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

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Staff - Faculty of Biomedical Sciences

Date: 24 October 2022 / 18:00 - 19:00

Multipurpose Hall of the East Campus in Lugano

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

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)