Nursing Intervention - Essay Example

History of music therapy In the United States music therapy began in the 18th century. However, using music for treatment began thousands of years ago this is evident even in the- bible and some early writings of India and China. The music program was introduced in the US in 1984. This was after a cancer support group in the US came up with the program to assist in cancer treatment. Music has been used in medicine for many years; Greeks had a belief that music could heal both the soul and body.

Music was used in rituals to heal millennia in native America. Music was also used in World War II by US doctors for healing soldiers who suffered shell shock. Hains (1996) reveals that in 1994 Michigan State University came up with the music therapy degree. Today, more universities offer both undergraduate and postgraduate degree in music therapy most of these degree courses are proven by the American Music therapy association. To qualify, the bachelor’s degree holders must at least have trained for 1200 hours in clinical training and at least one internship session.

Many hospitals these days have music therapists working for them as cancer-management teams and cancer centers helping in planning and evaluation of treatment. Some services are even covered with health insurance agencies. Research Research has shown the value of music therapy on the mind, body and spirit of both adults and children it has shown that music therapy when used with anti-nausea drugs for patients on chemotherapy helps in easing both nausea and vomiting; some experiments have even shown that music therapy can treat short-term pain including cancer pains.

Some studies have shown that music therapy can be used to reduce the period through which a patient undergoes pain. It has also been discovered that when used hand in hand with painkillers, it can to reduce the amount of pain drugs in patients. Some studies have shown that music therapy can also be used to improve comfort, relaxation and pain control. According to Hains (1996), quite a number of cancer patients who used music therapy were discovered to have improved health status in relation to their life spans.

It was discovered that most of the music therapy was effective in the short term effect while it had little or no effect in long-term. Heart rate, blood pressure, depression and breathing rate have also been seen to reduce in cases of music therapy no one can tell the way music can affect the life of people as research is still going on and more is still coming up. Students taking music lessons have been discovered to have an improved IQ as compared to those who do not have music lessons; a fact that has extended even to nonmusical performances.

These studies show how music can be used in so many ways and can be used to improve the lives of people. Benefits of music therapy Music therapy can be used with a variety of emotional and psychological symptoms. It can be used to treat cancer as well as help reduce pain, anxiety and nausea, which are discomforts experienced after chemotherapy. Some believe that music therapy can be used to improve the healthcare of children with cancer by promoting cooperation and social interaction (Hains, 1996).

Research has further proven that music therapy helps to improve the concentration span of an individual. It has