About a year ago, I cried tears of joy. A friend and mindfulness meditation instructor shared the dramatic results brought about by a six-month music-based mindfulness program that he offered at the King Street Youth Center in Burlington, Vermont.  The center's focus is high-risk youth and offers after-school activities. Teal Scott invited the kids, ages 12-18, to join his group for two evenings per week. He told them that he would download their favorite music and serve snacks.

The staff at the center warned Teal that many well-intended programs had failed due to lack of interest among the youth, but encouraged him to try anyway. He expressed confidence that he could help the kids improve their lives through focusing techniques that involved listening to music. Teal felt that the techniques could even help kids who had experienced great trauma and that music could overcome barriers by uniting kids that were brought up in Burlington with those brought up in refugee camps and warzones. Teal tried out the program and immediate success soon brought in a $12,000 donation. Several teens have transformed their lives and many use the techniques regulary (www.youtube.com/soryuforall).

I was deeply touched, fascinated and overjoyed.  After learning about the success of the same program with college students at Portland State University, I decided to try the techniques myself. Every day I mindfully listened to my favorite music, using the focusing methods of the "Mind the Music" program. Practicing the methods brought about immediate results. I experienced profound states of concentration, a deeper sense of peacefulness, greater appreciation for music and a new way of dealing with stressful situations in my life. These beneficial results led me to further investigate the research on the benefits of music on both physical and emotional health.

I discovered that research supports the positive effects of music on cardiovasular health. A study was performed at the University of Maryland, and was presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, November 11th, 2008.  Researchers found that when participants listened to music they liked, their blood vessels dilated by about 25%, improving blood flow. When they listened to music that provoked anxiety and was perceived as stressful, their blood vessels narrowed producing an unhealthy response that demonstrated the potential for reduced blood flow. Research had already demonstrated that positive emotions were good for vascular health, and the question for these scientists was whether or not the positive emotions evoked by music could have similar results. The study confirmed this to be true.

For those with diabetes, cardiovasular disease is the leading cause of serious complications. People with diabetes are two-four times more likely to develop cardivascular disease due to certain risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, lack of physical activity and poorly controlled blood sugar. Learning the results of the University of Maryland study, I easily envisioned music as a wonderful adjunct to a holistic approach to self care for diabetes.