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Lake Hospital System Receives $60,000 Grant for Groundbreaking Music Therapy Study

Posted on: Wednesday, 11 March 2009, 08:00 CDT

Participants Sought For Landmark Study To Measure Effects Of Music On Diabetes Outcomes

PAINESVILLE, Ohio, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Lake Hospital System today announced that it has received a $60,000 grant from the Kulas Foundation to support a groundbreaking study that will measure the effects of music therapy on health-related outcomes for patients with diabetes.

Lake Hospital System is seeking 200-300 participants for the three-year music therapy study, the first of its kind conducted with patients who have diabetes. Scheduled to begin in April 2009, the study is designed to compare the effects of diabetes self-management training; music-assisted relaxation and imagery administered via compact disc recording; and music therapy facilitated by a board-certified music therapist. Participants will be regularly monitored throughout the study by health professionals who specialize in diabetes. Outcomes to be studied include blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c (blood sugar), body mass index, anxiety and stress.

According to 2007 data from the Centers for Disease Control, 23.6 million people in the United States -- 7.8 percent of the population -- have diabetes. While music therapy studies have been conducted on a wide range of medical conditions -- from Alzheimer's disease to coronary heart disease and cancer -- little is known about the effect of music therapy on the health of patients with diabetes.

"Given the epidemic incidence of diabetes, it's a high priority to investigate integrative approaches to treatment that offer added benefit to patients engaged in diabetes self-management training," said Susan E. Mandel, Ph.D., MT-BC, a board-certified music therapist who will serve as the study's primary investigator. "Based on our prior music therapy research at Lake Hospital System, we're hopeful that the study will demonstrate the potential for music therapy to enhance the overall health and well-being of patients with diabetes."

Diabetes is unique among chronic health conditions because, to a large extent, treatment depends upon self-management. Many patients participate in diabetes self-management training, which provides them with an overall education about diabetes, including how to monitor blood glucose levels as well as knowledge about diet, exercise and insulin.

"We've known for many years that patients who effectively learn to control blood glucose, blood pressure and blood lipids have decreased occurrence of serious complications, including cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, blindness and lower limb amputations," explained Martin L. Mandel, M.D., F.A.C.E., a Lake Hospital System endocrinologist who is serving as the study's medical advisor. "It will be very interesting to see how augmenting diabetes self-management education with music therapy affects physiological outcomes, such as blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and psychological outcomes, such as anxiety and stress."

Clinical research demonstrates that music can improve respiration, lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, relax muscle tension, decrease pain by increasing levels of endorphins, increase immunologic function and reduce stress and anxiety. Music also has the power to calm or excite, depending on personal preference and the type of music.

Lake Hospital System has used music to enhance healing since establishing a music therapy program 18 years ago as part of the hospital system's outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program. With the opening of TriPoint Medical Center this fall, Lake Hospital System will further expand evidenced-based healing programs, like music therapy, system wide.

"Music therapy is a valuable component of the care we provide our patients," said Cynthia Moore-Hardy, president and CEO of Lake Hospital System. "We recognize the important connection between mind, body and spirit, and we're committed to providing our patients with therapies that enhance healing and wellness. We believe that this study will not only validate the effectiveness of music therapy on improving health-related outcomes for patients with diabetes, but also provide direction for continued research."

Lake Hospital System will present results of the study in 2012 at the annual Health Symposium sponsored by the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland.

"Music therapy research is our signature program at the Kulas Foundation. We're thrilled to support the groundbreaking music therapy research being conducted at Lake Hospital System with patients who have diabetes," said Nancy McCann, president of the Kulas Foundation.

The Kulas Foundation, founded in 1937 by Cleveland music patrons Elroy John Kulas and his wife Fynette Hill Kulas, is one of the few philanthropic organizations in Northeast Ohio that focuses on music appreciation and music education. The Kulas Foundation is a leader among foundations for funding scientific music therapy research.

Individuals, ages 30-85, with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes (if covered by third party insurance) are eligible to participate in the study. Individuals with gestational diabetes or other types will be excluded. Other exclusions include dementia and severe hearing loss. Each participant will receive a $25 gas card as a stipend following completion of the study, as well as a therapeutic music compact disc recording.

For more information, please contact the Lake Hospital System Diabetes Care Center at 440-953-6272.

About Lake Hospital System

For seven consecutive years NorthCoast 99 has named Lake Hospital System one of the 99 Best Places to work in Northeast Ohio. Thomson also recently named Lake Hospital System one of the top 100 hospitals in the U.S. for cardiovascular care. A leader in community-based health care in Northeast Ohio, Lake Hospital System provides high-quality, accessible health services for all stages of life. Lake Hospital System delivers progressive, compassionate health care through eight state-of-the-art facilities staffed by more than 500 physicians and 2,600 health care professionals. For more information, visit www.LHS.net.

Contacts: Julie Strogin, Lake Hospital System 440.354.1940 julie.strogin@lhs.net Kristin Wilson, Brokaw Inc. 330.701.3371 kwilson@brokaw.com

SOURCE Lake Hospital System

Source: PR Newswire

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