Marlene Buckler, MD, FACEP

    I drove five hours in the car today to Tallahassee to attend emergency medicine meetings and to connect with state legislators.  During the drive I listened to a book on CD about how to avoid scams, identity theft , etc.  A facinating subject but not really relaxing.  After the long drive, checking into the hotel and then taking a walk to get the circulation going I relaxed by the pool with a cup of coffee. 

    A light breeze rustled through the palm trees as I turned on my IPOD to listen to music.  An evening meeting was on the agenda but, to tell the truth, after the long drive, I would have been happy to skip it.  After listening to music for awhile, though, it was as if I had been relaxing all day and I felt rejuvinated. The thought of an evening meeting didn't seem so bad after all.

    Music seems to have the ability to transport us to another time and place.  It can wash away fatigue, stress and worry.  Sometimes a certain melody triggers pleasant memories long forgotten.

    Music has been around longer than humans.  Nature had its own music long before we arrived on the scene;  waves crashing against the shore, the sound of a waterfall, birds singing in the trees, spring peepers calling for mates,  the wind rustling leaves. 

   Babies are lulled in the womb by the sound of their mom's heart beat and most mothers sing to their tiny infants.  Is it any wonder then that music has such a soothing effect on most of us?  There have been many times, after a stressful ER shift that I have relaxed and been renewed by listening to music. 

   It has been shown that music has therapeutic effects and it is being increasingly used by health care workers.  If music can relax and heal a mind under stress it seems to me to be a much healthier alternative to taking medications for the same effect.

To learn more about the therapeutic effects of music check  www.healingmusicenterprises.com

Marlene Buckler,MD, FACEP        www.StayOutOfMyER.com