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Table of contents
1. MUSIC AS MEDICINE; PROFESSOR STUDIES MUSIC THERAPY'S EFFECTS ON HEART DISEASE
PATIENTS.......................................................................................................................................................

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Document 1 of 1

MUSIC AS MEDICINE; PROFESSOR STUDIES MUSIC THERAPY'S EFFECTS ON HEART

DISEASE PATIENTS
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BOONE, N.
C., March 8 -- Appalachian State University issued the following press release:
Listening to music can be relaxing, invigorating or charged with emotions.
Dr. Christine Leist, an assistant professor of music therapy at Appalachian State University, thinks music also
can benefit women who have had or are at risk of heart attack.
Appalachian State University's Christine Leist, an assistant professor of music therapy, is studying ways music
can benefit women with heart disease. (Photo by Jane Nicholson)She is seeking women between the ages of
50 and 80 for a research study this summer to learn if her hypothesis is correct.
Leist's research is an extension of her dissertation completed while at Michigan State University as well as her
personal experience with someone who had heart disease.
"I became interested in heart disease and the applications of music therapy after my mother died suddenly of a
heart attack," Leist explained. "We didn't know she had heart disease. So when I began my dissertation, I
wondered if there were beneficial interventions in music therapy that could be helpful for people with heart
disease."
A preliminary study conducted for her dissertation found that music therapy appeared to decrease tension and
anxiety for those participating in the therapy. "I also found an unexpected result - an increase in vigor and
activity," she said. "If you can use music therapy to decrease, tension, anxiety or depression and also increase
vigor and activity, that would be really powerful especially for those who are really motivated to follow the
exercise and diet protocols that their physician has recommended."
Leist's latest research will focus solely on women who have heart disease and how listening to relaxing music
with images as well as singing can help them reduce any stress and anxiety that accompany their the diagnosis
and motivate them to become more active.
Leist is being assisted in her work by Alexa Dorris, a graduate student from Indianapolis enrolled in the music
therapy program in the Hayes School of Music and a recipient of a university Graduate Research Associate
Mentor (GRAM) program. The GRAM program provides graduate students with stipend for approximately 20
hours a week of work for and with their graduate faculty mentor.
"Women with heart disease tend to be diagnosed later in life and they tend to die quickly after the diagnosis,"
Dorris said. "Research suggests that's because stress and emotional factors are more of a risk factor for women
who have heart disease, especially as they tend to put family first which can affect lifestyle factors such as
overeating or lacking of energy or vigor to do things."
Leist says her field can be challenging for those who don't understand what music therapy is. "My specialty is
adults with medical needs. Music therapy with older adults with dementia and Alzheimer's helps them reconnect
with their world or have meaningful interactions with others. Calming music can engage the parasympathetic
nervous system and help calm patients. Music therapy can also help patients manage pain. It's a powerful gift to
be able to take your mind elsewhere by listening to music," she said.
For more information, contact Leist at musictherapystudy@appstate.edu or 828- 262-6663. For any query with
respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at
htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

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Publication title: US Fed News Service, Including US State News

Publication year: 2013
Publication date: Mar 9, 2013
Year: 2013
Publisher: HT Media Ltd.
Place of publication: Washington, D.C.
Country of publication: India
Publication subject: Public Administration
Source type: Newspapers
Language of publication: English
Document type: WIRE FEED
ProQuest document ID: 1315267169
Document URL: http://search.proquest.com/docview/1315267169?accountid=38628
Copyright: Copyright HT Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Last updated: 2013-03-09
Database: Technology Collection

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