Medscape: Could Singing Aid in Pulmonary Rehab?
Medscape recently interviewed Derek Corpus, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s, and Cedars-Sinai pulmonologist Samuel Cohen, MD, about whether singing can benefit patients with lung conditions.
Corpus told Medscape that he has noticed similarities between pulmonary rehabilitation exercises and how professional singers approach vocal training.
“You have to sustain notes when singing,” he said. “You’re changing the pressures in your airway and the musculature of the thoracic cage. You’re moving air through.”
Scientific evidence supporting the therapeutic effects of singing is modest. However, a recent study, which compared the benefits of participating in a group singing program with standard care for lung disease, found that the individuals who sang reported better quality of life compared with patients who did not.
Corpus told Medscape that although the study did not assess objective changes in patients’ lung function, perceived improvement is still a meaningful measure of success.
“Apparently, patients are saying they felt better, so from a quality perspective the singing was helpful per their perception,” he said.
Cohen agreed that singing can be a valuable tool for patients with lung disease.
“Finding ways to cope with the challenges and the discomfort that comes with it, to feel better, and be able to be more functional in daily activities is also important, even if it doesn’t specifically show an improvement in lung function itself,” Cohen told Medscape.
He said singing could be incorporated into existing rehabilitation programs as an additional therapy for patients who are interested in music.
Corpus said this approach could help asthma patients manage their condition.
“It’s a diagnosis that is scary, and the biggest question I always get is, ‘Will I grow out of it?’” Corpus said. “But rather than framing it as it possibly going away, maybe it should be more of how to deal with it at its current state and how to empower patients to do things because they are capable.”
Read the complete article from Medscape.