Suzanne B. Hanser

Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for integrative oncology: complementary therapies and botanicals.

In recent years, the term integrative medicine has gained acceptance in medical academia. The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine defi nes this term as “the practice of medicine that reaffi rms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals, and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.” 1 Integrative oncology has been specifi cally described as both a science and a philosophy that focuses on the complex health of people with cancer and proposes an array of approaches to accompany the conventional therapies of surgery, chemotherapy, molecular therapeutics, and radiotherapy to facilitate health. 2 The SIO and its Medline -indexed journal ( Journal of the Society of Integrative Oncology ), founded by leading oncologists and oncology professionals from major cancer centers and organizations, promote quality research and appropriate application of useful, adjunctive complementary modalities T he Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) is an international organization dedicated to encouraging scientifi c evaluation, dissemination of evidence-based information, and appropriate clinical integration of complementary therapies. Practice guidelines have been developed by the authors and endorsed by the Executive Committee of the SIO. Guidelines are a work in progress; they will be updated as needed and are available on the SIO Web site ().

Music therapy in adult oncology: research issues.

The article reviews the effects of music and music therapy with adult oncology patients, summarizes major findings, discusses the difficulties inherent in research methodologies, and explores directions for future research. Although there is more qualitative than quantitative research, empiric investigations have found that music techniques are effective in managing pain and other physical symptoms, psychological distress, and mood. Health-related outcomes and quality of life have also been improved. Recommendations for future research include collaborative projects that (1) test established music therapy clinical protocols; (2) control for the presence of a music therapist; (3) identify the characteristics of patients who will potentially benefit most; (4) examine physiologic, psychological, behavioral, neurologic, immunologic, and spiritual outcomes; and (5) detect and control extraneous variability.

From Ancient to Integrative Medicine: Models for Music Therapy

Ancient practices, Eastern medicine, and nonconven- tional treatments, including music as therapy and as medicine, are being reexamined for the wisdom that they can contribute to modern methods of enhancing health. By introducing the Western approaches of alternative, complementary, and mind-body medicine, the Eastern approaches of traditional Chinese medi- cine and Ayurvedic medicine, and worldwide practices in shamanism, this article offers a model for the integration of music therapy into integrative medicine. The philosophies underlying these approaches have intrigued the Western medical community, who are now using traditional medical research methodology to understand the effects of these treatments. Simi- larly, the effect of music has been studied by nurses, physicians, and other medical professionals as well as music therapists. Their combined efforts have provided convincing evidence that music therapy should be included as a modern, integrative medical treatment.

The Effect of Peer Approval and Disapproval on Improvement of Pitch Matching and Group Behavior.

This investigation examined the effects of peer approval and disapproval on improvement in pitch-intonation performance and on the approval/disapproval behavior of fellow students. Eighty high school musk students participated in a pitch-matching training program while confederate peers approved or disapproved of the group performance on experimenters cue. A significant finding was that 10% of the total group pitch-matching variance during treatment was attributable to the number of approvals/disapprovals offered by subjects. The greater the number of approvals, the better the performance. The greater the number of disapprovals given by subjects, the lower the performance.

Inpatient Massage Therapy Versus Music Therapy Versus Usual Care: A Mixed-methods Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Little is known about the feasibility of providing massage or music therapy to medical inpatients at urban safety-net hospitals or the impact these treatments may have on patient experience. Objective To determine the feasibility of providing massage and music therapy to medical inpatients and to assess the impact of these interventions on patient experience. Design Single-center 3-arm feasibility randomized controlled trial. Setting Urban academic safety-net hospital. Patients Adult inpatients on the Family Medicine ward. Interventions Massage therapy consisted of a standardized protocol adapted from a previous perioperative study. Music therapy involved a preference assessment, personalized compact disc, music-facilitated coping, singing/playing music, and/or songwriting. Credentialed therapists provided the interventions. Measurements Patient experience was measured with the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) within 7 days of discharge. We compared the proportion of patients in each study arm reporting “top box” scores for the following a priori HCAHPS domains: pain management, recommendation of hospital, and overall hospital rating. Responses to additional open-ended postdischarge questions were transcribed, coded independently, and analyzed for common themes. Results From July to December 2014, 90 medical inpatients were enrolled; postdischarge data were collected on 68 (76%) medical inpatients. Participants were 70% females, 43% non-Hispanic black, and 23% Hispanic. No differences between groups were observed on HCAHPS. The qualitative analysis found that massage and music therapy were associated with improved overall hospital experience, pain management, and connectedness to the massage or music therapist. Conclusions Providing music and massage therapy in an urban safety-net inpatient setting was feasible. There was no quantitative impact on HCAHPS. Qualitative findings suggest benefits related to an improved hospital experience, pain management, and connectedness to the massage or music therapist.

Music, sound, and health: a meeting of the minds in neurosciences and music

Humans have been fascinated by the effect of sound on health since antiquity. In the sixth century BC, Pythagoras discovered that objects vibrating in simple numerical ratios produced harmonious sounds together. Building from this, he went on to posit that listening to different musical modes had different effects on health. Interest in music’s impact on health continued over the centuries, and, in 2018, the study of music, sound, and health continues to excite scientists, therapists, and the potential recipients of interventions. Current and previous research have shown that music perception and music making change activity in many brain regions typically involved in emotion, reward, cognition, sensations, and movement. Music is a multisensory and motor experience, with a unique ability to further strengthen an already strong bond between brain regions that perceive with those that plan and execute motor commands. Part of the interest in this field from the scientific community, as well as from the general public, stems from the fact that music is a fundamentally human experience. Music is ubiquitous across human cultures and across the human life span. Music brings people together in a multitude of social situations; its many uses include enjoyment, social bonding, and mood regulation. In recent years, the neurosciences of music have systematically investigated how, why, and for whom music and sound may influence the brain and the body. While effects of music on physiology and cognition have been demonstrated in basic research and in music therapy, interindividual and intraindividual differences on these effects pose challenges but also opportunities of individualized and precision medicine approaches for the field. Thus, there is a need for theoretical as well as empirical work that aims to understand music and sound, their relationship to health and well-being, and how this relationship can be leveraged to increase human connections, interactions, and possibly healing. Better understanding of these relationships may offer improved clinical applications with sensitivity and specificity, such as by informing the design of targeted interventions and the type of engagement with music (such as singing, moving, and synchronizing to a beat) that are best suited to impact specific diseases and disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and other gait disorders; outcome and recovery from stroke in both the motor and the language domains; dyslexia and specific language impairment, stuttering, cognitive impairment, and dementia; and various forms of autism. Such research might also help us understand the underlying neural correlates of disorders of this music, such as tone deafness and beat deafness, and their effects on other neurological and psychiatric disorders and dysfunctions. The study of sound and health is also timely, as it capitalizes on technological advances of cognitive neuroscience and theoretical advances on the operating characteristics of the brain. The Mariani Foundation for Paediatric Neurology hosted the Neurosciences and Music VI, an

Integrative health through music therapy

This session demonstrates music therapy strategies intended to connect mind, body and spirit in an approach that addresses new models of integrative medicine and health. There is a revolution in health care demanding attention to the whole person, not just symptoms and diagnoses. Music therapy addresses the psychological, cognitive, spiritual, and existential needs of individuals who are ill, working toward wellness of the individual, as opposed to cure of disease. The music therapy techniques presented in this session hale from Eastern philosophies related to ayurvedic and yogic practices of meditation and mantra, but also integrate contemporary thinking in the third wave of cognitive behavioral therapies and research supporting modern music therapy applications. Specifically, the presenter will identify certain mechanisms underlying efficacy, e.g. the neuromatrix theory of pain and psychoneuroimmunology of music;demonstrate music-facilitated strategies for stress and pain management, e.g. music-facilita...

The Way to Comfort

“The Way to Comfort” is devoted to the musical pathways along the journey that soothe and comfort the companion. Hanser presents specific techniques, including breath work, facial massage, progressive muscle relaxation, drummassage, imagery, meditation, mantra, listening, toning, and singing. Hanser provides a list of songs of comfort, and speaks of the properties of the lullaby that demonstrate the primitive and natural ability of music to focus the mind, relax the body, and calm the spirit. Music therapy supports many existing body-mind-spirit practices and also stands on its own, as an influential source of healing.

The Way to Awaken

Hanser reveals how music can awaken the breath, body, mind, and energy. Using a broad definition of awakening, she presents techniques for musical awakening, including active breath work, focusing, movement, yoga, drumming, imagery, lyric analysis, humming, playing singing bowls, chanting through the chakras, and singing Power Songs. Hanser describes a technique to literally awaken after surgery, or a medically-induced sleep. The opportunities for music therapy to awaken are vast, when there is openness to new ways of unlocking creativity.

The Way to Cope

Hanser presents techniques that attempt to help manage stress and reduce the perception of pain. She describes how music therapy can synchronize head and heart, bringing coherence to mind and body. Reframing and emotional-approach coping are presented as strategies that can reduce stress and anxiety. Singing and writing songs offer ways to take charge of illness and focus on communicating the meaning of the experience. Hanser elucidates how the use of entrainment through music and other creative techniques emphasizes the impermanence and malleability of pain, thus alleviating it.