Can Children Wear the Surgical Serenity Solutions headphones?

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If you have children in your home, then you know that going to the doctor or pediatrician for a well checkup, a sick visit, or an immunization can be difficult.  Children learn at an early age what “getting a shot” means, and they don’t like it!  What can you do to ease the intensity of this experience and help children (and their parents) get through it with as little upset as possible?

As a therapist and a music medicine practitioner, I am around children and their families on a daily basis.  So I thought I would do a little experiment!  A little 6 year-old girl that I know, really does not like going to the doctor’s office to get a shot.  There are no words to convince her that it’s not going to hurt, and even promises of ice cream or toys cannot make her dislike this experience.  I wondered if  giving her some of Serenity Headphones make ease the experience for her and for her mother, as well as the doctor!

When a child comes into a medical facility already crying, kicking, and trying to run away from staff, it’s disruptive and upsetting for everyone.  I’ve seen this happening many times!  (Not my children, of course!)  It doesn’t take a lot of crying, squealing, or screaming to feed the overall anxiety level and before you know it, other children are crying and trying to get away.  And so I offered my friend “Rosie. age 6″ the opportunity to take some headphones with her.  I explained that the music was intended to calm and comfort her and that if she closed her eyes and focused on the music, it probably would not hurt at all!”

Here is what she said:

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New Hospital Program planned for Surgical Headphones

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For the past 5 years we have been marketing our surgical  headphones primarily to individuals who are preparing for surgery.  After selling hundreds of these clinically and scientifically proven headphones with our proprietary music on them, we have decided to also have a different headphone that we will market to hospitals.  The new headphones is intended to be given or issued to each surgical patient for them to keep and take home to continue using in their recovery.

We have put thousands of hours into this process and are excited to reveal that we are getting really close to having this new surgical headphone ready to provide to hospitals!  With concerns about infection-control at an all-time high, many hospitals don’t want to re-use anything that they can make disposable.  Although we wouldn’t call this new surgical headphone disposable, we do believe that the new price will allow hospitals to give all surgical patients their own surgical headphone and in addition, patients will have at least four different playlists to choose from.

When we went to the AORN conference in Denver in 2015, this nurse from Johns Hopkins hospital was extremely enthusiastic about our surgical headphones!

Of course we will keep selling our premium surgical headphone will 4 GB of memory and a battery life of 20-24 hours.  We anticipate that dentists will buy these because they can more safely re-use them, as well as cosmetic surgery practices where price restrictions are not so intense.  To order these, just go to www.SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com.  We look forward to providing our proven surgical headphones to all patients preparing for surgery!

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Root Canal!!! The most dreaded procedure of all.

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Nobody wants to have a root canal, right?  I’ve had one; actually I’ve had 3, but they were all in one tooth, because some teeth, molars, have four roots.  They are definitely no fun, but with enough novocaine and nitrous oxide, I got thru it.  But who wants to be filled with novocaine and nitrous oxide.  Numerous people have now used our headphones for major and minor dental procedure and they rave about the positive results, compared to previous interventions.  Dentistry was actually one of the first professions to use the headphones back in the 50’s.  It was called audio anesthesia and my dentist gave them to me.  Needless to say, they were nothing like our solution.  They were huge and clunky and had a five-foot long cord that everyone in the room was tripping over.  I liked them, but they were heavy.

Listen as Suzanne tells her experience of using the Surgical Serenity Solution with her root canal.

 

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Baby Boomers and Knee Replacement Surgery: Important Information

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The Baby Boomer generation is having joint replacement surgery at an unbelievable rate.  It is definitely one of the most frequent surgeries that we Baby Boomers have.  Although I have not personally had one, I have helped many people get through them with the help of the Surgical Serenity Solution.

There are many Boomers who have never had any kind of surgery and when they find that they are going to have to have surgery, they are literally scared to death.  Many of them choose not to have the surgery because of this fear and terror.  Because they can’t move around easily, they often gain more and more weight, have more and more pain, and eventually become house-bound, depressed and isolated!

But listen to this lady tell her story.  She had undergone many surgeries and was getting increasingly fearful and anxious of the pain that she knew would follow.  She found out that she really did need a knee replacement and had tied herself up in knots trying to decide whether or not to go through with it. A dear friend heard about the Surgical Serenity Solution, and decided to get the preprogrammed, cordless headphones for her friend!

Here is what she told me, about two weeks after the surgery:

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Surgical Serenity Solutions: a few words about our music

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Surgical Serenity Solutions exists to create a surgical experience that is less stressful for the patient, speed recovery, and that will improve over-all outcomes!  That said, what exactly is our proprietary music all about?  Well, I’ll go so far as to say that they main idea is to get rhythmic entrainment established through the use of slow, steady, soothing, music.  As a concert pianist, musicologist, and therapist, I have chosen music that fits that definition, in a variety of genres.  Our first playlist is still our primary playlist and it is the one we’ve sold the most of.  It is a classical piano playlist and contains 23 lesser-known classical pieces that I purposely chose because of their ability to help the patient entrain, or synchronize their heart-rate, breathing, and emotional state, quickly and easily.

When patients put the headphones on for the first-time in my presence, they invariably get a smile on their face, close their eyes, and say “ahhhh…that’s beautiful!!”  I purposely chose music that is not well known, because people have such strong association with music, and, just in case it’s a piece that someone might have a negative association with, I chose music that the average piano student would not have encountered.

However, it is not at all necessary to love classical music or even be familiar with it, to greatly benefit from this playlist.  The only time you’ll really hear it is as you’re going to sleep (under general anesthesia) or as you’re waking up.  If you have access to the headphones or to our proprietary music (we do sell JUST the music!), before your procedure, then you can practice relaxing while listening to the music, and condition your mind and body to relax as you lie down and start the music.  By the time you’re ready for surgery, you will quickly relax by the end of the first piece.

Soon we will offer a New Age playlist, a jazz-style playlist, a folk-style playlist, and more.  Eventually, we’ll have multiple options within each genre!  There is literally no other company that offers such a powerful, yet simple  solution.  To buy, just click on the link www.SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com/buy.

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Three Questions you’ll want to ask when considering Surgical Serenity Solutions? Some FAQs

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The concept of using music for the patient during surgery is still a new concept for many people.  But the research is coming in!  Even when you are asleep from anesthesia, your body STILL responds to the slow, steady pulse of the right music!  How do I know this?  Because I am a clinical musicologist who has spent the past 25 years studying this phenomenon and helping surgery patients create their own playlists from their favorite music, and then creating the Surgical Serenity Solution for those that either don’t have time to choose their own preferred music or would rather get something that is ready to go and proven effective!!  Here are some more of the questions I often get:

Q1.  Why should I use music before, during and after surgery if I’ll be asleep anyway?

A1.  When you listen to soothing, steady, instrumental music before surgery (or other anxiety-provoking medical procedure) research documents measurable decreases in anxiety medications; when music continues into surgery, there is not only less anesthesia, but stabilized blood pressure, body temp, heart rate and respiration rate.  The body synchronizes with the slow, steady tempo of the music and has a lower report of pain perception.  After surgery, into the recovery room, the patient awakens with less nausea and vomiting, better oriented to time and place, and requiring less pain medication!  This is big!

Q2.  How can talk to my doctor about wanting to use the Surgical Serenity Solution?

A2.  If you go to www.SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com, you will see a link to the blog.  Click on that and in the right-hand margin you will see a link to our complimentary report “How to Talk with your Doctor about using Music in Surgery.”  The brief report includes research studies that have been done, documenting all the positive benefits to patient when the right kind of music is used during surgery.

Q3.  Why can’t I just bring my own iPod with earbuds of headphones?

A3.  You can probably do this, but then the surgical team has to try and avoid the cord that is hanging down to connect iPod with headphones or earbuds.  Our pre-programmed headphones are totally cordless and do not transmit any signal that could interfere with other devices in OR.  Also, our headphones will be brand-new for you and completely sanitized and disinfected.  And while your music may be favorite music and enjoyable, our proprietary classical blend has been specifically chosen to entrain or synchronize with your heart-rate and breathing.

At the request of many potential surgery patients, I will be publishing more of these Q and As so let me know what YOUR questions are!

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Music during surgery: for patient or surgeon?

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Many people ask me if the music on our Surgical Serenity Headphones is for the surgeon or the patient.  Actually, quite a bit has been written about music for the doctor, whether focusing on the surgeon or the anesthesiologist.  Very litle has been written about music for the patient!

The article that I will cite, shortly, is from 2011, and is written for the general public by an M.D. in San Francisco.   Although this article is very interesting, no mention is made of the powerful phenomenon known as “rhythmic entrainment” which is at the heart of the Surgical Serenity Solution!  When people or medical personnel think about music during surgery, they are mainly thinking of  music being broadcast in the OR through speakers or perhaps an iPod on a speaker.  The music is usually chosen by the surgeon and is in accordance with his taste.

How the patient might respond to it is not really foremost in their mind.  The field of music therapy has conducted hundreds of scientific, empirical studies on the use of music in healthcare, medicine and wellness.  Recently there has been an increase in the number of studies focusing on the use of music with the patient during surgery.  Often these studies are looking at the use of a music therapist playing live music for the patient during surgery!  Although it sounds wonderful, I’m not sure how practical it really is.  The operating room is a rather small space as hospitals work to accomodate as many ORs as they safely can.

In any event, the music therapists are working with the patient before surgery to determine the patient’s taste in music as well as the music that will be most beneficial to them during their procedure.  Then, a music therapist usually plays the chosen music on guitar and possibly sings?  Music therapist friends, please correct me if this is wrong.  If I were having surgery, I would love this!  However, in a busy hospital with dozens of surgeries going on daily, I think it’s not likely to be available.

For that reason, knowing how to choose the music that will best entrain, or synchronize your heart-rate and breathing is so important.  Or, you can always get the pre-programmed cordless headphones, with the ideal music already on them and waiting for you.  That way, the surgeons and other staff can still have their music of choice!  Your choice!

For more information on music in surgery, see  http://www.salon.com/2011/03/07/poprx_music_in_operating_room/

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Surgery with Music: FAQ’s

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Are you having surgery?  Are you scared of the pain, the anesthesia, the time off work, the side-effects of all the medications you’ll be given?  These are all common, and VALID concerns.  Surgery is serious business, but there are times that it really must be done to improve quality of life, to prolong life, or to enhance life.

Over the past 5 or 6 decades, surgery has become a much safer endeavor as hospital OR conditions have improved and methods of sterilization and decontamination have stepped into the 21st century.  Many companies have created tools to make the patient more comfortable during the entire procedure, from warming the sheets and giving the patient fuzzy foot-cover, to lightweight headphones that deliver specially-chosen music for surgery, wirelessly and cordlessly!

Here are some of the most frequently-asked questions that I get about the benefits of music during surgery:

  1. What are the benefits of music during surgery:

Patients using music (through cordless headphones) pre-surgery, during and after surgery, report less fear and anxiety medication before procedure, less anesthesia during surgery, and less pain medication after surgery.  They also report fewer side-effects from the anesthesia, such as nausea and vomiting, and a faster return to home, work and life in general!  In addition, when patient receives the music through headphones, the surgeon can have his own more upbeat music, and the patient isn’t affected by that.  Also, conversations that the doctors and nurses have, that patient doesn’t want to hear, will be obscured.  Finally, with Baby boomers having more and more joint replacement surgeries, patients don’t have to hear the drilling, sawing and hammering that goes on.

2.  What are the drawbacks of music during surgery:  absolutely none!

3.   Do the headphones block all sounds in the OR?:  No, the surgical headphones are intended to greatly decrease the OR noises, but during regional anesthesia and surgery, the patient can still hear questions that the doctor might need to ask.

4.   Will my doctors approve of this?  Most doctors do approve of the use of headphones during surgery.  The surgeon and the anesthesiologist both need to give their approval.  It is important to print out our free article entitled “How to Talk with Your Doctor about Using Music During Surgery.”

5.   How did you choose the music on the headphones?:  I have been helping patients choose their perfect music for surgery for almost 25 years.  I had been reading about the benefits of music in reducing medication and calming the patient, but through my own personal research and experience, I discovered that slow, steady, soothing instrumental music, that has the tempo of the healthy, resting heartbeat is ideal.  This is what get the entrainment process going, and even when the patient is under general anesthesia, the body’s heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure all tend to stabilize and synchronize with the slow, steady pulse of the music.

6.    Can I continue to use them after surgery?:  Yes.  The headphones include a USB cable and charger so that after your surgery or other medical procedure, you can connect the headphones to your laptop and load hundreds more pieces or songs of your choice.  With care, your headphones should last for many years!

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Surgical Serenity Solutions featured in local magazine

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FullSizeRender (3) Yes, I was thrilled when a local journalist wanted to write an article about Surgical Serenity Solutions.  One of the challenges that we musicians, music therapists, and clinical musicologists have is publicity.  In the past, unless one had a very healthy  marketing and advertising budget, it was just not possible to let the world know what all of the possibilities were for healing with music, how music affects the brain, and the tremendous benefits of music with surgery.  Now, much of that has changed!

With the internet and the world wide web, Surgical Serenity Solutions now has the possibility of electronic magazines (ezines), blogs, Facebook, Twitter and so much more.  All of these are basically free, but there is just a little bit of a learning curve.  Thanks to all of the new “social media” options, millions more people are now aware of the healing power of music.  And this week, out came one more great article about the Surgical Serenity Solution.  http://issuu.com/todayswoman.com/docs/todayswomandecember2013

The only way that we can get our wonderful, pre-programmed headphones into every hospital is to use social media to the max!  Surgical Serenity Solutions not only has a website, but also a blog, a FB page, www.facebook.com/surgicalserenitysolutions , a Twitter account, @music4surgery , a Instagram account, #surgicalserenitysolutions and other websites such as www.SurgicalHeadphones.com.  I do hope you’ll connect with us in as many of these venues as possible!

There is so much to understand about how to use music with your surgery and so much medical research to report on now!  Don’t miss out on this exciting new development in the world of surgery and the world of MusicMedicine.

Would love to get your comments and questions after reading  this!  Thanks!

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