Do you like the title of this article? I do. Are you
surprised that drumming helps to relieve the symptoms
of Parkinsons?
I am not. I must make a confession before I tell you
more. I have been a drummer since I was in elementary
school. Much of my time in high school was spent
playing in bands and orchestras.
I still love to drum
on anything - chairs, tables, walls and of course
drums of all sizes and shapes.
The purpose of drumming is to have fun and feel
better. Drumming fulfills both aspirations
effortlessly. Everyone becomes young again.
The drum is a powerful force in healing. It:
Releases stress
Energizes the spirit
Heals troubling emotions
Releases anger
Creates euphoria
It is hard to beat this list, eh? The bodys ability
to heal is boundless. Drumming is a fundamental way to
support this ability.
Dr. Connie Tomaino has found that listening to
drumming gives people with Parkinsons better control
over their movements and helps to improve their gait
in stressful situations.
Dr. Tomaino, DA, MT-BC, uses
drumming in her work with persons with Parkinsons.
Here is her report:
I once worked with a young person with Parkinsons
disease who had trouble initiating movement. I
explored different rhythm patterns with him. We then
made a cassette of different kinds of African drumming
that he seemed to find very stimulating and helped him
get moving.
Anytime he had to walk across a street,whereas in the
past he may freeze, he would put on his headphones and
listen to African rhythms to get to the other side
without freezing in the middle of rush hour traffic.
http://www.remo.com/portal/pages/health_rhythms/library_article9.
html
What is Drumming?
You do not have to just listen to drumming. You can
drum yourself. Drumming is stress free and fun by
design.
No musical ability is necessary. No talent is
required.
No sense of rhythm is necessary. No musical
training is a prerequisite.
The only requirement is to have a body.
Everyone meets
this requirement. Right? The only agenda is to have
fun. Everyone is qualified to participate.
Any type of drum will do. Bongos, bass drums, snare
drums without the snare, tympani, hand drums, African
drums - you name it. If it sounds like a drum it
is a drum no matter what it looks like or how it is
made.
You can drum alone or in groups. If you drum with
others, someone in the group can volunteer to maintain
a steady beat - often like the beat of a human heart.
Everyone else in the group then beats away on their
drum to their hearts content with whatever beat calls
to them.
Some people make simple beats that are meditative.
Others are show offs. It is not the beat per se that
matters.
Whatever way you drum is the right way for
you. The room rocks.
Let no one convince you otherwise. You may be one who
does not like to keep the beat. Good for you.
Go for
it.
It is fun to sit around in a circle and drum together.
Even if you are not drumming yourself, it is healing
to feel the thump of the airwaves. The thumbs crawl
under your skin and sit on the lap of your soul.
What you get in return for having fun by just sitting
in the group is euphoria.
What other remedy for
Parkinsons can beat that? You also receive the welcome
benefit of dopamine. Who could use a little more
dopamine today?
Why Drumming Helps Parkinsons
There is a marked tendency for persons with
Parkinsons to be hyper-vigilant. Mental activity is
usually turned up to the top notch.
Hyper-vigilance is a good trait. It is one reason why
people with Parkinsons succeed in whatever they
choose to do. But hyper-vigilance also takes a heavy
toll on the human body which has a foundational need
for rest and relaxation.
The body was not designed to pump out adrenaline 24-7
without registering loud complaints. You know the
story. People who are always working and never playing
have health problems.
People who are hyper-vigilant also have a much greater
chance of having no alfa brainwaves. Zero.
Drumming
helps to jump start this deficiency by inducing alfa
brainwaves at 8-12 cycles per second.
The alfa state is that delicious, relaxed place that
ever so gently nudges the body into a state of pure
relaxation, the place where dopamine is manufactured.
The hyper-vigilant person has difficulty producing
dopamine because they rarely experience this state.
I suspect that what happens in transcendental
meditation is similar to what happens with drumming.
Twenty minutes (or so) of a 30 minute transcendental
meditation are spent floating in the alfa state.
Stress and trauma are embodied by a disconnection from
the earth. One good way to survive stressful
circumstances and trauma (especially when we are
young) is to disassociate from ourselves and from our
surroundings. We yank our roots up from the earth and
let them flop about in thin air.
Drumming helps to connect you back to the earth.
Drumming calls you back to the embrace of mother earth
where it is safe and exciting to be alive. Drumming
helps you accept everything and everyone - including
ourselves - just as you are.
Drumming invites the body to relax and unwind. Results
happen when you start.
You do not have to wait weeks or
months for the therapy to take effect. Pretty neat,
eh?
Testimonials tell us that drumming helps people with
Parkinsons. We have no formal research to indicate
that it helps but I say why even bother.
Why not give it a try and find a drum today? You can
often find great drums at garage sales for a few dollars.
It certainly cannot hurt you.
It is bound to be fun.
You may laugh while doing it.
When you have fun and laugh .
you give yourself the best dose of
dopamine that exists. It is all natural
and entirely free.
So be honest with me here. Do you think this is a
silly idea? If you do, please take this opportunity to
laugh at me.
That will do you some good for sure!
As for myself, I am always on the lookout for a good
drum to beat. Euphoria is calling me.
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery
.
About the Author (text)Robert Rodgers, Ph.D. maintains a clearinghouse of information for people with Parkinson\'s interested in finding ways to get relief from their symptoms using natural methods at http://www.parkinsonsrecovery.com
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