MONDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer patients who listen to soothing music feel less pain than do their counterparts who do not listen to music, according to study findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Pain Society in Washington, D.C.
Shih-Tzu Huang, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and colleagues randomized 126 cancer patients from two Taiwanese hospitals to listen to folk songs, Buddhist hymns, harp and piano for 30 minutes or to rest in bed. Patients rated their pain before and after the 30-minute test.
Patients who listened to music had less pain sensations and distress than control patients. The researchers performed an analysis to determine exactly how music affects cancer pain. They showed that 46.8 percent of the effects of the soothing music were due to relaxation and distraction.
"Nurses can offer soft music to supplement analgesic medication for cancer patients with pain, instructing them that music can help them to relax and/or to distract themselves from pain," the researchers conclude.
Abstract
