'Dr. Taylor Swift will see you now': Music eases pain and more — studies, experts

MANILA, Philippines — Four hundred years ago,  English playwright William Congreve wrote that “music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.”  

He added that it “softens rocks” or “bends the mighty oak.”

Modern science continues to prove Congreve right. A study published in the science journal Scientific American showed that heart patients who turned to soothing music not only experienced lower heart and respiration rates. They also showed a reduced demand for oxygen.  

The study added that music affected the flow of blood in the patients’ brains, enhanced surgery outcome and reduced the level of cortisol or stress hormones.    

Doctor Darwin Dasig, who chairs The Makati Medical Center’s NeuroScience Center, has more good news for music lovers. He said in a statement sent to Philstar.com that music triggers chemicals that affect the nervous system. These helpful neurochemicals are:

• dopamine, which triggers feelings of pleasure;
• serotonin, a hormone associated with immunity;
• oxytocin, which controls emotional responses and pro-social behavior;
• and opioids, the body’s very own pain relievers.

Music can also fast-track healing

Dasig reports that 73 international studies showed that surgery patients who turned to music before, during and after operation felt less pain, took less medicines, and were less nervous after the procedure. He added that these positive outcomes lasted over four hours after surgery.

Medical experts are still examining music’s post-surgery effects. They have yet to establish whether or not one’s playlist reduces the need for pain medicines, or if it only distracts the patient from the procedure at hand. 

Dasig gave no definite answer, but agreed that “music is an affordable, accessible, and relatively safe form of intervention.”

Is this power to relieve stress limited to classical music, which helped boost productivity and concentration while working from home during the pandemic? Is this cure to hopelessness confined to rock n’ roll music? Are Taylor Swift, Beyonce, The Beatles, Eraserheads, Beyonce and Ben&Ben just as helpful?

The answer is a big "yes."

Dasig explained that patients who chose their own playlist during surgery felt a little less pain, and required reduced pain killers. It matters not if the patient prefers pop, jazz, rock, fusion, or oldies but goodies. What matters is that it’s music he loves.

But the neurospecialist warns that music alone won’t banish pain. He states that patients still need pain killers if the ache is too much for them to bear.

“If music does not lessen the amount of painkillers you need, it can, at the very least, uplift your spirits and make you sing and smile. These are the reactions we want, as they contribute to your gradual recovery.”

So let the music play. It’s good for your body and soul.

RELATED: Dr. Taylor Swift: 7 inspiring lessons from the pop star's commencement speech