Surgery Music Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Surgical Serenity Solutions

How does music help during surgery?

This is probably the question that I get asked most frequently and I assume that most people just don’t think of having music while they are asleep. Many people assume that perhaps it would be too distracting to the surgeon and that the patient is asleep anyway?

Not so! First of all, what I am recommending is that the patient wear lightweight, already programmed headphones so that the music the patient is hearing is intended only for the patient. The surgeon does not hear it at all.

Nowadays, many surgeons actually do bring their own favorite music in to the operating room. Surgeons say it helps them to concentrate more on the work they are doing and also it helps keep their energy level up.

From the patient’s point of view, they often wake up after surgery and reports that they did hear conversations and comments by the doctor or the nurses and, in the case of joint replacement surgeries, they hear drilling, hammering, and sometimes sawing!!!

When the patient is wearing lightweight headphones, not only do they have pleasant soothing music entering their brain, but this music also helps to block our the disconcerting sounds and conversations in the operating room.

What will you choose to do if you need a medical procedure?

By DrAlice|June 25, 2010|Headphones for other medical procedures, How music works, Surgery Music|0 Comments

FAQ’s about type of music best for surgery

I frequently get questions about which music works best for surgery. Unfortunately, that’s not a simple question because musical taste is so personal. But, I can definitely give you a few insights into this process:

1. What kind of music is best for surgery?

Research has shown that music that has a slow, steady tempo, like that of the healthy resting heart-beat is best. Also, this music should be purely instrumental, i.e., no lyrics. This is because lyrics engage the left side of the brain and we tend to start analyzing the music and not just relaxing.

2. Is a person’s age a factor in choosing the best music?

Definitely! People tend to like the music that they grew up with and therefore will relax best with music that they have positive associations with. We will soon introduce music from a wide variety of eras.

3. Does the type/genre of music matter?

What matters most is that the music be slow and steady with no lyrics. Music that fits this description can be found in jazz, R & B, Easy Listening, New Age, classical and many others.

4. What if the doctors are playing their own music?

Doctors have been playing music in the OR for several decades now. Unfortunately, the music they usually play has a faster tempo than what the patient needs and oftentimes it has lyrics that are not really conducive to relaxation.

5. Can I just download your music onto my iPod?

Absolutely. The current surgery soundtrack has been chosen specifically because it matches all the above criteria. The current music is classical piano music but has been chosen because the style is familiar but the specific pieces are largely unfamiliar. This is because it’s possible that someone who has played a well-known piano piece (like Fur Elise) and had a memory slip or some other mistake, does not want to be reminded of that during surgery. If a person has time and means to have a personal consult with me, we can create together their ideal playlist for surgery!

Hope this helps you with your decision of whether or not to use music during your surgery. Knowning that something so simple can help you to use less anesthesia, less anxiety meds and less pain medication makes it a very attractive option!

By DrAlice|April 13, 2010|Surgery Music|0 Comments

Real Soul Music

Research has shown that 30 to 60 minutes of music a day can lower levels of pain and of blood pressure. It has also been found to improve respiration rates
The sound of piano music coming from the operating theatre was the first clue that something unusual was afoot. As the theatre doors swung open and the trolley was wheeled in, the patient was greeted by a smiling surgeon sitting at a piano playing “The More I See You”.

As the surgeon played on, with random extracts from other piano works, the patient was sedated and prepared for surgery. With the patient and theatre team ready, the music finally stopped, and the surgeon stood up and began his day job.

The experiment in Hawaii, a world first, was testing whether music has an effect on health, pain and vital signs, such as blood pressure and heart and breathing rates, as well as levels of hormones and antibodies.

By DrAlice|September 10, 2008|Surgery Music|2 Comments

More News on the Surgery Patent!

WOW! What a difference a couple of days can make in one’s life! Since getting word on Monday that my patent had finally been awarded, I have been contacted by loads of people! Isn’t that exciting? Most are just asking for information about my idea and of course one of the things that I do is to refer them to this blog! You CAN subscribe to this blog. Did you know that? There’s a little box near the top of the page that you can fill in and then not miss a single post!
I’m getting so many congratulatory emails that I spend nearly an hour everytime I sit down just reading those! In the meantime, I’m leaving Sunday on my 60th birthday cruise with my kids and their husbands so I’ll be out of touch while I’m gone. Please leave your comments on the blog. I look forward to hearing from you!

By DrAlice|August 14, 2008|Surgery Music|0 Comments

One of my dreams has come true!!

I am so excited and thrilled to announce the yesterday I was notified that my invention for delivering music during surgery has received a patent from the U.S. Patent Office. Needless to say, there are lots of small details ( like paying ANOTHER $1,000.00!!!) but now I can market the invention as a unique, proven, and patented device for surgery!!! HOORAY!!! It’s been a 3 1/2 year journey and I was turned down so many times in the beginning that I thought it might not happen at all. But as of yesterday around noon, the tides have turned and now I can begin looking for angel investors! Wouldn’t you like to invest in a simple device that will revolutionize the OR because of it’s proven ability to decrease the amount of anesthesia, anxiety medication and pain medication…all through music? I can only let a limited number of people join me in this venture so contact me at chantdoc@healingmusicenterprises.com if you are interested! HOORAY!!!

By DrAlice|August 13, 2008|Surgery Music, surgery preparation|1 Comment

Music Surgery Soundtrack to be released shortly!

I am sooo excited friends! I’ve put together the first in a series of downloadble soundtracks for surgery! This music will be available from a new page on my website and for those who are not adept at downloading music, I will also preprogram MP3 players for you to take directly into surgery. I’m working on the Ebook for Music and Surgery right now and putting the finishing touches on it. Please let all of your friends and families know about this exciting release. Surgery is an important and usually necessary event but it doesn’t have to be as dangerous. Numerous studies document that patients listening to slow, steady, instrumental music through headphones (or earbuds!) need less anesthesia and anesthesia is one of the things people have to recover from!!

Please stay tuned!!

By DrAlice|August 7, 2008|Surgery Music, surgery preparation|0 Comments

Should you use Christmas Music with your surgery?

You know, that may sound like a silly question, but I have gotten it and many more like it and it is actually a very logical question. Is there a magical formula for the music that works best during surgery? Believe it or not, there is! And I’m going to give it to you in a general way
The music you already love that is:

slow and steady-tempo of the healthy, resting heartbeat
purely instrumental
no more than three gentle instruments

What do I mean by “gentle instruments”? I mean something like a flute, a harp, a cello, or even a quiet piano. What wouldn’t work?…a trumpet, a tuba, anything that has a bit of an “edge” to it. Feel free to disagree, but these are the instruments that people report that they find relaxing, soothing, comforting.

Can Christmas music fall nto this category? Of course! This year I made a CD that is mostly soft, quiet Christmas music. At least one person I know used it during their surgery and reported good results!

By DrAlice|December 21, 2007|Benefits of music during surgery, Characteristics of music for surgery, Surgery Music|0 Comments

An interesting surgery experience

Recently, a friend of mine’s son had to have brain surgery. Thankfully, the tumor was benign and he is recovering fabulously well, but over coffee the other day, the father related an interesting and humorous experience his son had while coming out of the anesthesia. Apparently he was thinking of the new TV Show “Deal or No Deal.” In his “dream state” he was playing the game and was asked “deal or no deal.” He said “deal” and when the pretty girl opened the case, in it was a NEW BRAIN!

What does this have to do with music? Nothing, but I thought my readers would enjoy the story! Actually I will say this: if my friend had been wearing headphone (or earbuds in this case since it was brain surgery) he might or might not have had this dream. I believe that music affects the thoughts and probably dreams of people who are listening. In this case, the dream was funny and amusing. I believe that the chances for a positive surgical experience are greatly increased when listening to music through headphones or earbuds.

By DrAlice|March 28, 2007|Surgery Music, surgery preparation, Surgery with Music Case Histories|0 Comments