Perreault Magazine - 47 -
surgery (Trends in Cognitive Sciences, April, 2013). It also has shown to help the left and right hemispheres of the brain communicate more effectively, creating new neural pathways in the brain.
Our auditory system connects to our thymus gland, which is an integral part of our immune system. Holistic physician and psychiatrist John Diamond, M.D., notes that at some point, 95% of the population will suffer from low thymus levels and fatigue. This low thymus activity can be instantly raised by listening to enhancing and soothing music that mitigates the effects of everyday stress and noxious stimuli. Diamond suggests that music can increase T-cell production to five times normal levels, raise endorphin levels up to 90 times, improve resistance to illness, dampen the perception of pain, and evoke faster recovery times
Our Skin Listens
What is interesting is that our first sensory experience in life as a fetus in the womb is of sound and vibration. The capability of hearing is one of the first senses to develop in utero and the last to depart before death. In addition to perceiving sound through our ears, a recent study published in the Journal of Nature shows that we also "hear" the pressure waves of sound through our skin.
Studies have shown that music and sound affects the limbic area of the brain, which influences our feelings, monitors our hormonal systems, and governs our body’s ability to seek reward and pleasure. According to its particular influence, sounds slow or quicken the rhythm of our blood circulation, waken or soothe our nervous system, arouse our passions or bring upon a peaceful, calming effect. Music can even influence how things taste.
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