Research shows Jazz is good for you. How cool is that?

en.wikipedia.org

The New Orleans Rhythm Kings (nicknamed NORK) were one of the most 
influential jazz bands of the early to mid-1920s. The band was a combination
of New Orleans and Chicago musicians who helped shape Chicago Jazz.
(Left to right: Leon Roppolo, Jack Pettis, Elmer Schoebel, Arnold Loyacano, Paul Mares,
Frank Snyder, and George Brunies.) 

Sometimes the results of scientific study are simply too cool to be true.

Take Jazz, the one true American music.  Research announced today at a medical conference concludes that Jazz is healthy and good for you.  As a sign of its healthiness, this research shows that merely listening to it lowers your heart rate, a sign of lowered stress.

Perhaps having a little Jazz on in the background while writing is in order.   Especially if you're on deadline.  Based on recent research, research demonstrates taking a walk gets your creativity juices flowing (see link below), then sit in front of your writing device, whatever you use from pencil to word processor, with a little coffee or tea near at hand, and a little Take Five or In a Quiet Way on in the background.

Now, if you follow this program, bear in mind that Jazz is addictive, an addiction that is so much better for you than many others we might discuss. 

Here's the report. 


Take note: Jazz and silence help reduce 
heart rate after surgery, study shows

Researchers are one step closer to confirming what people in New Orleans have known for decades: Jazz is good for you. Patients undergoing elective hysterectomies who listened to jazz music during their recovery experienced significantly lower heart rates, suggests a study.

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Researchers are one step closer to confirming what people in New Orleans have known for decades: Jazz is good for you. Patients undergoing elective hysterectomies who listened to jazz music during their recovery experienced significantly lower heart rates, suggests a study presented at the Anesthesiology™ 2014 annual meeting.

But the research also finds that silence is golden. Patients who wore noise-cancelling headphones during the research also had lower heart rates as well as less pain.

The results provide hope that patients who listen to music or experience silence while recovering from surgery might need less pain medication, and may be more relaxed and satisfied, note the researchers.

"The thought of having a surgical procedure -- in addition to the fears associated with anesthesia -- creates emotional stress and anxiety for many patients," said Flower Austin, D.O., anesthesiology resident, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pa., and lead study author. "Physician anesthesiologists provide patients with pain relief medication right after surgery. But some of these medications can cause significant side effects."

A total of 56 patients were randomly assigned to listen to jazz music (28 patients) or to wear noise-cancelling headphones (28 patients) in the postoperative care unit (PACU). Heart rate, blood pressure and pain and anxiety levels were checked right after surgery (baseline), and then at regular intervals during the subsequent 30-minute intervention period. The heart rates were significantly lower compared to baseline for both groups. After 20 minutes, heart rates were lower in the jazz group than in the noise-cancellation group. However, pain scores were lower in the noise-cancellation group compared to the jazz group after 10 minutes.

"The goal is to find out how we can incorporate this into our care," said Dr. Austin. "We need to determine what kind of music works best, when we should play it and when silence is best. But it's clear that music as well as silence are cost effective, non-invasive and may increase patient satisfaction."

Related posts:
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Story Source:  Materials provided by American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). "Take note: Jazz and silence help reduce heart rate after surgery, study shows." ScienceDaily, 13 October 2014.

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