From inside FirstHealths Clara McLean House blares James Browns I Feel Good.
Who feels good in here? asks a bubbly Rachel Shell, MT-BC, of her troupe of men and women, all with Parkinsons disease. As the song progresses, Shell leads them to march their feet, swing their arms to the beat and sing along, if they choose.
Next on the playlist is New York, New York by Frank Sinatra with instructions for participants to kick up their legs while seated. I see some Rockette wannabes in here, Shell cajoles.
A dance party? Perhaps, but this party has specific purposes.
People with Parkinsons disease often experience muscle freezing and have a difficult time initiating movement, says Shell. As humans, we are naturally rhythmic beings and the rhythmic beat of music helps patients with Parkinsons move more naturally and easily. Shell is a certified music therapist and owner of Birdsong Music Therapy who was hired by FirstHealth of the Carolinas to complement patients overall health care plans.
The use of music as a healing influence began as early as 500 B.C. but the idea took hold as a profession when community musicians played at the bedsides of World War I and World War II veterans who suffered from physical and emotional trauma. The patients improvement was so notable that doctors requested their hospitals hire musicians.
As demand among health care providers grew, so did empirical evidence proving that music therapy can help alleviate numerous physical and emotional issues, including pain, impaired speech and mobility, depression, short-term memory loss and much more.
Now board-certified music therapists are recognized health care professionals who use music activities, both instrumental and vocal, to facilitate changes that are not musical in nature.
Music therapy can be wonderful for patients who are experiencing pain and symptoms that are difficult to control through traditional medical interventions, reports Shell, a Moore County native and Pinecrest High School graduate who earned a bachelors degree in music therapy from Queens University in Charlotte. Because music therapy is a non-invasive and non-threatening medium, unique outcomes are possible for individuals of all ages.
Music therapy got its official start at FirstHealth in 2017 as an outgrowth of the health care systems Parkinsons Support Group of the Sandhills.
We learned that music can be beneficial for individuals with Parkinsons, so we asked Rachel to start a monthly program here, said Laura Kuzma, MSW, former Foundation for FirstHealth Volunteer and Care NET coordinator and current Oncology Support Services and Patient Navigation supervisor. When Rachel started the programs, FirstHealth didnt have much experience in music therapy. But when we saw her in action, we realized just how powerful music can be and how it positively affects patients and their caregivers.
Kuzma noted that patients who came in with difficulty speaking, moving and remembering left with significant improvementso much so that many were talking, singing and dancing. They also enjoyed a meaningful social outlet.
Now in addition to a monthly music therapy session for patients with Parkinsons, Shell conducts Claras Choir for individuals with Parkinsons, dementia and aphasia, a language impairment that affects patients ability to produce or comprehend speech.
We have so much fun, said Shell. It looks like were just singing, but were really connecting with each other and working through some speech and cognitive challenges. Plus, with all the good neurochemicals were producing, were also fighting the blues and promoting a healthy immune system. There are so many benefits of singing with others.
Rachel is gifted in making music meaningful for our patients, their caregivers and our staff, said Kathryn McEntire, Foundation of FirstHealth program coordinator at Claras House. After seeing how music impacted patients with Parkinsons, Kuzma and McEntire asked Shell to assist in other areas of the health care system. Now Shell assists patients, families and the nursing staff at FirstHealth Hospice and provides stress management services for nurses during National Nurses Week.
Most recently Shell started singing weekly at the FirstHealth Outpatient Cancer Center in Pinehurst, where cancer survivor Nancy Scaggs receives monthly treatments to support her immune system.
I always enjoy my time at the Cancer Center because everyone is so sweet, said the Pinehurst resident. But one day I just wasnt feeling tip-top. My nurse-friends asked if I wanted a nice lady to come sing. Normally I would have agreed but I declined. Then I heard someone playing Country Roads on the guitar and knew I had to meet her. The native West Virginian and Shell crooned numerous songs together, mainly Scaggs requests for Motown hits. We had the best time, said Scaggs. I just love her.
Shell noted that music is a great people connector. Once at the outpatient cancer center I was playing an Elvis tune, and that got patients, family members and staff throughout the floor talking about their favorite Elvis hits. She said the lively conversation continued long after she left. They might not have started talking if it werent for Elvis, Shell quipped.
Music therapy at FirstHealth is funded by the Foundation of FirstHealth, the health care systems division that envisions and guides philanthropy programs and activities. Health care budgets are tight and its difficult to determine whats essential, said Foundation President Kathy Stockham. Thats the leverage the Foundation offers. We can fund small pilot projects to see what works, and music therapy certainly does.
What Rachel offers today is just the start of how FirstHealth would like to incorporate music therapy as an everyday modality of care, said Stockham, noting a particular goal of offering music therapy throughout the new, four-story comprehensive cancer center to be built on Page Road in Pinehurst. Thanks to financial gifts from the community, the Foundation can help make that happen. This is a community effort.
Music therapy allows us to help not just patients, but their families and our own staff. Its a natural extension of FirstHealths mission to care for people, said McEntire. We just need five more Rachels.
For information about the Parkinsons Support Group of the Sandhills, Claras Choir or music therapy offered at FirstHealth of the Carolinas, go to https://www.firsthealth.org/clara-mclean-house/programs-services-patient-support-groups-advocacy, email Kathryn McEntire at KMcEntire@firsthealth.org or call (910) 715-4230.
Courtesy feature photo: Rachel Shell, MT-BC, certified music therapist and Nancy Scaggs, a patient at the FirstHealth Outpatient Cancer Center.
Contributed
Read the original:
'Dance Parties' at Clara's House serve as welcome therapy for Parkinson's patients - Sandhill Sentinel
- Technion team discovers important adaptive strategy of the microbiome, impacting immune system - The Jerusalem Post - April 16th, 2024
- Targeting aging and age-related diseases with vaccines - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- Single cell analysis unveils B cell-dominated immune subtypes in HNSCC for enhanced prognostic and therapeutic ... - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- After the Smoke Clears: Scars on the Immune System - The Scientist - April 16th, 2024
- Exercise and the Immune System: What's the Latest Research? - Technology Networks - April 16th, 2024
- Analysis of immune cell infiltration characteristics in severe acute pancreatitis through integrated bioinformatics ... - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- Vaccination impairs de novo immune response to omicron breakthrough infection, a precondition for the original ... - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- Harnessing the power of the body's own cells to defeat cancer - Press Publications Inc. - April 16th, 2024
- Best Life: Immunotherapy targets brain cancer - Action News 5 - April 16th, 2024
- Dietary factors and their influence on immunotherapy strategies in oncology: a comprehensive review | Cell Death ... - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- New insights on B cells: Researchers explore building better antibodies and curbing autoimmune diseases - Medical Xpress - April 16th, 2024
- Immune cells' intense reaction to the coronavirus may lead to pneumonia - Science News Magazine - April 16th, 2024
- The telltale traces long Covid leaves in the blood - healthcare-in-europe.com - April 16th, 2024
- Overview of the Immune System - The Merck Manuals - March 18th, 2024
- SUNDAY Unraveling The Gut-Brain Connection: How Infant Gut Bacteria Shape Immune Resilience | TheHealthSit - TheHealthSite - March 18th, 2024
- Making drugs from T cells: The quantitative pharmacology of engineered T cell therapeutics | npj Systems Biology and ... - Nature.com - March 18th, 2024
- Study unlocks the mystery of neonatal neutropenia in newborns - News-Medical.Net - March 18th, 2024
- Vertebral Subluxation and Systems Biology: An Integrative Review Exploring the Salutogenic Influence of Chiropractic ... - Cureus - March 18th, 2024
- A new strategy to attack aggressive brain cancer shrank tumors in two early tests - ABC News - March 18th, 2024
- Turning on the Bat Signal - The Scientist - March 18th, 2024
- Power Foods That Can Support Your Immune System - Videos from The Weather Channel - The Weather Channel - March 18th, 2024
- Report: Aggressive brain tumors respond to new, immune-focused therapy - UPI News - March 18th, 2024
- Designer immune-cell therapy could shrink deadly brain tumors, early trials show - Livescience.com - March 18th, 2024
- 20.2: Introduction to the Immune System - Biology LibreTexts - February 27th, 2024
- Can one shot of yoghurt really boost your immunity and gut health? - Daily Mail - February 27th, 2024
- New cancer therapy approved by FDA supercharges bodys immune system - The Washington Post - February 27th, 2024
- How bubonic plague rewired the human immune system - BBC.com - February 27th, 2024
- Innovative therapy targets and destroys leukemia stem cells - News-Medical.Net - February 27th, 2024
- Participate in Our Study for $100; Open Slots This Week - University of Arkansas Newswire - February 27th, 2024
- Sexual dimorphism during integrative endocrine and immune responses to ionizing radiation in mice | Scientific Reports - Nature.com - February 27th, 2024
- Comprehensive pan-cancer analysis identifies the RNA-binding protein LRPPRC as a novel prognostic and immune ... - ScienceDirect.com - February 27th, 2024
- YOUR HEALTH: The HAMR fights cancer - WAFB - February 27th, 2024
- Cycles of a diet that mimics fasting can reduce signs of immune system aging, as well as insulin resistance and liver fat - News-Medical.Net - February 27th, 2024
- How the powerhouse of the cell could be cancers Achilles heel - Freethink - February 27th, 2024
- Food is medicine: The science behind zinc and other supplements for immune health - Healio - February 27th, 2024
- Unleashing Our Immune Response to Quash Cancer - Medscape - February 27th, 2024
- Tumor histoculture captures the dynamic interactions between tumor and immune components in response to anti-PD1 ... - Nature.com - February 27th, 2024
- Converging and evolving immuno-genomic routes toward immune escape in breast cancer - Nature.com - February 27th, 2024
- Sanjula Jain Urges a Comprehensive Approach in Address Alarming Rise in Cancer Cases Among Younger Populations - Managed Healthcare Executive - February 27th, 2024
- Cystic fibrosis breakthrough points to zinc as infection buster - New Atlas - February 27th, 2024
- Exploring synergies between B- and T-cell vaccine approaches to optimize immune responses against HIVworkshop ... - Nature.com - February 27th, 2024
- Is the 100-year old TB vaccine a new weapon against Alzheimers? - The Guardian - February 27th, 2024
- Immune system in the blood of Alzheimer's patients found to be epigenetically altered - News-Medical.Net - February 10th, 2024
- What impact does exercise have on your immune system? And how to stay well while cycling - BikeRadar - February 10th, 2024
- Had COVID recently? Here's what to know about how long immunity lasts, long COVID, and more - AAMC - February 10th, 2024
- Noor Momin harnesses the immune system to treat heart disease | Penn Today - Penn Today - February 10th, 2024
- Research reveals a process tumors use to induce immune suppressor cells and evade immunotherapy - Medical Xpress - February 10th, 2024
- Immune targeting of HIV-1 reservoir cells: a path to elimination strategies and cure - Nature.com - February 10th, 2024
- Preventing severe allergic reactions with nanoparticles - National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov) - February 10th, 2024
- Sugary handshakes are how cells talk to each other understanding these name tags can clarify how the immune ... - The Conversation Indonesia - February 10th, 2024
- Scientists have identified an immune cell that can cause allergies - EL PAS USA - February 10th, 2024
- Sickle cell and the importance of the immune system - Punch Newspapers - February 10th, 2024
- Which cancers can be treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors? - MD Anderson Cancer Center - February 10th, 2024
- How does waste leave the brain? Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - February 10th, 2024
- Healthy Kids: Give your immune system a boost to stay healthy this winter - nbc16.com - February 10th, 2024
- The impact of prior exposure to hypoglycaemia on the inflammatory response to a subsequent hypoglycaemic episode ... - Cardiovascular Diabetology - February 10th, 2024
- Impact of Chronic Stress on Immune System and Depression | Health News - Medriva - February 10th, 2024
- I tried 'swamp soup,' the viral recipe that promises to boost your immune system - Yahoo News - February 10th, 2024
- Understanding Immune Checkpoint Inhibition Therapy: Challenges and Strategies - Medriva - February 10th, 2024
- One Simple Change May Dramatically Boost The Effect of COVID-19 Vaccines - ScienceAlert - February 10th, 2024
- The gut virome is associated with stress-induced changes in behaviour and immune responses in mice - Nature.com - February 10th, 2024
- Cancer vaccines are in the works to fight BRCA-linked gene mutations - The Philadelphia Inquirer - February 10th, 2024
- What are the organs of the immune system? - InformedHealth.org - NCBI ... - January 17th, 2024
- Novel insights into the immune response to bacterial T cell superantigens - Nature.com - January 17th, 2024
- FDA signs off on Takeda's HyQvia as maintenance therapy for CIDP - FiercePharma - January 17th, 2024
- CBDs Pobezinsky and Pobezinskaya Use Flow Cytometry to Determine How Tumor Cells Outwit the Bodys Immune ... - UMass News and Media Relations - January 17th, 2024
- Boosting. What To Do. - Science Based Medicine - January 17th, 2024
- Axelia Oncology takes its TLR2/6 agonist into the clinic to harness the innate immune system - BioWorld Online - January 17th, 2024
- Long COVID manifests with T cell dysregulation, inflammation and an uncoordinated adaptive immune response to ... - Nature.com - January 17th, 2024
- Opinion | Thanks to mRNA, Future Drugs Will Be Easier and Faster to Make - Mississippi Free Press - January 17th, 2024
- Elon research team models the COVID immune response, one equation at a time - Today at Elon - January 17th, 2024
- Are plant-based meals good for your immune system? 4 things to know about improving your health this week. - Yahoo Life - January 17th, 2024
- Scientists Find Key To Potential Breast Cancer Prevention, Treatment | Newsroom - UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine - January 17th, 2024
- What if every germ hit you at the exact same time? An immunologist explains - The Conversation - January 17th, 2024
- Why Don't We Have a Staph Vaccine? - Healthnews.com - January 17th, 2024
- Best ways to improve your immune system - The Business Standard - January 17th, 2024
- Stanford University researchers think future pandemics could be prevented with universal vaccines - KGO-TV - January 17th, 2024
- Why you may feel depressed and anxious when you're ill and how to cope with it - The Conversation - January 17th, 2024
- New mechanism with potential to boost checkpoint-blocking cancer immunotherapies identified - Medical Xpress - January 17th, 2024
- Battling Bugs and Blues: The Interplay of Infection and Emotion - News-Medical.Net - January 17th, 2024