Binu: What is music therapy and how does it work?

DrKapadia: Music Therapy is the field of medicine that uses sound frequencies to cure diseases. It uses sound waves as a therapeutic medium to relieve symptoms.

athrun: does music therapy work only for emotional and mental problems or can work on disorders like arthritis and diabetes as well?

DrKapadia: It works on the hypothalamo-pituitary axis and hence works on all the diseases which are aggravated by stress. It is a cure that complements and enhances the curative abilities of other traditional modes of medicine. It works on arthritis by reducing pain as it increases the pain threshold. It works on diabetes by moderating the secretion of insulin levels by the beta cells of the pancreas.

Binu: where and how can one practice music therapy?

DrKapadia: this therapy is available at alldoctors which is a multi-speciality health care centre located at Walkeshwar road. The department at our facility is set-up by Dr Neha mehta and can be availed of by appointment. The details are available on our website www.alldoctors.in

athrun: do the usual genres of music, like rock or classical fall under music therapy or is the sounds used for music therapy completely different?

DrKapadia: This therapy uses indian and western classical music. They could be existing symphonies or ragas with specific frequencies.

shruti: does music therapy help patients in severe depression too?

DrKapadia: we have treated a lot of patients with depression and anxiety attacks and have got fantastic results.

Deepti: will it help my son who cannot concentrate at all or focus on one thing at a time

DrKapadia: Yes it will help. Music is being used all over the world to improve the concentration abilities and creative skills of children. It is also being used to treat children with dyslexia and other cognitive problems.

regon: Is it music therapy a specified course or we can listen to the songs we like & get the benefits of it?

DrKapadia: Music has always been used as a medium for relaxation since ages but when it is applied as a therapeutic tool, the frequency of the patient has to be matched with specific sound frequencies by an expert and then applied. This process could take about 4-6 days and then the specific audio CD is provided for the patient to listen to at home.

shruti: my brother is under severe depression he underwent psychiatrist treatment was hospitalised for two weeks .. he was fine for few days but the problem is he has a very low confidence now n does not talk at all.. and always feels insecure will all these b cured by music therapy? we were again planning to take him for another consultation to another psychiatrist .. how long does it take to cure such patients? he has been into this depression since november 2009 now.

DrKapadia:  You should definitely work with music for him. It will bring a lot of benefits. The duration of therapy is case specific but he would need a minimum of 3 months treatment along with his other medications.

athrun: is there any information if certain types of music is harmful for a person, besides of course playing it loud and damaging your hearing?

DrKapadia: certain types of music like hard rock are known to trigger aggression and violence in people. This has been confirmed with scientific trials.

gimmiabreak: gudaftrnun dr.dhwanika...i’m a physiotherapist, mumbai based practice ... i read ur article yesterday. It’s interesting n curiosity raising statement that u treat parkinson with music therapy... is that 100% success

DrKapadia: Parkinson's being caused by dopamine irregularities, presents with a wide range of symptoms. Music frequencies enhance dopamine secretion and over a period of time the patient improves symptomatically. This has been our experience with quite a few patients. Once again, music complements the other modes of medicine.

gimmiabreak: what category of patients are applicable for this kinda therapy? or is it jus concerning the psychologicaly imbalanced people

DrKapadia: As mentioned earlier, it works on all the diseases that have stress as an underlying factor. it works on alzheimer's to autism. diabetes to depression, insomnia etc.

regon: Any specific music to be recommended from your side that are available in the market apart from your CDs that are considered to be good...personally I like rocks Like Pink Floyd,Beatles,Guns And Roses,Eagles...Will it do good to me ?

DrKapadia: Any form of music that appeases to a person always does good as it enhances endorphin secretions from the brain. This gives the person the much required feel good factor.

Binu: How many sittings does one have to take for Parkinson's disease. time /gap between sessions.

DrKapadia: Once again, case specific. Generally a person requires 4-6 continuous sessions with the doctor before the right frequency is matched. Each session would last for 20-30 mins. At the end of the therapy sessions, a CD is provided for the patient to continue hearing at home.

athrun: is there any music that can be used to energise a person? especially when feeling lethargic or during the afternoon hours when one has a tendency to feel sleepy (which is bad if you are working)?

DrKapadia: A suggestion would be to listen to high frequency music like Sonatas. they have instant energising effects.

athrun: what is the process used for finding the right frequency for a person? is it some kind of brain scan or something like that?

DrKapadia: That is normally done with the help of history taking, clinical examination and past experience of the doctor with other patients. No investigations are mandatory to start with music therapy.

gimmiabreak: can this treatment be carried at home also or one has to travel to the specified centres only. And on an average how many sitting does it usually take.... & how is the treatment package in terms of finance

DrKapadia: Generally a person requires 4-6 continuous sessions with the doctor before the right frequency is matched. Each session would last for 20-30 mins. At the end of the therapy sessions, a CD is provided for the patient to continue hearing at home. The cost of the therapy could be anywhere from Rs. 3000-5000 depending on the case and the number of sessions required. For further information, please contact us at alldoctors clinic on 23684888, 23684889 from 10am to 6pm.

DrKapadia: We hope that we have satisfactorily answered your queries. For any other queries you can contact us. Thank you and have a musical day.