Study: Music therapy can decrease Tips for growing tomatoes By Melinda Myers pain for patients after spine surgery arvest and enjoy the garden-fresh flavor of
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usic therapy has been found to decrease pain in patients recovering from spine surgery, compared to a control group of patients who received standard postoperative care alone. The study, published in The American Journal of Orthopedics, included a team of researchers from The Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine and the Mount Sinai Department of Orthopaedics in New York City. About 70 percent of people in the United States experience at least one episode of back pain in their lifetime, and more than 5 million are temporarily or permanently disabled by spinal disorders. “This study is unique in its quest to integrate music therapy in medicine to treat post-surgical pain,” said John Mondanaro, the study’s lead author and Clinical Director of The Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy. “Postoperative spine patients are at major risk for pain management challenges.” Visual analog scale (VAS) pain ratings were
collected before and after music therapy in the experimental group and within the same time period in the control group. In the control group, VAS pain levels increased slightly. In the experimental group, however, VAS pain levels decreased by more than one point. “The degree of change in the music group is notable for having been achieved by non-pharmacologic means with little chance of adverse effects,” said Joanne Loewy, DA, co-author of the study and Director of The Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine. “Pain is subjective and personal, and warrants an individualized approach to care. Certified, licensed music therapists are able to tailor treatment to each patient’s musical preferences and meet their pain level.”
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usic therapists from the Louis Armstrong Center provided treatment options to each patient, including patient-preferred, live music that supported tension release/relaxation and joint singing and/or rhythmic drumming. Breath work and visualization techniques were also offered. Postoperative pain treatment, which is primarily pharmacologic, is a critical component of recovery, particularly during the immediate postoperative period, when pain and anxiety are prominently increased. For this study, researchers provided 30 spine surgery patients with a 30-minute music therapy session within 72 hours after surgery in addition to standard care. Another 30 spine surgery patients received standard postoperative care without music therapy. The 60 patients ranged in age from 40 to 55 years and underwent anterior, posterior, or anterior-posterior spinal fusion.
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tomatoes right outside your kitchen. Grow them in containers set on your patio, balcony, deck, or stairs. You’ll enjoy the convenience of harvesting fresh tomatoes a few feet away from where you prepare your meals. And your guests will enjoy harvesting fresh tomatoes to add to their salad or sandwich. Tomatoes need warm air and soil to thrive. Containers give you the ability to jumpstart the season. Plant tomatoes in containers earlier than in the garden and leave them outdoors when it’s warm. Bring them inside whenever there’s a danger of frost. Protect your plants with the help of season-extending products like cloches, red tomato teepees, or garden fabrics. These will help warm the soil and air around the plants, reducing the number of days to your first harvest. Select flavorful and disease-resistant varieties for your container gardens. Consider “determinate” tomatoes that are more compact and generally less than four feet tall. Don’t eliminate your favorite indeterminate tomato. Just provide a strong tall support for these plants that continue to grow six feet and taller throughout the season. Grow your tomatoes in a sunny spot that receives at least eight hours of direct sunlight. You’ll grow the biggest harvest and reduce the risk of disease. Fill your container with a quality well-drained potting mix. Add a slow release organic fertilizer to your potting mix if needed. This type of fertilizer feeds the plants for several months. Give the plants an additional feeding midseason or as directed on the fertilizer package. Check soil moisture daily, water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil slightly moist. Maintaining consistent soil moisture means healthier plants and fewer problems with blossom end rot. This disorder is not a deadly disease, but it causes the bottom of the first set of fruit to turn black. Reduce your workload by using self-watering pots like the Gardener’s Revolution® Classic Tomato Planter (gardeners.com). These pots have a five-gallon reservoir for holding water that moves up into the soil to the plant roots as needed. This means you’ll be filling the reservoir less often than you would normally water other planters. Stake or tower your plants to save space, increase air circulation around and light penetration into the plant. You’ll further reduce the risk of disease and increase productivity by growing vertically. So start gathering your favorite tomato recipes now, as soon you’ll be harvesting armloads of tomatoes to use in salsas, salads, sauces, and of course BLTs. (Myers has written more than 20 gardening books.)
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