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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000064.txt from 2005/12

From: Arri Bachrach <abachrach@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [DR-L] asthma and wind playing -- oboe best?
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 16:22:22 -0500

I have had sarcoid for over 30 years and it did a job on my lungs. I still
am able to play without any real problems, though sometimes I have to be
careful where I breathe!! I also developed a mild case of asthma related
to the sarcoid...
So the bassoon has been a kind of "music therapy"!!

AB

>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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