Have you ever had surgery in a hospital?  Are you expecting to have surgery in the future?  Then you must know that surgeons and anesthesiologists have been using music in the Operating Room for over 50 years now!  At yet, it is still not expected and it is not really the “norm.”  Why not?  Because it takes a little extra time and effort to make it happen and hospital staffs are so overworked and overloaded that many fal into the trap of thinking that it’s “just a nicety that doesn’t really affect the quality of the procedure or doesn’t really affect the patient’s recovery.”  Of course we know that nothing could be farther from the truth!  The benefits of music before, during and after surgery are many, but here are the top ones:

•  Listening to slow, steady, soothing music, through cordless headphones before surgery calms the patient and allows them to begin relaxing before the surgery through music, rather than through having IV anti-anxiety drugs
• Listenting to slow, steady, soothing music, through cordless headphones during surgery begins and maintains the process of “rhythmic entrainment” during surgery so that the patient’s heart-rate and breathing will synchronize with the pulse of the music and the body will stay calm and relaxed so that patient requires less anesthesia and less pain medication.
• Listening to slow, steady, soothing music, through cordless headphones after surgery, allows the patient to regain consciousness in a calm sonic environment, and continue to benefit from the effects of rhythmic entrainment, which allows him to require less pain medication in the recovery area, experience less nausea, dizziness, and confusion and recover faster from the procedure.

If you or a loved one are scheduled for surgery, talk to your doctor, surgeon or anesthesia professional about using music as an adjunct to calm, comfort and make you secure and reassured about your procedure.  Feel free to contact me, too, through this blog!