According to a study published in 2006, listening to music can reduce chronic pain by more than 20%. They found that people who listened to music for an hour every day for a week reported improved physical and psychological symptoms compared to the control group.

The small study included 60 patients with a variety of painful condition who were divided into three groups of 20 each. One group was the control group and did not listen to music on a regular basis. One music group listened to their favorite music and sounds and the other listened to relaxing music tapes provided by the researchers. The music varied from piano to harp.

At the end of the study, patients in both music groups said that their pain had decreased between 12 to 21% while the patients in the control group reported an increase in pain.

So, have you ever tried to use music or soothing sounds to help manage your pain? If not, here’s your chance to win a 15.00 iTunes gift card so you can try. If you have tried, you can use the gift card to add to your collection.

If you would like to win this gift card, simply leave a message in the comment section, telling us of your favorite music, singer or band. The contest will run from today until 11:59 PM, EST, July 30, 2008. You must be sure to enter your email address so you can be contacted if you are the winner. When the contest is over, I will enter all eligible comments into a randomizer to choose the winner.

***The contest is now over – I will post the winner’s name shortly.***

Image: iStock

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Post from: Blisstree

Music’s soothing effects – and an iTunes give-away