Singing, Producing Music May Lower Blood Pressure

From True Health News… new research was published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research indicating that singing or producing melodies may provide benefits.  The researchers followed a 76-year-old woman through her treatment for bilateral knee osteoarthritis.  Despite her use of several drug-based therapies, the doctors had to postpone a procedure due to her high blood pressure which had reached 240/120.  The patient asked her doctors if she could sing to ease her stress, a routine that she said sometimes helped her fall asleep at night. After two songs, her blood pressure reading was reduced to 180/90.  The doctors were pleased with this result and asked her to continue singing periodically throughout the night.  A morning evaluation showed that the woman’s blood pressure had remained at a stable level and she was permitted to undergo surgery.  “Singing is simple, safe, and free.  Patients should be encouraged to sing if they wish,” said the study’s lead author Nina Niu.