Apollo Hospitals, the largest private healthcare service provider in Asia, and the pioneers in the healthcare space offering unique services to the patient community and the medical fraternity, has launched the first-of-its-kind Medical Music Therapy course, here in Chennai. The Medical Music Therapy course is not only the first in India but in Asia too.
The Medical Music Therapy Course will be offered for a one-year Diploma. Keeping to its tradition of offering unique services to the patients, Apollo’s Music Therapy course will inform students on the healing capabilities of music and how it can be utilized along with medical treatments to provide patients a holistic recovery and healing experience.
Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals, said, "We are quite happy to have drawn out a course that is unique and that offers a new dimension to the healing process. The Music Therapy is yet another initiative from Apollo keeping with its vision to explore every opportunity to help our patients. The need for a specialized course in order to enable music therapy practitioners help patients make most of the healing process has been a major driving force behind this initiative".
Students will be provided with the basic knowledge of Medical Music Therapy along with information on the prospects of the course in the healthcare industry. The year long course will throw light on Psychology and classical music, emphasizing on the unique aspects of the raga with particular effects on human mind and body.
Offering only a limited number of seats, they are primarily targeting students having a good understanding of music. The course starts in March 2004, with Dr. T. Mythily, Ph.D., Medical Music Therapy as Director and Course
Co-ordinator.
Further details and prospectus can be obtained from the Director of Medical Education’s Office and The Music Therapy Department, Apollo Hospitals.
Phone - 044- 2829 3333 / 6008 / 5136.
Details can also be found on www.apollohospitals.com
What is Music Therapy?
Music Therapy is the use of a selected music to produce the same vibrations of the body, played uninterrupted for a while, to obtain the desired effect. Even though the individual who participates in the therapeutic sessions has no knowledge of music, Music Therapy brings positive results.
Scientific studies reveal that music is useful in relieving confused minds and distressed personalities. MT has a definite place in-psycho- behavioural-medical treatment. The patients personality, temperament, habits, passions, characteristics, general reactions to music, favourable and unfavourable. Attitudes may also be considered before trying Music Therapy.
Many researches in the field of behavioral aspects are conducted in the hospital.
Music therapy for hyperactive children,
Music therapy for speech fluency and for stuttering,
Music therapy for cardiac problems,
Music therapy during pregnancy in the early stages, are available in the hospital.
Music therapy treatments can be executed by two ways to in-patients in hospitals
(i) Passive mode - Listening to music that is, the receptive form.
(ii) Enactive mode - Participative music that is active form, utilized in the group treatment.
Some studies show that music can lower blood pressure, basal-metabolism and respiration rates, thus lessening physiological responses to stress. Classical music may also help to increase the production of endorphins (natural pain relievers) and sig-A (salivary immunoglobulin A). It speeds healing, reduces the danger of infection and controls heart rate.
It is also proven that Music Therapy is especially effective in three key medical areas.
1. Pain, anxiety and depression,
2. Mental, emotional and physical handicaps,
3. Neurological disorders.
Music is better than medication. Music can be given even to a surgical team during operation. As the patient is being hooked up to a computer that monitors the heart rate and brain waves, he can also be hooked up, by earphones to a tape recorder playing classical music.
"Music reduces the staff's tension in the operating room, and also helps relax the patient," says Dr. Clyde Nash the famous surgeon in Cleveland.
Patients remained calm before the operation and do not require as much sedation. Dr. Mathew Lee (Rusk Rehabilitation institute-New York) feels, "We’ve set confirmation of music and its benefits in helping to avoid serious complications during illness, enhancing patients’ well-being and shortening hospital stays."
Current Research in Music Therapy
Current research conducted by the department of Music Therapy, is to study the effect of music to delay the cell degeneration in individuals, who have crossed 50 years of age. Certain raga with specific notes have been found even to do the wonder in arresting the cell degeneration.
Music Therapy in India
In India, Music therapy is slowly gaining importance. Recently, many hospitals are showing interest in starting music therapy wings.
The Apollo Hospitals - Chennai has a music therapy wing in the name of
‘Prahalad’.
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Apollo's
Medical Music Therapy course
