According to a study published in the journal Clinical Nursing Research, turning up the patients favourite song during the treatment can speed up the recovery time. Several studies have shown that music-listening interventions can drastically reduce pain and anxiety. In this study, researchers from Michigan State University, US, evaluated the effects of music-listening interventions on chemotherapy-induced nausea.

The researchers explained that the goal of the study was to study the increase in the amount of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, in the body. They noted that serotonin is the major neurotransmitter that causes chemotherapy-induced nausea, but cancer patients take medications to block the effect of serotonin.

The small pilot study included 12 patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The patient agreed to listen to their favourite music for 30 minutes each time before taking their as-needed anti-nausea medication. Also, they repeated the music intervention when the patients felt nauseous in the next 5 days following their chemotherapy treatment. Overall, a total of 64 events were recorded during the study duration.

The findings of the study showed that patients who listened to pleasant music experienced the lowest levels of serotonin release, indicating that the serotonin stayed in the blood platelets and was not released to circulate throughout the body. On the other hand, when patients listened to music, they found unpleasant, they experienced greater stress levels and increased levels of serotonin release.

The lead author of the study stated that listening to music fired every kind of neuron in the brains of the patients. The researchers observed a reduction in the ratings of nausea severity and associated distress among the patients. However, they cautioned that it was difficult to isolate whether it was the gradual release of the medication doing its job or the increased benefit of the music. 

(Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/listening-to-music-can-make-your-medicines-more-effective-study-493555 )