While many people still doubt the power of the mind, the effectiveness of mind body medicine and mind body techniques such as laughter, also known as humor therapy, positive psychology, and the remarkable impact our moods have on our ability to function, one study has made a significant discovery regarding how positive emotions impact our minds act work.

Given the nature of our current economy in 2011, globally, work place stress is at an all time high. Most corporate policies prohibit employees from watching videos, unless work related on the internet.

However, did you know that watching funny videos on the web at work, perhaps should be something management supports? I’m not surprised that watching humorous videos are not necessarily a wasted of time, because they create a good mood, and enable the viewer to think in a more creative way.

According to Ruby Nadler, a University of Western Ontario graduate student, “Generally, positive mood has been found to enhance creative problem solving and flexible yet careful thinking.” She and colleagues Rahel Rabi and John Paul Minda carried out a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. For this study, Nadler and her colleagues analyzed a particular kind of learning that is improved by creative thinking.

The researchers manipulated mood with help from music clips and video clips; first, they tried several out to find out what made people happiest and saddest. The happiest music was a peppy Mozart piece, and the happiest video was of a laughing baby. College students participating in the study were placed into different moods and then given a category learning task to do (they learned how to categorize picture sets with visually complex patterns).

The researchers then used these in the experiment, along with sad music and video (a piece of music from Schindler’s List and a news report tragedy, an earthquake) and a piece of music and a video that didn’t affect mood. After listening to the music and watching the video, people had to try to learn to recognize a pattern.

Happy volunteers were better at learning a rule to classify the patterns than sad or neutral volunteers. “If you have a project where you want to think in a more innovative way, or you have a problem to carefully consider, being in a positive mood can help you to do that,” Nadler says. And music is an easy way to get into a good mood. Everyone has a different type of music that works for them — don’t feel like you have to switch to Mozart, she says.

Nadler also believes this may be a reason why people like to watch funny videos at work. “I think people are unconsciously trying to put themselves in a positive mood” — so that the appearance of wasting time in fact may be good news for employers.

I believe mind body techniques hold a great potential, in the work place to improve employee moral, health, the work environment, if employers are willing to look beyond their current way of managing employees, as this study clearly suggests.

Click here to learn more about how to improve your mood using laughter and other mind body healing techniques.

Yours in good health,
Elaine R. Ferguson, MD

Researchers have found that women with high levels of cynical hostility, harboring hostile thoughts towards other or having a general mistrust of people are at higher risk of dying, but the risk of developing heart disease wasn’t different from non-hostile women.

Hillary A.  Tendo, M.D., MPH, lead author of the study and assistant professor of medicine, a University of Pittsburgh, said, “as a physician, I like to see people try to reduce their negativity in general.  The majority of evidence suggests that sustained, high levels of negativity are hazardous to health.”

This is the largest study to date to evaluate the health effects of optimism and cynical hostility in post-menopausal women.  The researchers found that women’s attitudes are linked to their health outcomes.

Women who are optimistic when compared to those who weren’t, experienced a 9% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 14% decrease chance of dying from any cause over an eight-year follow-up period.  Also, women with a high degree of cynical hostility and compared to those with a very low degree had a 16% greater likelihood of dying during the eight-year period.

Dr. Tyndall said, “prior to our work, the strongest evidence linking optimism and all cause mortality was from a Dutch study showing a more pronounced Association and then.”

The study evaluated nine the 7253 postmenopausal women between the ages of 5279 from the women’s health initiative.  They were cancer free and did not have heart disease.  At the beginning of the study.

The researchers used the live orientation test revised questionnaire to measure their levels of optimism and cynical hostility.  They place the women into four groups optimists, mild optimistic, low optimists, and pessimists.

Optimism was defined as answering yes to question such as, “in unclear times, I usually expect the best.”  Pessimism was defined as answering yes to question such as, “if something can go wrong for me, it will.”

The optimism are less likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoke, not exercise, have obesity, or diabetes.  And the relationship between optimism and heart disease and death.  Persistent even considering all other risk factors.

“This is a very reasonable stepping stone to future research in this area-both are potential mechanisms of hot attitudes may affect health, and for randomized controlled trials to examine if attitudes can be changed to improve health,” Dr. Tyndall said.

Source: American Heart Association

While February was  healthy heart month, and while many have focused on preventing and treating heart disease, I believe the focus should be on what we can do to improve our heart health, which will prevent disease throughout the year.

I just read an article about a cardiologist, a fellow alumni of my alma mater (Brown University), Dr. John Kennedy, director of Preventive Cardiology and Wellness at Marina Del Ray Hospital  surveyed over 2500 cardiologists about the link between stress and heart (cardiovascular) disease.  He asked them if they thought that heart attacks (myocardial infarctions) are linked to stress.  Each cardiologist answered yes.

He said, “It’s hard to get cardiologists to agree on anything, so this is significant.” Dr. Kennedy also asked them if they taught their patients about stress and how to handle it.  Not one said she or he does anything to help her or his patients manage stress to reduce their likelihood of experiencing a heart attack.

Based on my observations during medical school and residency, my experience with family and friends, and numerous research studies, I have believed that stress plays a big role in heart disease and many others, and that holistic healing techniques, can enhance traditional treatment

One of the main challenges for doctors who recognize this fact is that we are not paid to teach our patients simple, powerful stress reducing techniques.  Plus physicians have very limited time with their patients, and medical schools do not teach about stress reduction.  Almost thirty years ago a leading physician recommended the addition of psychosomatic medicine into the medical school curriculum.  That hasn’t happened.

Thousands of studies have demonstrated the link between stress and disease, but they are ignored.

That’s why I created this website and the get well faster tools and holistic healing techniques.  I didn’t want to wait for health care to catch up with the research.  Because the industry focus is on drugs and technology, I will be very surprised if any drastic change in its primary treatment focus happens during the next  decade.

No one can afford to wait that long.  We all need to take care of our health today.

In fact most of the integration of alternative therapies, and a holistic healing  has occurred in response to consumer demand.

Your voices have been heard.

Dr. Kennedy goes on to say that stress is an independent predictor of heart disease.  It causes physical and chemical changes in the body that increase the risk of heart disease and heart attacks.  It raises the blood pressure, increases the heart rate and triggers inflammation.

So how do you easily keep your heart healthy using holistic healing techniques?

1. Reduce Stress

2. Take care of yourself emotionally

3. Express your creativity

4. Laugh often

Beyond the known risk factors, hundreds, if not thousands of research studies have clearly demonstrated a link between heart disease, anger, lack of forgiveness, hostility and depression.

You can reduce your stress in many ways.  Some people meditate, others exercise, while some express their creativity.  Do what feels right for you.  That’s most important.

Failure to express yourself emotionally can lead to emotional stagnation in the form of anger, hostility, the lack of a willingness to forgive, and depression.  Writing in a journal on a daily basis about your emotional challenges can significantly improve your health. Talking to a friend or family member, or a therapist with a compassionate heart is very healing.  The bottom line is emotional honesty, even when expressing difficult ones, is very healing.  Holding them in, repressing, and emotional dishonesty with oneself, contributes to the development of heart disease and other chronic conditions.

If you want to begin using holistic healing techniques today, click here now and get a free 20 minute healing meditation ( a $19.95 value).

To your good health,

Elaine R. Ferguson, MD

www.howtogetwellfaster.com

A great debate exists today regarding whether our thoughts can change our lives, also known as the  law of attraction.  I believe the missing link in this debate is a more holistic approach to mind bod role our

The study appeared in the Journal of Applied Psychology: Health and Well-being, is the most comprehensive review thus far of scientific research linking health and happiness.  Its lead author, University of Illinois professor emeritus of psychology, Ed Dienr, who was also a scientist for the Gallup organization, the viewed long-term studies of human subjects, experimental animal and human trials, and studies that measure the health status of people stressed by natural events.

Dr. Dyer said.  “The general conclusion from each type of study is that your subjective well-being–that is, feeling positive about your life, not stressed out, not depressed–contributes to both longevity and better health among healthy populations.”

One study determined after following 5000 university students for more than 40 years, for example, that those who were the most pessimistic as students died earlier than their peers.  Another longer-term study that followed 180 Catholic nuns from early adulthood to senior citizenship found that those who wrote autobiographies that were positive in their early 20s tended to live longer than those who focus on negativity in their accounts of their early lives.

There are a few exceptions, however.  Most of the long-term studies have determined that anxiety, depression, and a lack of enjoyment of one’s daily activities, as well as pessimism are all linked to higher rates of disease and a shorter life.

Animal studies showed that there is a significant link between poor health and stress.  Research in which animals receive the same care but differ in their stress levels as well as an abundance of nest mate in their cages, for example, have found that stressed animals are much more susceptible to heart disease, have weaker immune systems, and tend to die sooner than those living in less crowded conditions.

Human studies have determined that positive, optimistic moods lower the levels of stress related hormones, promote a quicker recovery of the heart.  After exercise, and increase immune system function.  Other studies have shown that marital conflicts and high hostility in married couples are linked with slow wound healing and impaired immune system response.

Well, happiness might not prevent or cure disease, become healthy findings that positive emotions and life enjoyment contribute to enhance health and a longer life span is stronger than the data linking obesity to read juiced longevity, Diener said.

Dr. Diener said, I was almost shocked and certainly surprised to see the consistency of the data.  All of these different kind of studies point to the same conclusion: that health and then longevity in turn are influenced by our mood states.

“Happiness is no magic bullet, but the evidence is clear and compelling that it changes your odds of getting disease or dying young.

“Although there are a handful of studies that find opposite effects, the overwhelming majority of studies support the conclusion and happiness is associated with health and longevity.  Current health recommendations focus on four things: avoid obesity, eat right, don’t smoke, and exercise.  It made the time to add ‘be happy and avoid chronic anger and depression’ to the list.”

Source: applied psychology: health and well-being

A dear friend of mine, Bill was diagnosed several years ago with terminal prostate cancer.  The tumor was so large, the upper portion protruded into his abdominal cavity.  His doctor recommended immediate surgery and chemotherapy.  Bill asked the doctor if he could wait a few weeks, because he felt within himself that he had a lot of emotional healing to do, before subjecting his body to the rigors of the recommended treatment.

He asked his five adult children who lived across the US to come home and share a weekend with he and his wife.  The experience was remarkable for all involved, as many deep and unresolved family wounds were healed.

A week or so later, Bill returned to see his doctor, with a simple request, to re-evalute his body before scheduling his surgery.  His doctor attempted to convince him that additional tests weren’t necessary, but Bill insisted.  And his doctor gave in. Much to the doctor’s surprise, Bills’ scans couldn’t find the tumor, that had only a few weeks earlier had threatened his life!

Most people don’t think that they do, because they tend to focus on outside resources as the source of their health, such as medications, doctors, chiropractors, nurses, therapists, etc.  When in fact they overlook the greatest resource they have-that lie within.

One of the key ingredients a self-healing person has is the ability to cope with stress in a very healthy way.

We all experience stress in our daily life. It is also quite common to have been prescribed a tranquilizer,  to help you cope with stress.  Juggling between a load of tasks and things to worry about has become a daily routine in all our lives. But amidst this stressful life that you’re living, did you ever stop to think how you   need to take better care of yourself? Did you ever stop to think about taking charge? Have you ever tried  to de-stress?

Stress is not always a bad thing! Stress is a natural reaction- a little of bit of stress is what keeps us going. This type of “acute” or “good” stress is what brings out the best in us in a project, or when faced with a deadline or challenge. It is also what helps us get through emergencies. However, how we perceive and respond to stress is the key to taking control.  It can be the difference between maintaining our health and developing a stress related disease.  More than 80 per cent of all doctor visits are stress related. When we are exposed to prolonged or undefined stress, or when several sources co-exist, it is much harder for us to recover and return to our normal state.

Our bodies created a response to life threatening situations.  Fear triggers an immediate surge of hormones that prepares the body to run or fight.  On the short term basis, that is an excellent, protective mechanism from which the body recovers.  However, dealing with stress on a continuous basis, in a way that constantly causes the release of these stress hormones, can lead to depletion of our adrenal glands.  Negative emotions actually trigger a cascade of physiological responses, including the release of norepinephrine, (noradrenalin), a chemical messenger known to suppress immune function. Also, the excessive release of stress hormones such as cortisol impacts the immune system by depressing the production of antibodies and messing up how our bodies function.

Chronic distress is known to cause high blood pressure and heart problems. It is also common to experience migraines, back pain and much more. As you can see, negative stress renders the body more susceptible to a variety of diseases physical and/or psychological problems. Unfortunately, some people repress their emotions. Others try to relieve their stress by smoking, or even taking illicit drugs. These responses are at best temporary diversions and provide a brief sense of relief and it leaves the person worse off than they were initially.

How do we start reacting positively toward stress? The answer is to learning how to view your stressful situation in a different way.  One that allows you to face the challenge, without essentially feeling controlled, defeated or doomed by it.  While most people believe they have no choice when dealing with the stresses that occur in our daily lives, both large and small, expected and unexpected, the fact remains that we do.

Perception Change: I learned how to step back and take a look at the bigger picture, and placed what seemed to be overwhelming into a broader perspective, which minimized its importance and meaning.

1. Is this situation that important?
2. Will it be as upsetting as it is to me today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year?
3. What similar situations have I faced and lived through?
4. How do I feel about those now?
5. Can I feel the same way about this one?

Affirmations: Another effective and valuable  technique I’ve learned is using affirmations.  Believe it or now, it is a powerful way to relax and overcome stress

Some of my favorite ones are:

1. This too shall pass
2. All things are possible.
3. I rise above this situation now, and move forward
4. Nothing can change my peace of mind—even this situation
5. I am in charge of the way I feel right now.  Nothing outside of me can change my peace of mind, unless I allow it to do so.

Deep Breathing: Did you know that taking a deep breath can actually change your body’s physiology and relax it?

Take a few deep breaths, the next time you feel stressed

Everyone needs to alter their perception and response to stress. By developing the characteristics that is self-healing. To lead a healthy productive life, we all must learn to deal with our negative emotions and stream them into a more positive and constructive outlook at life. A positive outlook at life starts by taking a deeper look within.

Stress affects us differently. Our unique personalities, genes and situations are all factors that help shape the way we deal with stress. Most importantly, how we choose to respond, rather than reacting as if we don’t have a choice to stressful situations is the key to distressing.

1.Identifying the source of stress is necessary to ensure that you are looking at things in a healthy positive way. Sometimes it’s not so easy to simply point a finger at the source of stress, but it’s a must to dig deep down inside.

2.Keeping a journal to write about your feelings, regarding the stressful events you encounter and your daily responsibilities will help you zoom into what is stressing you out. It will allow you to recognize and reflect on what is stressing you out, and realize any changes occurring in your life.

3.Time management, setting limits for yourself, sharing your thoughts, and realizing you need time off are necessary in our lives.

4.Thinking positively is key. A healthy outlook is a positive outlook that accepts change as a part of life. It takes time and patience to increase our self-awareness and focus our self-healing powers. But the belief that we can heal will get us there. Stressful times may cause depressed immunity, but self-healing personalities will bounce back. When we believe that we can heal we help activate the mechanisms that foster immunity and healing on every level.

To de-stress yourself, sustain well-being and a strong immune system, one must accept being in the world and honestly express one’s feelings. Try to know what’s stressing you out – try to have a little alarm go off inside you to warn you when you start getting those signs of stress.

5.Take up daily practices that build emotional strength, supercharge your immune system, and take better care of yourself. Try meditation, positive affirmation, relaxed deep breathing and other techniques that help you to relax. And do not forget to take the time to understand and express yourself.

Click here and get your free healing meditation ( a $19.95 value) today!

To Your Good Health,
Elaine R. Ferguson, MD

www.howtogetwellfaster.com

Do you know that you have the power to improve your health, or do you believe that it’s your family history, your genes, your doctors,  your access to medical care, your health insurance plan that is most important?

Many years ago when I was in medical school, I attended a lecture that was at the time, very disturbing to me.  The guest lecturer shared information about a study that was conducted in Nevada and Utah, that found that access to health care, with the exception of trauma and emergencies played no role in life expectancy.

As a medical student, I was shocked. Why am I here? I wondered.

The researcher explained that while these two states had very similar economic and social demographics, the lifestyles were very different. And the residents of Utah were much healthier than those in Nevada.

For years that study sat in the back of my mind, and I wondered if my sacrifices and decision to become a physician were worth it.

Yes, they were, when I realized that my primary role as a physician, should be to help empower my patients to give them the information and tools that would help them to improve their health and well-being.

I believe health is the foundation of our life. There was a commercial many years ago for a vitamin that said, “When you’ve got your health, you’ve got just about everything.  That is so true.

In my opinion, health is not the mere absence of disease.  It is the capacity to function harmoniously on all levels, that include body, mind and spirit.  It is a process, not an end result, one that is continuously unfolding.

That is why I advocate holistic healing and holistic medicine, a comprehensive, inclusive approach to healing.

Research shows that our genes are affected by our emotions.  Literally a happy, loving state of being, turns on genes that promotes our health.

Health is the source of happiness in our life. It is a level of functioning of human body and spirit. The definition of health is “The state of the organism when it functions optimally without evidence of disease or abnormality”. This state is characterized by anatomical and psychological integrity, the ability to deal with stress and a feeling of general well being.

The human body is a magnificent creation. It has the ability to maintain health and to heal itself.  To create or maintain our health, we need to take care of our body, mind and spirit, which is no easy task in today’s ever increasingly stressful and busy world.

But it is something we must do.  Your doctor can’t fix you.  He or she can treat your body’s symptoms with powerful drugs, surgery, and a truly remarkable and expensive technology. But what you do every day in between doctor’s visits, is much more important.

One of the greatest contributors to disease is stress.  Of course, stress is a part of life.  And while situations can be perceived as challenging, difficult and painful, the way we respond to stress can be changed, which changes the way our body responds to the situation, and makes us less susceptible to developing a chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure.

The vast majority of doctor’s visits are stress related, but there’s very little most physicians do

So how is holistic healing a key to your health?

From my perspective,  I recommend cultivating  the following habits:

1. Pay attention to yourself. Notice your feelings and emotions as they arise.
2. Get proper rest
3. Exercise regularly
4. Do what brings you joy
5. Eat healthy foods  and pay attention when you eat

I know this sounds simple, but it requires commitment, consistency and focus.

When you become stressed, know that you have a choice.  You can halt the harmful effects chronic stress can visit your upon your body with the release of chronic stress hormones

Learning how to appropriately respond to stress, can have a tremendous impact on your

Taking responsibility for your health is critical.     Click here and download your  free healing meditation now!

To your good health,
Elaine R. Ferguson, MD

To inform, to inspire, to heal

www.howtogetwellfaster.com

In a study conducted by scientists at the human population laboratory, located in Berkeley, California, researchers evaluated the relationship among low, moderate, and high levels of helplessness, and all causes of death, the incidence of heart attacks and cancer in a population sample of middle aged men.

The participants were 2428 men, between the ages of 42 and 60, from another heart disease study, an ongoing longitudinal study researching the unestablished psychological and social risk factors for coronary heart disease, and others.

In the six years of follow-up, 174 deaths occurred, 87 were due to cardiovascular disease and 87 were not related to cardiovascular disease, including 40 deaths caused by cancer and 29 deaths due to violence or injury, 73 incident cancer cases, and 95 heart attacks occurred.

The men were rated low, moderate, or high and hopelessness. If they scored in the lower, middle, or upper one third on a two item hopelessness scale.

The researchers found a relationship such that moderately and highly hopeless men were at a significantly increased risk of death. Relative to those with low hopelessness scores.

Indeed, high helplessness men were at more than a threefold increased risk of death from violence or injury compared to the reference group.

When compared to other risk factors such as behavioral risk factors, socioeconomic biological perceived health, depression prevalent disease, or social support, high hopelessness was a significant factor.

High hopelessness also predicted heart attacks, and moderate hopelessness was associated with cancer.

These findings indicate that hopelessness is a strong predictor of serious health outcomes, independent of depression and traditional risk factors.

Source: Psychosomatic Medicine
www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/short/58/2/113

It’s virtually impossible to pay attention to one thing for a long time. A recently conducted study reviewed the impact Buddhist meditation had on an individual’s s ability to be attentive and determined that meditation training helps people do better at focusing for a long an extended period of time on a task that requires them to distinguish small differences between things they see.

The research was inspired by work on Buddhist monks, who spend years training in meditation. “You wonder if the mental skills, the calmness, the peace that they express, if those things are a result of their very intensive training or if they were just very special people to begin with,” says Katherine MacLean, who worked on the study as a graduate student at the University of California, Davis. Her co-advisor, Clifford Saron, did some research with monks decades ago and wanted to study meditation by putting volunteers through intensive training and seeing how it changes their mental abilities.

Approximately 140 people sought to participate in the study. They’d learned about it via word of mouth and advertisements in Buddhist-themed magazines. Sixty were selected. A group of thirty people went on a meditation retreat while the second group waited their turn; that meant the second group served as a control for the first group.  They had previously participated in at least three five-to-ten day meditation retreats before, so they weren’t novices.  They studied meditation for three months at a retreat in Colorado with B. Alan Wallace, one of the study’s co-authors and a meditation teacher and Buddhist scholar.

They were involved in several experiments.  The results from one are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. At three different times  during the retreat, each participant took a test on a computer to evaluate  how well they could make fine visual distinctions and maintain their visual attention. They watched a screen intently as lines flashed on it; most were of the same length, but every now and then a shorter one would appear, and the volunteer had to click the mouse in response.

During the course of the training the participants ability to discriminate the short lines improved. This perception improvement made it easier for them to maintain attention, so their performance of the task also improved over a long period of time. It also persisted five months after the retreat, especially for people who meditated on a daily basis.

The task lasted 30 minutes and was very demanding. “Because this task is so boring and yet is also very neutral, it’s kind of a perfect index of meditation training,” says MacLean. “People may think meditation is something that makes you feel good and going on a meditation retreat is like going on vacation, and you get to be at peace with yourself. That’s what people think until they try it. Then you realize how challenging it is to just sit and observe something without being distracted.”

Source:

Katherine MacLean, Clifford Saron, B. Alan Wallace et al. Intensive Meditation Training Improves Perceptual Discrimination and Sustained Attention. Psychological Science

A new study indicates that an over-the-counter supplement may help people with depression who haven’t responded to anti-depression drug therapy.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts general hospital have found that S-Adenosyl-Methionine or SAMe, when added to a patient’s antidepressant treatment aided more people with major depression to reduce and improve their symptoms than those that took a placebo in additional to their regular drug therapy.

SAMe  also caused fewer complications, in comparison to the FDA approved medications that are recommended for patients with depression that are unresponsive to antidepressants.

Dr. George Papakostas, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School and the study’s lead author said, “This is an exciting, yet preliminary finding.”

Also, he noted, during our lifetime, up to 10 per cent of people will experience a major depressive disorder, defined as at least 124 consecutive days of multiple symptoms of depression.  Approximately 50 per cent of those affected don’t improve, using multiple antidepressant drugs.

The FDA has approved only a few other drugs for these patients to take, in addition to antidepressants.  The atypical antipsychotic drugs can have significant serious side effects that are occasionally life-threatening.

The current study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Papakostas and his colleagues administered SAMe to 39 people with major depression that hadn’t responded to antidepressant therapy.  They took 1.6 grams of SAMe everyday with their regular treatment.  Thirty-four matched patients took a placebo (an inert substance) in additional to their antidepressants.  The participants did not know if they were receiving SAMe or the placebo.

The researchers used two standard tests for depression to monitor their symptoms for the next 6 weeks.

About 25 percent of the patients in the study did not complete it because they didn’t improve, or experienced side effects of either the placebo or SAMe.  There were no serious side effects reported, and a similar number of patients stopped because they didn’t like the placebo or SAMe.

Thirty-one of the patients taking SAMe and 24 receiving the placebo completed the study. Review of the depression tests revealed that more patients on SAMe than those receiving the placebo responded and their symptoms improved.

Earlier studies have determined that SAMe influences brain chemicals and may act as an antidepressant or interact with antidepressant drugs, but it’s action isn’t entirely understand. SAMe occurs naturally in our bodies and is sold as a supplement.

According to Dr. Papakostas, “(this finding) is exciting because SAMe works differently than what we have now-it doesn’t seem to be associated with the kind of side effects that FDA approved treatments for this niche have.  Like other findings in medicine, it needs to be replicated.

Source:  American Journal of Psychiatry

Those ubiquitous wires connecting listeners to you-name-the-sounds from invisible MP3 players — whether of Bach, Miles Davis or, more likely today, Lady Gaga — only hint at music’s effect on the soul throughout the ages.

Now a data-driven review by Northwestern University researchers that will be published July 20 in Nature Reviews Neuroscience pulls together converging research from the scientific literature linking musical training to learning that spills over to skills including language, speech, memory, attention and even vocal emotion. The science covered comes from labs all over the world, from scientists of varying scientific philosophies, using a wide range of research methods.

The explosion of research in recent years focusing on the effects of music training on the nervous system, including the studies in the review, have strong implications for education, said Nina Kraus, lead author of the Nature perspective, the Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences and Neurobiology and director of Northwestern’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory.

Scientists use the term neuroplasticity to describe the brain’s ability to adapt and change as a result of training and experience over the course of a person’s life. The studies covered in the Northwestern review offer a model of neuroplasticity, Kraus said. The research strongly suggests that the neural connections made during musical training also prime the brain for other aspects of human communication.

An active engagement with musical sounds not only enhances neuroplasticity, she said, but also enables the nervous system to provide the stable scaffolding of meaningful patterns so important to learning.  

“The brain is unable to process all of the available sensory information from second to second, and thus must selectively enhance what is relevant,” Kraus said. Playing an instrument primes the brain to choose what is relevant in a complex process that may involve reading or remembering a score, timing issues and coordination with other musicians.

“A musician’s brain selectively enhances information-bearing elements in sound,” Kraus said. “In a beautiful interrelationship between sensory and cognitive processes, the nervous system makes associations between complex sounds and what they mean.” The efficient sound-to-meaning connections are important not only for music but for other aspects of communication, she said.  

The Nature article reviews literature showing, for example, that musicians are more successful than non-musicians in learning to incorporate sound patterns for a new language into words. Children who are musically trained show stronger neural activation to pitch changes in speech and have a better vocabulary and reading ability than children who did not receive music training.

And musicians trained to hear sounds embedded in a rich network of melodies and harmonies are primed to understand speech in a noisy background. They exhibit both enhanced cognitive and sensory abilities that give them a distinct advantage for processing speech in challenging listening environments compared with non-musicians.

Children with learning disorders are particularly vulnerable to the deleterious effects of background noise, according to the article. “Music training seems to strengthen the same neural processes that often are deficient in individuals with developmental dyslexia or who have difficulty hearing speech in noise.”

Currently what is known about the benefits of music training on sensory processing beyond that involved in musical performance is largely derived from studying those who are fortunate enough to afford such training, Kraus said.

The research review, the Northwestern researchers conclude, argues for serious investing of resources in music training in schools accompanied with rigorous examinations of the effects of such instruction on listening, learning, memory, attention and literacy skills. 

“The effect of music training suggests that, akin to physical exercise and its impact on body fitness, music is a resource that tones the brain for auditory fitness and thus requires society to re-examine the role of music in shaping individual development,” the researchers conclude.

“Music training for the development of auditory skills,” by Nina Kraus and Bharath Chandrasekaran, will be published July 20 in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Source:   http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2010/07/music-training-boosts-learning.html