Living Artisan

Vibroacoustics and Fibromyalgia Clinical Study

“CONCLUSION: In the present study, the LFSS treatment showed no adverse effects and patients receiving the LFSS treatment showed statistically and clinically relevant improvement. Further phase 2 and 3 trials are warranted.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of LFSS on FM.METHOD: The present open-label study with no control group used a repeated-measures design with no noncompleters. Nineteen female volunteers (median age 51 years; median duration of FM 5.76 years) were administered 10 treatments (twice per week for five weeks).

Treatments involved 23 min of LFSS at 40 Hz, delivered using transducers in a supine position.

Measures (repeated before and after treatment) included the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, Jenkins Sleep Scale, Pain Disability Index, sitting and standing without pain (in minutes), cervical muscle range of motion and muscle tone. Mean percentages were calculated on end of treatment self-reports of improvement on pain, mood, insomnia and activities of daily living.

RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed with median scores: Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, 81% (P<0.0001); Jenkins Sleep Scale, 90% (P<0.0001); and Pain Disability Index, 49.1% (P<0.0001). Medication dose was reduced in 73.68% of patients and completely discontinued in 26.32%. Time sitting and standing without pain increased significantly (P<0.0001). Cervical muscle range of motion increased from 25% to 75% (P=0.001), while muscle tone changed from hypertonic to normal (P=0.0002)." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4325896/

University of Toronto Researches Vibroacoustic Therapy

Professor Bartel of the Faculty of Music and his team in the Music and Health Research Collaboratory are exploring the medical effects of low frequency sound and have demonstrated it can play a key role in reducing the symptoms of Parkinsons Disease.

“Vibroacoustic therapy (VAT) consists of low sound frequencies that are transmitted to the body and mind through special transducers that convert the sound to inner body massage. MaHRC associates Heidi Ahonen and Quincy Almeida treated two groups of Parkinson’s patients (20 with dominant tremor symptoms and 20 with slow/rigid movement symptoms) with five minutes of 30 Hz vibration.”

https://www.utoronto.ca/news/good-vibrations-using-sound-treat-disease

What is Vibroacoustic Therapy?

“Vibroacoustic therapy (VAT) is a type of sound therapy that involves passing pure low frequency sine wave vibrations into the body via a device with embedded speakers.[1][2] This therapy was developed in Norway by Olav Skille in the 1980s.[3] The Food and Drug Administration has approved vibroacoustic therapy for increasing circulation, pain relief, and increasing mobility.[4] Vibroacoustic therapy is being evaluated to treat a number of conditions including fibromyalgia,[5] cerebral palsy[6] and Alzheimer’s Disease.[7]” Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibroacoustic_therapy

VibroAcoustics Improve Motor Skills for People with Parkinsons

“3. Results
3.1. UPDRS Motor Score at Baseline and Post PAT
The total UPDRS motor score was analysed in order to assess the general improvement of motor
symptoms in PD patients. Baseline values for both treatment and control groups did not differ
(p(b3) = 1). The treatment group started with a baseline UPDRS score of 22.9 ± 7.72, whereas the placebo
group started with a baseline score of 23.7 ± 9.62. Figure 3A shows an improvement in the motor
scores after the treatment period, with a significant main effect of time (F(1,34) = 26.21; p(b3) = 0.00001).
The power achieved from this analysis was 99.8% (partial e2 = 0.1522, total sample size = 36). Post-hoc
comparisons confirmed that the treatment group significantly improved (p(b3)<<0.001), whereas the control group did not improve between baseline and post-test (p(b3) = 0.16). A density histogram was then performed in order to gain more insight into the data. Figure 3B shows the number of participants in each group with a particular pre vs. post difference in UPDRS motor scores, expressed as a proportion of the total. The control group has a relatively symmetrical density that centers just above zero (mean difference = 3.4), whereas the treatment group is skewed more towards a positive difference (mean = 6.9). The treatment group also has a small peak with a negative difference, prompting a follow-up analysis of each individual participant (Figure 3C,D). Analysis of individuals from the Healthcare 2020, 8, 113 6 of 13 treatment group showed three (14.2%) individuals with worse outcomes and five (33.3%) individuals from the placebo group with worse outcomes."

Vibroacoustics Improve Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice

” LIV increased angiogenesis and granulation tissue formation at day 7, and accelerated wound closure and re-epithelialization over days 7 and 15. LIV also reduced neutrophil accumulation and increased macrophage accumulation. In addition, LIV increased expression of pro-healing growth factors and chemokines (insulin-like growth factor-1, vascular endothelial growth factor and monocyte chemotactic protein-1) in wounds. Despite no evidence of a change in the phenotype of CD11b+ macrophages in wounds, LIV resulted in trends towards a less inflammatory phenotype in the CD11b− cells. Our findings indicate that LIV may exert beneficial effects on wound healing by enhancing angiogenesis and granulation tissue formation, and these changes are associated with increases in pro-angiogenic growth factors.”

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0091355

Research & Articles about Health and Nature

A recent article in the Wallstreet Journal about health and nature prompted me to collect the cited studies for easy reading.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-better-health-during-the-pandemic-is-two-hours-outdoors-the-new-10-000-steps-11613304002

“Effect of park prescriptions with and without group visits to parks on stress reduction in low-income parents: SHINE randomized trial.”
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0192921

“Clinic and park partnerships for childhood resilience: A prospective study of park prescriptions.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1353829218306609?via=ihub

“Therapeutic effect of forest bathing on human hypertension in the elderly.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22948092/

“Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31197192/

“A day trip to a forest park increases human natural killer activity and the expression of anti-cancer proteins in male subjects”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20487629/

The Sound the Universe Makes.

We think of space as a silent place. But physicist Janna Levin says the universe has a soundtrack — a sonic composition that records some of the most dramatic events in outer space. (Black holes, for instance, bang on spacetime like a drum.) An accessible and mind-expanding soundwalk through the universe.

Source.

Accepting Negative Emotions and Thoughts

Negative emotions are what they are, and if they can arise, they can also pass. Acceptance and healing from trauma takes genuine time.

It takes longer when acting with a ‘positivity’ only mindset that ignores the larger picture and refuses to look at what else is happening within. This kind of mindset ignores the larger picture, and while seemingly good, is really a self-defeating control and manipulation mechanism. Positivity only thinking are like blinders, bigger questions need bigger solutions that face reality, its challenges and questions.

A deeper understanding is more compassionate, rather than imposing an emotional and mental dictate upon people who are already traumatized.

Understanding oneself and being true goes the distance to quieting the mind and soul. Acceptance is one aspect to genuine healing. Its the culmination of an introspection and discovery process which takes time until a person is able to truly ‘accept.’

Science agrees.

“These results suggest that individuals who accept rather than judge their mental experiences may attain better psychological health, in part because acceptance helps them experience less negative emotion in response to stressors. ”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28703602/

WARMFUZZIES

How the Stomach is Connected to the Brain and Thought

“The sympathetic nervous system generates the “fight or flight” response — an involuntary response that sends more blood flow rushing to the muscles and the release of hormones to boost awareness and heart rate. It also reduces blood flow for digestion during stressful or life-threatening situations.

On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system also produces involuntary signals that maintain regular bodily functions such as digestion, normal breathing and the routine heartbeat.

As the study now reveals, these two limbs of autonomic control over the stomach are influenced by distinct cortical networks.

When it comes to trusting your gut, it already is well-established that the stomach and gut send “ascending” signals to the brain in a way that influences brain function. It helps to explain how the microbiome impacts brain function.

But the study has found that the “central nervous system both influences and is influenced by the gastrointestinal system.”

What people haven’t understood to date, Dr. Strick said, is that the brain also has “descending influences on the stomach” with various parts of the brain involved in that signaling, including those areas that control movement and emotions. ”

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2020/05/27/Peter-Strick-David-Levinthal-Pittsburgh-School-of-Medicine-PNAS-cerebral-cortex-microbiome-stomach/stories/202005190088

https://www.braininstitute.pitt.edu/peter-strick-phd

Schumann Frequencies, Solfeggio Frequencies, Earth Frequencies, Binaural Beats, the Sounds of the Planets, and Their Musical Notes.

When musical notes become more than musical notes, a confusing topic can become even more bewildering. This is a summary of unusual phrases found in mystical music theories and explored by science.

Schumann Frequencies are the measurement of Earths electromagnetic field. This is 7.8 Hz, the note would be B

The rotation of Earth on its Axis is a different frequency, the note G. – “5.114 half-steps below the C that is 24 octaves below middle C.”

The Frequency of Planets as they Orbit the Sun.
The orbit of Earth around the Sun, Aldi Mundi, is a “C sharp” placed 33 octaves below middle C.

Mercury – “C sharp” Venus – “A”, Earth (C sharp ), Mars (D), Jupiter (F sharp), Saturn (D), Uranus (G sharp), Neptune (G sharp) and Pluto (C sharp)

Notes of the Planets

Here is a frequency to note calculator : Musical Frequency-Note Calculator

Solfeggio Frequences refers to changing the pitch of scales to frequencies believed to be resonant with nature. Harmonizing with natural law is supposed to allow a person to heal and be supported by the natural order and cycles of life, akin to the support a gear gets from being part of a larger machine. Except in this case, its organic, intuitive, and brings a person deep peace. In theory, solfeggio frequencies originated in the ancient world and have been newly rediscovered.

396 Hz – Liberating Guilt and Fear
417 Hz – Undoing Situations and Facilitating Change
528 Hz – Transformation and Miracles (DNA Repair)
639 Hz – Connecting/Relationships
741 Hz – Expression/Solutions
852 Hz – Returning to Spiritual Order

BinAural Beats
Different frequencies (tones) are sent to the left and right audio channels. When the brain hears both frequencies, it hears one consistent, rhythmic frequency, known as a binaural beat(s). This is best experienced with headphones, yet can still be experienced with high fidelity audio.

Great Description of the Science behind Binaural Beats

How Sound Becomes Light
Simply multiple the frequency and sound vibration becomes light.

A mapping between musical notes and colors

3-Hz Binaural Beats Effect on Delta Sleep

“These findings suggested that the 3-Hz binaural beat on a 250-Hz carrier tone can be used to modulate sleep stage by decreasing the latency to the N3 stage, extending the N3 duration, and reducing the N2 duration without sleep disturbance and sleep fragmentation, while increasing the quality of sleep in this study is also associated slow wave sleep in which is related to memory consolidation and other regulation of the body; and the 3-Hz binaural beat can enhance power of delta activity during sleep. ”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6165862/

Vital Lung Capacity in Relation to Heart & Lung Health

“Vital capacity as a predictor of cardiovascular disease according to the Framingham study.” Source : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/000287038390532X

Another way of saying this is lung capacity, elasticity, and the ability to breath well has a direct influence on heart health.

What is vital capacity ?

Vital capacity (VC) is the maximum amount of air a person can expel from the lungs after a maximum inhalation. It is equal to the sum of inspiratory reserve volume, tidal volume, and expiratory reserve volume. It is approximately equal to Forced Vital Capacity (FVC).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vital_capacity

Framington Heart Study/

Custom Tailored Music Demonstrated to Ease Tinnitus

Abstract : Maladaptive auditory cortex reorganization may contribute to the generation and maintenance of tinnitus. Because cortical organization can be modified by behavioral training, we attempted to reduce tinnitus loudness by exposing chronic tinnitus patients to self-chosen, enjoyable music, which was modified (“notched”) to contain no energy in the frequency range surrounding the individual tinnitus frequency. After 12 months of regular listening, the target patient group (n = 8) showed significantly reduced subjective tinnitus loudness and concomitantly exhibited reduced evoked activity in auditory cortex areas corresponding to the tinnitus frequency compared to patients who had received an analogous placebo notched music treatment (n = 8). These findings indicate that tinnitus loudness can be significantly diminished by an enjoyable, low-cost, custom-tailored notched music treatment, potentially via reversing maladaptive auditory cortex reorganization.

https://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2009/12/18/0911268107.DCSupplemental
https://www.pnas.org/content/107/3/1207.abstract

Your Brain and Music

Neuroscientist and musician Alan Harvey takes us on an interactive journey showing live on stage what music does to our brain waves, and explains how music is more than just an entertainment. You’ve never seen music like this before…

Internet Archive

https://archive.org/about/”

The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, the print disabled, and the general public. Our mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge.

Spleeter

Open Source Artificial Intelligence Tool for Source Separation

“We are releasing Spleeter to help the research community in Music Information Retrieval (MIR) leverage the power of a state-of-the-art source separation algorithm. It comes in the form of a Python Library based on Tensorflow, with pretrained models for 2, 4 and 5 stems separation. Spleeter will be presented and live-demoed at the 2019 ISMIR conference in Delft.”

Spleeter