Drumming For Wellness
Drums have been used for centuries as tools for promoting wellness in cultures all over the world. Rhythm is more than just a musical concept - it is a physical phenomenon that has a powerful energizing and bonding effect on its participants. Drumming as part of a group can achieve a variety of outcomes far beyond the music produced.
Drumming:
- Is a wholesome, engaging activity that anyone can do;
- Reduces stress by providing an outlet for frustration and/or depression;
- Boosts the body's immune system by increasing the numbers of cancer fighting white blood cells;
- Celebrates culture and promotes interpersonal interaction.
Tools For Wellness
Drums are being used successfully to achieve wellness in populations of well and un-well elderly, cancer patients and others suffering from long term illness, Alzheimer's patients and those coping with Parkinson's Disease.
Why Drums?
- They are fun and easy to play;
- They allow for creative self expression;
- They are highly adaptive tools capable of producing powerful and long-lasting effects.
Group drumming is not only a fun activity but research has proven that group drumming boosts the body's immune system and can reduce overall stress.
New research has shown that drumming can have beneficial effects on the body's immune system. This research1 showed that following a group drumming event, there was an increase in the production of Natural Killer Cells in the participants' bodies. Natural Killer Cells are a specialized type of white blood cell that seeks out and attacks viruses and cancer cells. This same research also indicated that levels of the stress hormone cortisol were also reduced in the same participants.
A subsequent study2 done by the same researcher showed that group drumming was able to dramatically reduce employee burnout, and subsequent turnover, among workers at long-term care facilities. Drumming initiatives are extremely cost effective and have the potential to save billions of dollars related to employee turnover.
Click here to learn about FunDrum's wellness programs and workshops.
1 Bittman B, Felten D, et al. Composite effects of group drumming music therapy on modulation of neuroendocrine-immune parameters in normal subjects. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2001;7(1):38-47.
2 Bittman B, Bruhn KT, Stevens C, Westengard J, Umbach PO. Recreational music-making: a cost-effective group interdiciplinary strategy for reducing burnout and improving mood states in long-term care workers. Advances in Mind Body Medicine. 2003 19:3/4:4-15.