research has shown the usefulness of music in treating conditions such as heart diseases. According to a 2009 Cochrane review some music may reduce the heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure in those with coronary heart disease.

The use of music therapy in treating mental and neurological disorders is on the rise. Music therapy has showed effectiveness in treating symptoms of many disorders, including schizophrenia, amnesia and dementia among others.  One reason for the effectiveness of music therapy for stroke victims is the capacity of music to affect emotions and social interactions. It is associated with a decrease in depression, improved mood, and a reduction in state anxiety.

Recent studies have also examined the effect of music therapy on stroke patients when combined with traditional therapy. One study found the incorporation of music with therapeutic upper extremity exercises gave patients more positive emotional effects than exercise alone. So those who exercise with their walkie-talkies on receive more positive rewards.

Music has proven useful in the recovery of motor skills. Rhythmical auditory stimulation in a musical context in combination with traditional gait therapy has been shown to improve the ability of stroke patients to walk. Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia are among the disorders most commonly treated with music therapy. Like many of the other disorders mentioned, some of the most common significant effects are seen in social behaviours, leading to improvements in interaction, conversation, and other such skills. A meta-study of over 330 subjects showed music therapy produces highly significant improvements to social behaviours, overt behaviours like wandering and restlessness, reductions in agitated behaviours, and improvements to cognitive defects, measured with reality orientation and face recognition tests. The effectiveness of the treatment seems to be strongly dependent on the patient, the quality and length of treatment, and other similar factors.

Some symptoms of amnesia have been shown to be alleviated through various interactions with music, including playing and listening. Music therapy is used with schizophrenic patients to ameliorate many of the symptoms of the disorder. Meta-studies have confirmed many of these results, showing that music therapy in conjunction with standard care to be superior to standard care alone. Improvements were seen in negative symptoms, general mental state, depression, anxiety, and even cognitive functioning. These meta-studies have also shown, however, that these results can be inconsistent and that they depend heavily on both the quality and number of therapy sessions.

It is important to mention studies that have been taking place on music therapy over the years without sounding too academic.
Music therapy has  also been found to have numerous significant outcomes for patients with major depressive disorder. One study found that listening to soft, sedative music for only 30 minutes a day for two weeks led to significantly improved global depressive scores, and improved scores on individual depressive sub-scales.  The effects were seen to be cumulative over the time period– that is, longer treatment led to increased improvement.

Research has also shown that in many parts of Africa during male and female circumcision, bone setting, or traditional surgery and bloodletting, lyrical music related to endurance has been used to reduce anticipated pain, therapeutically.

This is why I began with the argument that if Alexio Kawara had been treated to music while in hospital, the agony he felt then would have been reduced as his mind would have been focused on what he was listening to.

In 1999, the first programme for music therapy in Africa opened in Pretoria, South Africa. Research has shown that in Tanzania patients can receive palliative care for life-threatening illnesses directly after the diagnosis of these illnesses. This is different from many Western countries, because they reserve palliative care for patients who have an incurable illness. Music is also viewed differently between Africa and Western countries. In Western countries and a majority of other countries throughout the world, music is traditionally seen as entertainment whereas in many African cultures, music is used in recounting stories, at funerals when mourning the dead, celebrating life events such as weddings, or sending messages.

There is no need to emphasise the importance of music in simply making one more joyful. This is why many of us end up in good spirits after attending a good musical concert. Anyone who feels depressed at home, must attend a music concert as the music will cure that  depression.

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