Music as Medicine

Can listening to music boost our cognitive function? Do pop songs hold the key to treating Parkinson`s and Alzheimer`s? And why might Tracy Chapman`s `Fast Car` help cure PTSD? We are only just beginning to appreciate the healing power of music. Here, a neuroscientist and celebrated musician offers a confounding tour through the emerging science of music as medicine - revealing how it can calm our thoughts, repair our memories and heal our deepest psychological wounds. _ `Levitin presents a strong, evidence-based case for how music heals, alleviating pain, reducing anxiety and even aiding recovery from strokes or Parkinson’s. It’s a compelling blend of anecdote and rigorous science, revealing in detail how music harnesses the brain.` Books of the Year, FINANCIAL TIMES `For many years I have wondered why a bunch of frequencies organised into a piece of music has the ability, even without words, to make the listener cry and become emotional. Although I know this happens to me and many people, I have often wondered how this can be. Dr Levitin, in this latest book, Music as Medicine, has some fascinating insights into this great phenomenon.` PAUL MCCARTNEY