You Make Me Feel So Young

^{"Our results show that listening to music had a statistically significant effect on the two experimental groups, reducing pain, depression and disability and increasing feelings of power," explains nurse researcher Dr. Sandra L. Siedlecki from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio.}

Although they may not be the hands of youth, when 68 year old Judy Hanson's fingers sail over the keyboard, you'd think she was a kid again. It's been 60 years since she took her first and last music lessons, but now with retirement on her side, she's picked up the notes like she'd been at it all her life. What makes it so easy is that now she plays the E-Z play way, following color codes to hit the right chords. In minutes she was playing her first song. It's called 'instant gratification' music making and it's picking up steam throughout the country as one of the favored activities of retired seniors.

But Judy didn't get back into making music for the enjoyment and satisfaction of playing. She did it for the health benefits.

"I had a friend who had started taking Lowrey music making classes. She had been physically not feeling well - she had high blood pressure and arthritis. Another friend who took music classes encouraged her to join her. Now three months later, she's a changed person. She's happy, buoyant, enjoying life again and her blood pressure is down. I thought I could use some of that myself! Making music is like therapy. Listening to music makes everyone feel good, but playing music lifts your spirits - it's a release from your problems and daily worries. And that makes me feel better!"

Proven Wellness Benefits

A 2006 study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing shows that adult patients suffering from chronic pain reported less pain, depression, and disability and feel more empowered after spending a week listening to one hour of music each day. The patients studied, who had an average age of 50, had all been suffering from a range of painful conditions, including osteoarthritis, disc problems and rheumatoid arthritis, for an average of six and a half years.

Regardless of the type of music they listened to, the patients, on average, reported a reduction in pain of as much as 20%, and a reduction in depression symptoms of as much as 25%.

For more information on Music and Wellness, visit the following sites: