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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000063.txt from 2005/12

From: William Dawson <w-dawson@-----.>
Subj: Re: [DR-L] asthma and wind playing -- oboe best?
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:48:28 -0500

To Miriam and the list,

The major physiologic difficulty with asthma is the restriction of
expiration, or breathing out. Wheezing is the hallmark of the disease when
it's aggravated, and increased expiratory pressure makes it worse. Most
physicians seeing musicians with asthma feel that improving the flow by
playing any wind instrument seems to be the most effective technique --
pressure alone does not seem to be the governing factor.

I've had bassoon studhas not been an aggravating factor, although I cannot
say (since I'm not a pulmonologist and have not measured my students'
respiratory function) that playing has _significantly_ improved their
breathing. Also, I've not seen any articles in the medical literature that
differentiate between high- and low-pressure instruments in asthmatic
performers.

Music therapy ("music as medicine") is the other half of arts medicine. My
own interest is in performing arts medicine ("medicine for musicians").
However, even musicians with various problems can benefit from music therapy.

Hope this helps.

Dr. Bill Dawson
IDRS medical consultant
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

At 10:41 AM 12/29/2005, you wrote:
>I've often wondered if people with breathing problems such as asthma would
>have better success on the oboe instead of say, clarinet or flute, since
>the volume of air is not as important as the continuous pressure to
>support the tone.
>
>Dr. Dawson?
>
>Here's an article from another list reeders may find interesting.
>
>Miriam
>``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
>(snippet)
>"Asthma," says Dr. Joanne Loewy -- who radiates her enthusiasm for the
>palpable results of her work -- "is the No. 1 admitting diagnosis for
>children in hospitals. So we are currently studying the effects of wind
>playing -- such as playing a flute or a horn -- in lung volume capacity and
>quality of life in children and teenagers."
>`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
>MUSIC
>The Healing Power of Jazz
>By NAT HENTOFF
>December 29, 2005; Page D8
>
>In 1969, Louis Armstrong told his longtime friend and associate, Phoebe
>Jacobs, the grande dame of the New York jazz scene, that he wanted to start
>a foundation "to give back to people some of the goodness I've had from them
>all these years." Thus began the Louis Armstrong Educational Fund, of which,
>Ms. Jacobs is vice president.
>
>Among its projects, including the Louis Armstrong Public School Jazz
>Outreach Program in New Orleans, the nonprofit foundation has added to his
>huge role in the shaping of jazz history a significant contribution to the
>history of medical music therapy in hospitals and other care centers.
(snip)

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