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Alzheimer's Musical Therapy

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Introduction
Cancer—a destructive, crippling disease known to affect the most innocent of victims. It is horrifying; the agony every patient endures trying to fight off the vicious disease is excruciating. Countless patients will be told there is no cure—leaving them hopeless. Not only are these innocent human beings suffering from the physical side effects of their illness, but now they are suffering psychologically with the acceptance of what their future may entail. Alzheimer’s—a form of dementia that worsens over time to eventually eliminate the intellectual abilities of the human brain. Also like cancer, there is no cure; however, there is still hope in creating a better quality of life for these victims through the use of musical therapy. …show more content…
Although useful for many different illnesses, musical therapy is a technique commonly practiced to treat the effects of cancer and Alzheimer's (a form of dementia). I, along with countless others, can admit—healthy or ill—that listening to music can be therapeutic in a sense. Whether it is sitting in a car during a traffic jam, or going on a long run, music helps to distract the distraught brain. The same concept works for patients suffering from terminal or other serious illnesses; through the use of music, patients are able to express their pain, anxiety and fear throughout their suffering. In return, the consoling melodies will become a sense of relief. For children specifically, music helps to cope with the pain through a new method of communication—music. Michael Huckabee, Director of the University Of Nebraska Medical Center Division Of Physician Assistant Education, explains his amazement toward the life changing effects of musical therapy in his article titled: “How Does Music Benefit the Brain?” He asserts: "Music does something beyond our understanding. We can call it an endorphin release or a distraction, but it goes much deeper than that. Somehow music just does us good. And the good it does was just proven to be better" …show more content…
With cancer, patients are able to dissolve their anger and relieve themselves from the anxiety their disease caused. The strength musical therapy administers is just what they need to fight the horrendous disease. When the effects of musical therapy are being studied on Alzheimer’s patients, researcher find that the effects music has on patients actually slows down the process, lessoning the effects of another damaging disease. This vital form of therapy is worth the time and money for patients to consider. Musical therapy may not be able to cure the life of an ill stricken patient, but it will make the life they live worth

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