“Could music be used to treat COVID-19?” writes Anya Wassenberg in last Monday’s (1/23) Ludwig Van (Toronto). “It seems ironic that music, one of the fields hardest hit by the global pandemic, may prove to be an effective treatment specifically for COVID-related inflammation, according to a study published in the academic journal Music & Science. Researchers at the University of Florida, Gainesville, referenced 84 research studies in their analysis, dating from 1964 to 2021. Their paper is titled “Therapeutic Potential of Music-Based Interventions on the Stress Response and Neuroinflammatory Biomarkers in COVID-19: A Review.” They also made the connection with a growing body of research that points to the potential for music therapy to have an impact on the body’s inflammatory response…. The authors mention engagement with music, which could take the form of listening, learning or playing. The researchers conclude by noting that many of the specific pathways that are activated by exposure to the COVID-19 virus overlap with those that are affected by exposure to and participation in music…. More research is needed to explore that potential.”
Read “Music as Medicine” in Symphony, which explores how musicians, music therapists, and scientists are using music to improve the lives of people with cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.
