Patient Heal Thyself
Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution the
time will come when medicine will organize itself into an
undercover dictatorship.   To restrict the art of healing to
doctors and deny equal privileges to others will constitute
the Bastille of medical science.  All such laws are
un-American and despotic
Dr. Benjamin Rush
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
Drumming
Drumming circles have applications as complementary addiction therapy.
Complementary therapy for addiction: "drumming out drugs".
1: Am J Public Health. 2003 Apr;93(4):647-51.
PMID: 12660212
Full Citation: "OBJECTIVES: This article examines drumming activities as complementary
addiction treatments and discusses their reported effects. METHODS: I observed drumming
circles for substance abuse (as a participant), interviewed counselors and Internet mailing list
participants, initiated a pilot program, and reviewed literature on the effects of drumming.
RESULTS: Research reviews indicate that drumming enhances recovery through inducing
relaxation and enhancing theta-wave production and brain-wave synchronization. Drumming
produces pleasurable experiences, enhanced awareness of preconscious dynamics, release of
emotional trauma, and reintegration of self. Drumming alleviates self-centeredness, isolation, and
alienation, creating a sense of connectedness with self and others. Drumming provides a secular
approach to accessing a higher power and applying spiritual perspectives. CONCLUSIONS:
Drumming circles have applications as complementary addiction therapy, particularly for repeated
relapse and when other counseling modalities have failed."







Visit Wikipedia to learn
more about
Drum Circle
Picture of drum circle that occurs in
Naples, Florida - website
Drumming modulates specific neuroendocrine and neuroimmune parameters in a
positive direction.
Composite effects of group drumming music therapy on modulation
of neuroendocrine-immune parameters in normal subjects.
1: Altern Ther Health Med. 2001 Jan;7(1):38-47.
PMID: 11191041
Full Citation: "CONTEXT: Drum circles have been part of healing rituals in many cultures
throughout the world since antiquity. Although drum circles are gaining increased interest as a
complementary therapeutic strategy in the traditional medical arena, limited scientific data
documenting biological benefits associated with percussion activities exist. OBJECTIVE: To
determine the role of group-drumming music therapy as a composite activity with potential for
alteration of stress-related hormones and enhancement of specific immunologic measures
associated with natural killer cell activity and cell-mediated immunity. DESIGN: A single trial
experimental intervention with control groups. SETTING: The Mind-Body Wellness Center, an
outpatient medical facility in Meadville, Pa. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 111 age- and sex-matched
volunteer subjects (55 men and 56 women, with a mean age of 30.4 years) were recruited.
INTERVENTION: Six preliminary supervised groups were studied using various control and
experimental paradigms designed to separate drumming components for the ultimate
determination of a single experimental model, including 2 control groups (resting and listening) as
well as 4 group-drumming experimental models (basic, impact, shamanic, and composite). The
composite drumming group using a music therapy protocol was selected based on preliminary
statistical analysis, which demonstrated immune modulation in a direction opposite to that
expected with the classical stress response. The final experimental design included the original
composite drumming group plus 50 additional age- and sex-matched volunteer subjects who were
randomly assigned to participate in group drumming or control sessions. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Pre- and postintervention measurements of plasma cortisol, plasma
dehydroepiandrosterone, plasma dehydroepiandrosterone-to-cortisol ratio, natural killer cell
activity, lymphokine-activated killer cell activity, plasma interleukin-2, plasma interferon-gamma,
the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory II. RESULTS: Group drumming
resulted in increased dehydroepiandrosterone-to-cortisol ratios, increased natural killer
cell activity, and increased lymphokine-activated killer cell activity without alteration in
plasma interleukin 2 or interferon-gamma, or in the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Beck
Depression Inventory II. CONCLUSIONS: Drumming is a complex composite intervention
with the potential to modulate specific neuroendocrine and neuroimmune parameters in a
direction opposite to that expected with the classic stress response.."
Drumming contributes to greater susceptibility to hypnosis and trance-like states of
consciousness.
Phenomenological experience in response to monotonous
drumming and hypnotizability.
1: Am J Clin Hypn. 1997 Oct;40(2):130-45.
PMID: 9385724
Full Citation: "Participants (N = 206) experienced 15-min of monotonous drumming either before
or after hypnosis (Harvard scale). Participants completed the Phenomenology of Consciousness
Inventory (PCI) in reference to the last 4-min of drumming. Stimulus order did not affect the
objective trance levels as measured by the Harvard scores. The subjective trance level as
measured by hypnoidal scores (predicted Harvard scores from the PCI) was significantly higher
when drumming preceded hypnosis. Participants' estimated average trance level achieved during
drumming fell in the medium range of susceptibility (5-8) (Pekala, 1995). Participants who
achieved higher hypnoidal and Harvard scores were more likely to report relaxed feelings and
shamanic-type experiences in narratives about their subjective experiences during drumming."