KOLKATA: Veteran actor
Soumitra Chatterjee, who has just recovered from Covid-19 but continues to suffer from co-morbidities like breathing distress, urinary tract infection, Covid
encephalopathy
and mild fever, is receiving music therapy at Belle Vue Clinic where he is under treatment since October 6.
According to members of the medical team treating the actor,
Tagore
songs are being played to soothe his nerves and help him get rid of the drowsiness that has afflicted him. Chatterjee has started responding to instructions though his reactions remain slow, according to members of the medical board formed to treat him.
“Music has a soothing effect on the nerves and acts as a relaxant. Chatterjee loves Rabindrasangeet, so we have started playing a few of them since Wednesday evening. We have chosen to play the relatively faster and peppy ones that will penetrate his drowsiness without rattling his nerves in any way. It will continue for a few days,” said a member of the board.
Doctors said the decision to introduce music therapy was taken after consulting his family. While songs were played on a smartphone on Wednesday, a small speaker is being used from Thursday. “A device has been placed near his bed which is playing the songs at a low volume. We are monitoring his response to the therapy,” said a doctor.
Once he is able to respond better, doctors may seek a list of his favourite Tagore songs from his family and play them. They have not ruled out the possibility of playing popular numbers from some of his films.
Music therapy is believed to aid the process of healing by activating chemicals in the brain, helping the patient respond better, according to experts. According to some, music therapy is an “evidence-based intervention to improve patients’ quality of life”.
Music therapists use music and its many facets— physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual— to help patients improve their health in cognitive, motor, emotional and communicative abilities. These experiences include improvisation, re-creation, composition, receptive methods, and discussion of music.
Some, however, pointed out that music therapy is not yet evidence-based. “It is believed that soothing music or one that the patient is acquainted with, reaches the temporal area of the brain and activates chemicals favourably, helping to improve response. But there is yet no concrete proof that it indeed works like this. It shouldn’t have any negative impact, though,” said a neurologist who is an external member of the board.
American musicians Joey Fatone,
Ben Folds
and drummer Mickey Hart are among those who have fallen back on music therapy to rejuvenate themselves. According to The American Music Therapy Association, “music therapy interventions can be designed to promote wellness, manage stress, alleviate pain, express feelings, enhance
memory
, improve communication and promote physical rehabilitation.”
Meanwhile, the actor has been responding better to verbal instructions, according to doctors at Belle Vue. Even though he remains ‘confused, with mild agitation and involuntary limb movements’, there has been an improvement in his neurological status. “We have analyzed his MRI report and found no structural damage to the brain. His cerebro-spinal fluid analysis, too, has revealed no damage other than confirming encephalopathy,” said a doctor.
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