Nurse Rod Salasai works with many different tools – a thermometer, a stethoscope, and… a guitar or ukulele. In the rehabilitation department at UC San Diego Health, he helps patients manage post-surgical pain.

Along with medication, Rod offers melodies at patients’ request and sometimes sings himself. His repertoire includes folk songs in English and Spanish, classical pieces such as the “Minuet in G major,” and film music, including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Patients often smile, hum along, or nod to the beat. Salasai even notices changes in their vital signs — their heart rate and blood pressure drop, and some ask for less pain medication. “Hospitals can create a vicious cycle of pain, anxiety, and distress,” he says, “but music can help break that cycle.”

As Medical Xpress notes, Salasai is far from the only enthusiast of music therapy. Over the past two decades, live performances and recordings have become increasingly common in hospitals and clinics, as scientific research continues to confirm that music truly helps relieve pain.

Researchers call this phenomenon “music-induced analgesia.” While it cannot fully replace medication, studies published in Pain and Scientific Reports show that listening to favorite melodies reduces the perception of pain and increases tolerance to it. Personal choice plays a key role — when people consciously choose what to listen to, the effect is stronger.

Music distracts attention from pain, activates multiple regions of the brain, and triggers positive emotions. According to experts, it is not just a distraction — it actually changes the way pain is perceived, lowering anxiety and feelings of isolation.

Some doctors are already calling music “a simple prescription with no side effects.”

As singer Cecily Gardner, who survived a serious illness, puts it: “Music reduces stress, brings people together, and transports you someplace where the pain isn’t as strong.”

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