MUSIC THERAPY AND INTERNAL MEDICINE

Music therapy is an alternative and supplemental form of treatment used to treat a variety of diseases in the field of internal medicine, including psychosomatic and lifestyle-related diseases, specifically digestive ulcer, NUD (non-ulcer dyspepsia), chronic pancreatitis, hypertension, bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus, simple obesity, Basedow’s disease, terminal cancer, and senile dementia. It has been used in treating patients undergoing chronic dialysis, blood donation activities, in rehabilitation activities for cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), endoscopic examinations, in intensive care units (ICU), and to stabilize blood pressure, promote sleep, and reduce pain. Music therapy has also been applied in diet therapy using background music (BGM) that is played during meals and karaoke is also a form of music therapy that can be effectively utilized in social situations. It is also utilized in physical and exercise therapy, in rehabilitating patients recovering from CVA and in treating the aged, and in promoting the interpersonal relationship between the patient and the therapist. Music therapy is also effective in promoting the health of professional athletes; and the Awa folk dance in Japan is also used as dance therapy. Rhythmical background music has also been effectively applied using the Walkman.

This article is a revised English version of a paper originally published in the Journal of the Japan Medical Association (Vol. 122 No. 7, 1999, pages 1173–1176).