Healing through Music - Music medicine to counter pain, anxiety and stress

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Institutional Communication Service

24 October 2022

Psychological stress and anxiety are, after pain, the most frequent cause of suffering in hospital patients. Music definitely has an analgesic, anti-anxiety and stress- relieving effect, as shown by various systematic reviews that look at dozens of random studies carried out on adults and children. Studies show that music has a real and significant analgesic effect on pain, although of moderate entity. A key review by Chanda and Levitin details a number of studies showing that music reduces the levels of cortisol, a hormone responsible for the harmful effects of stress. In the face of much scientific evidence, it appears that music could be an important therapeutic resource to complement traditional treatment.

Speaker:

  • Enzo Grossi, surgeon, lecturer and researcher

Testimonial:

  • Alfredo Raglio, music therapist and researcher at the Maugeri IRCCS Clinical and Scientific Institutes, Pavia (I)

Discussant:

  • Claudia Gamondi, USI lecturer and head of the EOC Palliative Care and Support Clinic

 

Enzo Grossi

Coordinator of the course and member of the IBSA Foundation for scientific research Advisory Board. Over the last 15 years, he has worked extensively in the fields of art, culture and health with a wide range of scientific publications, seminars and university courses. Since 2012, he has been Scientific Director of the ‘Villa Santa Maria’ Foundation in Tavernerio (Como) and of the Institute of the same name, a home for children and adolescents suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders. Since 2016 he has been Scientific Advisor for the Bracco Foundation, Milan. He has authored more than 500 publications listed on Google Scholar and on PubMed.

 

Alfredo Raglio

After training in music and music therapy, he obtained a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences. He is head of the Music Therapy Research Laboratory at the IRCCS Maugeri Scientific Clinical Institutes in Pavia and Scientific and Educational Coordinator of Pavia University’s Masters Course in Music Therapy. He has published a wide range of scientific and popular works on music therapy.

 

Claudia Gamondi

She graduated in medicine and surgery, specialising in medical oncology and palliative care. She then obtained a Master's degree in palliative medicine at the University of Bristol (UK) and a PhD In Health Research at Lancaster University (UK). Since 2014, she has been first clinical director and then head of the Palliative Care and Support Clinic at the Italian Swiss Oncology Institute (IOSI). In 2020, she became a lecturer at the USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.

 

Music programme

A for cello, piano and live electronics - Leonardo Nevari (1992*)
Performed by: Elide Sulsenti (cello), Leonardo Nevari (piano) and Danilo Gervasoni (live electronics)

 

Find the complete course programme here

 

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