Would you believe that there are some significant medical benefits from playing the Harmonica. While you inhale and exhale your lungs while playing you are actually doing resistance training for you muscles in the lungs. Many Pulmonary experts have championed patients playing the harmonica as a part of rehabilitating patients of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Most doctors believe that playing the harmonica is like using the inspiratory spirometer or the inspiratory muscle trainer.
Now patients can learn a fun and useful skill as they do their physical therapy for their lungs. In addition the goal setting of picking out new songs and mastering them provides a valuable positive feedback loop that makes it more likely a patient will actually stick with their exercise regime. For these reasons is very common that a harmonica is used as part of a suggested and normal pulmonary rehabilitation programs at many institutions.
The most common diseases that can be treated using harmonica are pulmonary diseases like Chronic Asthma, Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis as well as breathing problems.
About the diseases and the use of harmonica to treat it
Issue 1: COPD causes the air to be trapped in air sacs within the lungs. In emphysema, there is loss of elasticity and in bronchitis, due to the swelling and irritation, the airways become narrow or even collapse when you exhale. This traps the air and creates a lot of difficulty in exhaling. But when you play harmonica, notes are generally performed which causes both inhaling and exhaling and the air is forced through the reeds that creates some resistance. This creates positive pressure on the airways thus, reducing collapse. It almost mimics pursed lip breathing.
Issue 2: Patients suffering from COPD must try to get the air out and into their lungs. Patients generally have to try hard to do this because of the loss of elasticity of the lungs and due to the increased rigidity of the lower rib cage including muscles, cartilage, skin and tendons. The lower part of the rib cage becomes immobile due to shallow breathing.
Harmonica can play a good role in curing this kind of problem because when you play the harmonica, you need to use the lower lobes of the diaphragm, lungs and coastal muscles. Playing the harmonica acts as a low impact exercise for this kind of problem. This increases your endurance and you can easily increase the playtime to increase the level of the exercise.
Issue 3: Harmonica can be used to treat loss of muscle efficiency of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a big dome-shaped muscle situated below the lungs which divides the abdomen and the chest. It is believed that 80% of your breathing effort is taken up by the diaphragm.
When the lungs get expanded by negative pressure it loses pulmonary ventilation. As a result, the respiration is shallow without much movement of the abdomen. Due to the hyperinflation of the lungs, people suffering from bronchitis and emphysema have flattened diaphragms that do not work properly to get in and out air of the lungs.
Playing a harmonica can help you because the instrument requires the support of diaphragm for both long and short breath patterns. If you undergo training before playing the instrument, especially on Diaphragmatic Breathing, you will know how the instrument helps to strengthen the diaphragm.
Issue 4: Sometimes, many chronic disease patients suffer from acute depression. In this situation, learning to play the harmonica acts as an uplifting process. When you learn to play the harmonica, you require a lot of focus, skill development and practice. Depression is usually lifted when you learn the music and you see progress in your learning, thus helping you to improve your well-being.
Choosing a harmonica and playing it is a great source of rehabilitation for people suffering from pulmonary diseases. It also acts as a therapy for sufferers of acute depression.
Now patients can learn a fun and useful skill as they do their physical therapy for their lungs. In addition the goal setting of picking out new songs and mastering them provides a valuable positive feedback loop that makes it more likely a patient will actually stick with their exercise regime. For these reasons is very common that a harmonica is used as part of a suggested and normal pulmonary rehabilitation programs at many institutions.
The most common diseases that can be treated using harmonica are pulmonary diseases like Chronic Asthma, Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis as well as breathing problems.
About the diseases and the use of harmonica to treat it
Issue 1: COPD causes the air to be trapped in air sacs within the lungs. In emphysema, there is loss of elasticity and in bronchitis, due to the swelling and irritation, the airways become narrow or even collapse when you exhale. This traps the air and creates a lot of difficulty in exhaling. But when you play harmonica, notes are generally performed which causes both inhaling and exhaling and the air is forced through the reeds that creates some resistance. This creates positive pressure on the airways thus, reducing collapse. It almost mimics pursed lip breathing.
Issue 2: Patients suffering from COPD must try to get the air out and into their lungs. Patients generally have to try hard to do this because of the loss of elasticity of the lungs and due to the increased rigidity of the lower rib cage including muscles, cartilage, skin and tendons. The lower part of the rib cage becomes immobile due to shallow breathing.
Harmonica can play a good role in curing this kind of problem because when you play the harmonica, you need to use the lower lobes of the diaphragm, lungs and coastal muscles. Playing the harmonica acts as a low impact exercise for this kind of problem. This increases your endurance and you can easily increase the playtime to increase the level of the exercise.
Issue 3: Harmonica can be used to treat loss of muscle efficiency of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a big dome-shaped muscle situated below the lungs which divides the abdomen and the chest. It is believed that 80% of your breathing effort is taken up by the diaphragm.
When the lungs get expanded by negative pressure it loses pulmonary ventilation. As a result, the respiration is shallow without much movement of the abdomen. Due to the hyperinflation of the lungs, people suffering from bronchitis and emphysema have flattened diaphragms that do not work properly to get in and out air of the lungs.
Playing a harmonica can help you because the instrument requires the support of diaphragm for both long and short breath patterns. If you undergo training before playing the instrument, especially on Diaphragmatic Breathing, you will know how the instrument helps to strengthen the diaphragm.
Issue 4: Sometimes, many chronic disease patients suffer from acute depression. In this situation, learning to play the harmonica acts as an uplifting process. When you learn to play the harmonica, you require a lot of focus, skill development and practice. Depression is usually lifted when you learn the music and you see progress in your learning, thus helping you to improve your well-being.
Choosing a harmonica and playing it is a great source of rehabilitation for people suffering from pulmonary diseases. It also acts as a therapy for sufferers of acute depression.
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To learn how to find the Best Harmonica for Beginners. Stop by Tony Black's site where you can find out all about Choosing a Harmonica and all the pro's and con's of the different types.