Anxious, Depressed and Pregnant? Try Music Therapy

Many women who are Mothers can describe the highs and lows associated with that magical, but challenging time. While some Mothers accept their baby blues as a time that will pass, other Mothers need treatments for coping. Rather than just predominately popping pills, which can be a dubious act while with child, you may want to try music therapy. While music therapy has been associated with the mitigation of stress, chronic pain, mood change and even back pain, Professor Chung-Hey Chen, among others, of the National Cheng Kung University of China who conducted the study, have found that “the music group [of pregnant women] showed significant reductions in stress, anxiety and depression after just two weeks, using three established measurement scales.” These scales showed drops in stress (an average of 2.15), anxiety (2.13) and depression (an average of 1.84) using lullabies and classical, Chinese and natural sounds music for at least 30 minutes a day for two weeks. Chen adds, “The value of music therapy is slowly being realised [sic] by nurses in a number of clinical settings, and we hope that our findings will encourage healthcare professionals to consider it when treating pregnant women.” So even if you aren't pregnant, you may want to make time for that favorite CD; after all, it is very likely that it is adding to your good health.