Music not only has charms to soothe, but also to aid elderly in coping with various disabilities
Article Abstract:
Patients at the geriatric day hospital of The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston all participate in music therapy, designed to improve range of motion and motor skills, as well as to relieve pain. But the therapy feels like fun to the patients, carried out as it is with the accompaniment of jazz, gospel, and country and western music. The majority of participants have high blood pressure or diabetes; some have had strokes or amputations. During the half-hour sessions, these elders are encouraged to socialize and talk about the memories stirred up by the music. Music therapy has been a profession since the 1930s, and an amendment is currently before Congress that would allocate a modest amount of funds for research concerning the effectiveness of music therapy in the geriatric population. Patients with language disorders can sometimes communicate by singing, after receiving proper instruction. Those with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological condition, may be unable to walk or talk, but be capable of dancing or singing. A patient is described who sits immobile all day except when she plays the piano, at which time her mastery of Chopin prevails and her movements become vibrant and fluid. The possible neurologic basis for such a condition is described. In these cases, music is a necessary means of expression as well as a way into a mind that no longer can be reached through language. The particular kind of music used is selected after consultation with patients and their families. ''Music memory'' is considered to be fixed between the ages of 15 and 25 years. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1991
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Ecstasy-fueled 'rave' parties become dances of death for English youths
Article Abstract:
At least 15 young people who had taken recreational doses of ecstasy died after collapsing or going into convulsions at all night 'rave' dance parties in the UK. Ecstasy, or MDMA, is an illegal designer drug that is taken to experience a warm, loving feeling. Symptoms experienced by individuals who experienced a fatal or serious reaction included an elevated temperature, an increased pulse and decreased blood pressure. Death is usually caused by extreme hyperthermia, or elevated temperature, with disseminated blood clots. Almost no cases of severe or fatal reactions to ecstasy have been reported in the US. The difference may be that ecstasy use has been mainly associated with rave dance parties in the UK, while this type of use has only recently occurred in the US. Dancing for long periods of time in a hot and stuffy nightclub environment may trigger the development of hyperthermia in ecstasy users.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1992
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