20091012 -- Music to Patients' Ears (1)

Music to Patients' Ears

Music calms, comforts and may even heal

Throughout time, people have loved music for its ability to transport them into a world of rhythm and melody. Recently, more and more hospitals and clinics have been tapping into the power of music - not only to comfort patients, but to help them heal as well. Welcome to the world of music therapy.

After each of the two world wars, musicians visited hospitals and played instruments for injured soldiers suffering from emotional and physical pain. Today's music therapists continue this practice, playing instruments such as guitars and harps to bring comfort to their audiences.

Therapist Eric Mammen encourages his patients at a children's hospital to participate with him as he plays. During visits with 13-year-old cancer patient Lawrence Garcia, Mammen encourages Garcia to beat on electric drums while he plays the guitar. The therapy won't cure his cancer, but it does, according to Garcia's mom, take away much of the boy's depression.

Music therapy can elevate patients' moods and ease the symptoms of depression according to the American Music Therapy Association. Other benefits include relieving pain, calming tension, aiding sleep, counteracting worry or fear, and easing muscle tension.



tap into something 利用/開發
=> try to get benefit from something
tap tapped tapped tapping
eg: Our group decided to tap into the experiences of other parentswith physically challenged children.
eg: Many companies tapped into the cheap labor of this country to make
a fortune.

tap into 連上線
eg: She's capable of tapping into many wealthy investors.

therapy n. 治療法
therapist n. 心理治療師
eg: Mr. and Mrs. Jones decided to see a marriage therapist to help
them resolve a problem.
eg: a language/a speech therapist 語言治療師
eg: a physical therapist 復健師
eg: The patient was in theraphy for years.

counter 反方向地
act 起作用
counteract v. 起反作用/抵消/綜合
=> reduce prevent the bad affect of something by doing something to have the opposite effect
eg: Antioxidants(抗氧化物) can counteract the effects of aging.
eg: Grapefruit juice(葡萄柚汁) sometimes counteracts the effects of medicne.

elevate v. 振奮(情緒等)/舉起/抬起
=> lift up
eg: The good news elevated our morale(士氣).

relieve v. 緩和/減輕/解除
eg: The medicine can relieve your pain temporarily.

harp n. 豎琴

//== Chat room ==//

music to one's ears
=> 聽到好消息/好聽的話時，可以說it's music to my ears.
eg: It's music to my ears.

all ears 洗耳恭聽
=> very eager to hear what someone is going to say
eg: I'm all ears.

fall on deaf ears 沒聽進去/有聽到但是沒反應

wet behind the ears 涉世未深
=> young, not experienced
=> 動物剛出生，全身是溼的，表涉世未深

earful n. 大量/滔滔不絕 => have heard enough
get an earful (帶有負面的消息)聽到一大堆的話
eg: I got quite an earful of her chatter. 聽到一大堆的話
eg: The boy heard an earful of his father's scolding.
eg: She gave me an earful about her husband's infidelities.
=> 她滔滔不絕地對我說有關她丈夫外遇的事。


//== Did you know ==//

What is music therapy?
According to the American Music Therapy Association, "Music therapy is an established healthcare profession that uses music to address physical, emotional, congitive, and social needs of individuals of all ages." Music therapy not only helps those recovering from disabilities or illnesses but also improves the quality of life for healthy individuals. So, what are you waiting for?
Go listen to some music!