Surgery with Music Series Post #22: Can anyone benefit from music during surgery?

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Surgical Serenity w colonoscopy

Surgery with music

Can anyone benefit from surgery with music?  Well, do you love music?  Does it relax you, comfort you, make you feel safe and secure?  Are there lots and lots of songs and pieces that remind you of happy times and all of the people you love?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, there is an excellent chance that you would benefit from music during your procedure.   Before and after your procedure, I think it’s a great idea to listen to the music that is especially meaningful to you.  During your surgery, whether you’re using a regional anesthesia or general anesthesia, research shows that purely instrumental music that has a slow, steady beat and a soothing, calming mood is best.

Ideally, everyone would be able to create their own playlist for their surgery, but that’s not very realistic.  Most people are a little bit rattled when they find out that they need surgery and sitting down to choose their favorite music and loading it methodically onto their Ipod is just not going to happen.  Then too, many older people wouldn’t know how to put music on an iPod anyway.

In addition, unless you have a brand-new iPod, your’s is likely pretty germy and not something that you want to bring into the operating room.

This is why I decided to create some pre-programmed, cordless headphones that would have the perfect, slow, steady, soothing music for surgery.  The headphones are lightweight and have no cord so that they can’t get tangled with any medical equipment.  The music was chosen by a clinical musicologist who has studied this for over 20 years.  If you have been told that you need surgery and if you love music and would like to experience the many benefits of music during surgery, click HERE.  If you have any questions, please don’t hestitate to contact me through this blog.

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Surgery with Music Series Post #20: How difficult is it to find the pre-programmed headphones for surgery?

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 If you have just found out that you need surgery for any given condition, you’ll want to get the headphones as soon as possible.  Having the ability to listen to this music for an hour or so a day leading up to the surgery will allow you to condition your body to relax when the music starts. 

It’s also good to be able to let your doctor know that you want to use music during the surgery in case he has questions about doing this.  Although most doctors are fine with the idea once they understand the considerable research behind them, some doctors will balk.  A few people have reported that their doctor allowed them to wear the headphones until the surgery and immediately afterwards, but not during. 

If you are going to a large, cutting-edge facility, it’s possible that they will already have the headphones ready to go for you, but in smaller communities and hospitals, you’ll probably have to bring your own!  As I said above, though, just be sure to let the doctor you’ll be bringing in your own music and player.

The only surgery that the headphones might not work for would be brain surgery and even then they could possibly be worn.  Anything new always has many skeptics at first, but these surgical serenity headphones are rapidly gaining credibility in the medical world.  I think the fact that the Cleveland Clinic has brought be in to do a Grand Rounds presentation is proof enough that they are a great idea!

Even if your surgery is less than a week away, I can probably get them to you if you’re willing to pay overnight postage.  Just go to www.surgicalheadphones.com and you can order either the headphones or a download of my proprietary music, chosen especially for it’s characteristics.  You can put the music on your own iPod or MP3 player if you prefer, but the cordless headphones are the easiest and most convenient!  Best wishes on your procedure!

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Surgery with Music Series Post #19: How long will music continue to be helpful in recovery process?

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 A reader has asked the question about how long after returning home from surgery will the headphones and music continue to help.  Great question!  The wonderful thing about music is that it always relaxes you and healing happens best and fastest when the body is relaxed.  Stress and anxiety cause every muscle in your body to tense up and it’s hard to heal when your body is full of tension.

That’s why putting the headphones on at least 30-45 before you are taken in to surgery is so important.  Here too, the more relaxed your body is, the less anesthesia and pain medication will be required to put you to sleep and keep you asleep comfortably.

After you return home you will find that it’s easy to add new music to the headphones or change all of the music completely.  You’ll be able to wear the headphones outdoors or indoors.  You could even travel with them and wear them on planes, trains and cruise ships, just like you would an iPod, but cordlessly.  These headphones are an investment that you’ll enjoy for years to come.

Thanks for all the questions people are sending me.  Keep them coming!

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Surgery with Music Series Post #17: What music should you listen to during surgery?

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When you’re about to have surgery, you really don’t have time to think about much else except preparing yourself for that process and the potential outcomes, good or bad.  The only possible exception to that might be cosmetic surgery where you have plenty of lead time and you feel sure that the outcome will be better that what you’re living with right now.

That’s why I think it’s nice to be able to have the music already pre-programmed on the cordless headphones.  Also, to know that the music has been chosen by an expert in music for surgery, so that the tempo, melodies, and character of the music is the ideal for surgery. 

What about the genre of music?  What about classical, jazz, pop, sacred, world music, or just easy listening?  I believe that any genre of music can be healing and can be soothing and comforting in the way that you want for surgery.  The fact is though, if you’re having general anesthesia, you won’t even hear the music once you’re completely under the anesthesia. 

So why have music playing while you’re under general anesthesia?  Good question!  And here is the answer:  the music that has been chosen for your surgery has a very slow, steady pulse that will entrain or synchronize your heart-beat and breathing with the tempo of the music.  This is done vibrationally and makes headphones the ideal way to transmit the vibrations through the 8th cranial nerve in the ear to the brain and throughout the entire body. 

One of the guiding principles of music therapy is that the patient should have the music of their choice, but this is not traditional music therapy because no music therapy is present.  The music has already been chosen and the genre right now is classical.  Eventually we will have jazz, folk, sacred and other genres available but people who don’t typically listen to classical music have listened to this soundtrack and said that it relaxed them quickly and totally. 

It’s all about a safer surgery procedure and a faster recovery.  Check them out at www.surgicalheadphones.com

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Surgery with Music Series Post #15: Talking with your Surgeon about Using Music

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 Today many surgeons and anesthesiologists are aware of the benefits of music before, during and after the surgical procedure.  But occasionally, a patient comes to me or calls me saying that their surgeon doesn’t like the idea?  Why?  Usually because the surgeon has not read all of the latest research on the the many benefits that music brings to the situation.  Some surgeons don’t understand the concept of entrainment, whereby the vibration of the music causes your heart and breathing to slow down and synchronize with the music.  Even after your ears cease to hear the music through the headphones, the vibrations of this music cause your inner rhythms of heartbeat and music to synchronize with that tempo and all with the mood of the music which is peaceful and serene.   For that reason, it really doesn’t even matter if you like classical music or not because when you are deeply “asleep” under the anesthesia, you won’t even hear the music as music!

I’ve actually written a free report entitled “How to Talk with Your Doctor About Using Music with your Surgery.”  Just click on this link to get it for free!  Don’t miss out on this important step of the process!

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Surgery with Music Series Post #14: Music with Dental Anesthesia

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Music with Dental Anesthesia

Just yesterday we talked about the use of novocaine in dentistry.  Today we’ll take a look at the other main anesthesia used in dentistry:  Nitrous Oxide or “laughing gas.”  My main concern would be not whether or not it’s effective because I’ve had it and I know that it does work.  What you want to know is what the dangers or side-effects might be.  Here is some good information that I found on a site called “Just Say N2O”

“N2O, or Nitrous Oxide, also known as laughing gas, is a weak anaesthetic (painkilling) gas that was first synthesised in 1775 by Joseph Priestley. Of the three early anaesthetics discovered (chloroform, ether and nitrous oxide) it is the only one still in regular use. While insufficiently strong for surgery, it was ideal for the lesser pain of dentistry. Unfortunately, it became popular as a scientific demonstration for public edification (and entertainment). The public entertainment aspect reduced its respectability and although it was first used in dentistry in 1844, it was not until the 1860s that it became more commonly used. Many famous people are recorded as having tried nitrous oxide.

What Is Nitrous Used For?

Common uses of nitrous oxide include surgical, food service and recreational purposes. Many people have experienced nitrous as an anaesthetic for dental surgery. Nitrous oxide chargers are also used to make whipped cream. The dairy industry uses nitrous as a mixing and foaming agent as it is non-flammable, bacteriostatic (stops bacteria from growing) and leaves no taste or odour. Nitrous is sometimes used in auto racing to speed combustion. Nitrous is even used in diving to prepare divers for the nitrous-like effects of nitrogen narcosis. It is also a greenhouse gas emitted by fertilizer and implicated in global warming.

Is Nitrous Illegal?

Given its myriad uses, it is not illegal to sell or possess nitrous. However, in the State of California the possession of N2O with intent to inhale is a misdemeanor: this is probably true of most states. One internet merchant was sentenced to 15 months in prison for selling nitrous with devices intended to facilitate its inhalation. The following is taken from the CA penal code:

381b.  Any person who possesses nitrous oxide or any substance
containing nitrous oxide, with the intent to breathe, inhale, or
ingest for the purpose of causing a condition of intoxication,
elation, euphoria, dizziness, stupefaction, or dulling of the senses
or for the purpose of, in any manner, changing, distorting, or
disturbing the audio, visual, or mental processes, or who knowingly
and with the intent to do so is under the influence of nitrous oxide
or any material containing nitrous oxide is guilty of a misdemeanor.
This section shall not apply to any person who is under the
influence of nitrous oxide or any material containing nitrous oxide
pursuant to an administration for the purpose of medical, surgical,
or dental care by a person duly licensed to administer such an agent.

You should check your State’s Laws. When purchasing nitrous you implicitly agree to abide by the laws governing its use: the same as with gasoline, marker pens, white out, spray paint, ant poison, fabric softener, etc, etc, etc.

What Does Nitrous Do?

Physiological effects last a minute or two for a lungful of nitrous and then mainly dissipate. Some residual effects may last up to several minutes later. Unlike other drugs, the effects of nitrous very rapidly recede. As noted in 1845, “Those who inhale the Gas once, are always anxious to inhale it the second time.” When inhaled, nitrous produces a variety of physical effects including:

  • Disorientation (both spatial and time-based)
  • Fixated vision
  • Throbbing or pulsating auditory hallucinations
  • Similarly pulsating visual hallucinations
  • Increased pain threshold
  • Deeper mental connections
  • Lowered vocal pitch (opposite of helium)

What Are The Dangers?

The most common dangers from nitrous are due to its disorienting effects and the silliness that surrounds something called laughing gas. Tripping, falling or tipping over in a chair are very common. In one recorded case this caused death. The main cause of death from nitrous seems to be asphyxiation from a bag over the head. Frost bite from the very cold gas is also a concern, especially if dispensing when still disoriented.

Use common sense to avoid most problems.

Because nitrous permeates the lipid (fatty) membranes of your body, it can outgas into your gut or middle ear causing an ache. Cronic heavy usage has very unpleasant effects that could be permanent. Read more detailed dangers of nitrous use.

What Does Nitrous Feel Like?

After several deep breaths of air, I inhale nearly a lungful of nitrous and pull some air down on top and then hold my breath. Within seconds, a light tingling can be felt which seems to increase in frequency. The sensation is much as if waves were traveling up your body or as if you were twisting or spinning. Disorientation increases rapidly and the pulsing sounds/feelings increase, wrapping over one another. It is now, with eyes shut, that I enter a dreamlike state, where I am thinking out something and the external world has essentially ceased to exist. The urge to breathe takes over at some point and partial or whole breaths taken. Open eyes reveal some sort of tunnel vision, with regions of disorientation about the outside. Slowly the throbbing subsides. At other times I experience a sense of paranoia mixed with disorientation. I have a deep conviction while under the influence that all things are cycling together, that there is some deeper cyclical event occuring. It is as an experience of deja vu continually occuring. The feeling is profound and not altogether pleasant.

So how can music make a difference?  Well, what I have found after 25 years as a therapist dealing with addictions, any substance that makes a person feel better or puts them in an altered state, is subject to abuse.  I don’t think that nitrous oxide is not one of the top drugs to abuse, but it is true that dentists and anesthesiologists do sometimes become addicted because of easy access and a tendency to chemical addictions:

Abuse in the Medical and Dental Fields

There have also been cases of nitrous oxide abuse among healthcare professionals. Dentists and anesthesiologistsMedical doctors trained to use medications to sedate a surgery patient. with easy access to the drug seem to be at a higher risk than the general public of developing nitrous-related dependence problems. Dependence is the belief that a person needs to take a certain substance in order to function.

Substance abuse is also especially high among healthcare professionals who administer anesthesia in a hospital setting. According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), about 15 percent of anesthesia providers are substance abusers. “Nurse anesthetists are dying … from accidental overdose or from suicide,” reported Carlos “Rusty” Ratliff in “Anesthetists in Recovery: Chemical Dependency in the Profession.” Like dentists, certified registered nurse anesthetists have large supplies of nitrous oxide readily available to them. Consequently, nitrous oxide is one of the drugs these professionals may end up abusing.

Dental Highs

In an article posted on the American Dental Association (ADA) Web site titled “Escaping Addiction: The Door to Freedom,” Dr. Thomas L. Haynes discusses the topic of addiction among dentists. “The access to large amounts of nitrous oxide,” noted Haynes, along with the stress and isolation of the profession, increases the risk of abuse. “Many a dentist has been found lifeless in the office,” he continued, “the N2O mask still strapped to the face.”

“Chemical Dependence in Anesthesiologists,” a document developed by the ASA TaskForce on Chemical Dependence, addresses the problem of drug abuse among anesthesiologists. Although addicted medical doctors typically become hooked on opioidsA substance created in a laboratory to mimic the effects of naturally occurring opiates such as heroin and morphine. such as fentanyl, nitrous oxide was mentioned by the ASA as another potential drug of abuse. (An entry on fentanyl is available in this encyclopedia.)

The main use of music here is to decrease the amount of nitrous oxide needed for something like a root canal or an extraction.  If you can use mainly your favorite calming music and no other anesthetic, that is ideal!  Good luck!

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Surgery with Music Series Post #10: How does music affect other medication requirements

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 This is such a simple concept, and yet, very few hospitals or sugery centers implement therapeutic music.  There are many, many studies that document that music pre- and post-surgery can decrease the use of  anxiety medications before and pain medication afterwards.  Studies have been conducted on major hospitals and universities all over the world.  As recently as April 1, 2011 I presented a Grand Rounds at Cleveland Clinic Florida that went over the top studies for music before, during and after surgery.  To see highlights of this, click HERE.

How does it work?  Before surgery, when you put on the headphones, the music enters your brain through the 8th cranial nerve.  Within moments, you close your eyes and your heartrate and breathing begin to slow down and become steady.  You begin to relax, naturally, and the need for I.V. anxiety medication greatly reduces.  After surgery, the headphones are again used as you move into the recovery area and your body stays relaxed as you come out from under the anesthesia. 

The recovery room is known for it’s busy-ness and (often) lack of peace and quiet.  In today’s crowded hospitals, nurses are trying to take care of many patients at the same time and those without music are often moaning and crying out.  Those with the headphones are not only staying relaxed, but the headphones help block out other patients cries and sounds of pain and discomfort.

Some hospitals have tried having CD players at bedside, but that doesn’t work nearly as well as the pre=programmed headphones.  A recent patient wrote this to me:

  • I kept expecting to be nervous  as the date of surgery rolled around but couldn’t seem to summon up any anxiety
  • My blood pressure has dropped to normal limits
  • I “knew ” I wouldn’t be able to sleep prior to surgery but guess what I slept well
  • I was calm and relaxed before surgery
  • The dentist and staff tucked me in, made sure I had my music (I had my i POD set to repeat ) and away we went.
  • Post -op I was still relaxed – had a sleep and had little pain- I had a bunch of work done – I did take an Advil at bedtime just for “insurance” but really didn’t need it.
  • My mouth is healing beautifull

Thank you for the wonderful music.

Blessings, Anne

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to leave them as comments on this blog and I will get right back to you!

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Surgery with Music Series: Post #9 “How much does music affect the anesthesia requirement of a patient?”

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 We’ve established that anesthesia is a modern wonder, of sorts.  Nevertheless, we also established that it carries with it certain risks and dangers, the worst of which would be an untimely death.  Anesthesia MUST be administered by a medical specialist, an anesthesiologist who has gone beyond the MD degree to specialize in anesthesia.

Besides finding the very best anesthesiologist your hospital offers, what else can you do?   You already know that I’m going to recommend using slow, steady, purely instrumental music that has the tempo of the resting healthy heartbeat.  And not from a nearby boombox or ipod on speakers or even an iPod with earbuds.  My recommendation is to use cordless/wireless headphones that are already pre-programmed with the ideal music for surgery under general anesthesia.

Why?  Because we know that even when the hearing has shut down from the effects of the general anesthesia, the body still responds to the vibrations coming through the headphones into the body.  When this happends, the process called entrainment is triggered and the heartrate and breathing synchronize with the music, keeping the body relaxed and in need of less anesthesia. Just imagine how nervous your would be if you knew your body had a serious problem and you were going to be put to sleep and operated on? Your body would be very tense and it would like require more anesthesia to put you to sleep that if you’ve been listening to slow, steady music for 45 mins or so before you’re taken into surgery?  At this moment, a scientific study is being done with our headphones at a large hospital here in Lousiville, KY to measure the exact effects and benefits of these headphones.  Tomorrow we’ll look into the benefits of these headphones with regional anesthesia!

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Surgery with Music Series: Post #4 “Side-effects of surgery”

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 No one wants to have surgery, but sometimes it really is necessary if you want to continue with your life.  Surgical procedures have dramtically improved over the last 50-60 years and most surgeries are completed with no problems whatsoever.  Unfortunately, even when the surgery is completely successful, recovery from surgery can be difficult and stressful.

Of course there is no such thing as a “typical surgery.”  Surgery includes everything from a Cesarean section for deliver a baby to heart bypass surgery, to joint replacements.  No matter what the surgery, certain after-effects can be expected:  nausea, pain, grogginess, sleepiness, tiredness, weakness, dizzyness, difficulty walking, stand, sitting, sleeping and many more.  Luckily these things don’t last forever, but often there is a correlation with how long these side-effects last and how much anesthesia the patient had.  It’s hard to separate the side-effects of surgery from the side-effects of anesthesia, but we do know that the less anesthesia you can get by with, the faster you’ll recover and also have the least number of side-effects.

One of the best ways to reduce the likely amount of anesthesia you’ll need is to use music through headphones for 30-60 minutes before your surgery begins.  This allows your body to slow down and relax and when you begin the procedure already relaxed, less anesthesia will be required to put you under.  It’s important that the music be very steady, purely instrumental music with the tempo of the healthy resting heartbeat.  This way, your own heartbeat and breathing can synchronize or entrain with the music you’re hearing through headphones.

If you continue to wear the headphones into the recovery area, research shows that there can be a greatly reduced amount of pain medication needed…another way to keep you from experiencing nearly as many of the side-effects.  If you or a friend has surgery scheduled, please consider using music with your surgery!

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Music and Surgery 30-day series: Post #2 “Fears about Surgery”

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So you’ve just been told that you need to have surgery.  The fears and anxiety are running through your mind and all over your body like an army of tiny spiders.  THINK of all the things that might go wrong!  You could end of paralyzed, you could end up dead!  They may take the wrong thing out and leave you with a damaged or sick body part.  Maybe the anesthesia will not work but they don’t know it and you feel every single knife stroke and pull.  Enough!

Chances are, everything will be just fine.  Serious accidents and mistakes in surgery are truly rare, but they do happen.  How can you help yourself in this situation?  By doing exactly what you’re doing…going to the internet and searching for high-quality information about your specific type of situation and the recommended surgery.  You might also want to get a second or even a third opinion!  I was recently told that I needed plastic surgery on my face to remove a cyst.  I visited a plastic surgeon who confirmed this.  Then I visited a second plastic surgeon who said “I wouldn’t rush into that.  I’d give it 8-9 months and see how it does.”  I was never so relieved in my life!  I’ll probably wait at least another month or so now and then visit one more plastic surgeon for a consult. 

In the final analysis, it’s your body and only you can decide this.  If you DO decide to proceed, one thing you can do before, during and after surgery is to take in lightweight, cordless headphones that are pre-programmed with the best music for surgery.  This music has been tested around the world and the consensus is unanimous.   Every person has said that they would use them again! 

No one wants to have surgery, but if surgery is needed, add some soothing, calming, comforting music to the equation!  You can end up having less anesthesia, less pain medication and an overall more positive experience!

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