Music and Medicine
By R. Clark 16Aug99
Health is a state of balance, when we are ill or injured this balance is temporarily... let's pray, out of kilter or unbalanced. In my opinion, one of the most therapeutic things available to us, when we are ill, is the feeling we are doing "something" positive in regards to this imbalance. This "something" can take many, many, forms and I feel any therapy's effectiveness hinges on its alignment with all our various bodies (E.G.: emotional, intellectual, physical, karmic, and spiritual bodies) so, please, do what you will and what seems appropriate, when appropriate, for as long as appropriate and listen carefully, please, to personal guidance from within, for it is the strongest, wisest, ally you have and one that is the most intimate with your condition for the unique and quite dear person that you are.
I will tender some advice on various health matters that are of especial interest to hand drummers, below. Please take note that this advice is only my best guess and opinion based upon my experience and that of others that I have had contact with. Please also be aware that I am, as of yet, not credentialed formally, your mileage may vary. All statements I make below are meant to be taken with "as you will"; "when you are ready"; "if you so desire" and like qualifiers firmly in mind as I have no interest in taking your "power". The guidance I offer is in the form of assistance only, for fellow humans can treat illness and the "healing", by my lights, it is ultimately between you and JAH or what ever you conceive JAH to be. This advice is not meant to replace or circumvent the advice and/or treatment of a duly licensed doctor of medicine and is offered in the spirit of education only, O.K.?
When these maladies especially those that concern the spine, become chronic and present ongoing difficulty, the focus is to avoid re-injury. There is something in your life that you are doing that is injuring this area repeatedly. I encourage you to be aware as much as possible of ALL your daily movements that may be stressing these areas. How you walk, hold yourself (IE posture), how you sit, how you lie down, how you lift heavy objects, in short all the varied ways that you move through your routine and occasional activities. When drumming it is important to make certain that straps & stands are adjusted to fit your body when standing and that chair height is appropriate when seated. An Ounce of Prevention
"Warm Up" and do stretches prior to play. Warming up before playing can include deep breathing, yoga, tai-chi, therapeutic massage, other physical exercise like aerobics or calisthenics. Also good are "Progressive Relaxation" and/or meditation as a means of reducing mental stress and promoting a feeling of centeredness.
In terms of technique it is important to remain relaxed when playing, and avoid hitting the drum too hard or for too long in a particular session. When something hurts it is a "wake up call" to make a change up.
Some players tape their fingers to prevent injury or cover one. Sports tape, Bandage tape, and Band-aids are used.
Loud sounds can damage your hearing by knocking off the "hairs" that sense the vibration in your inner ear. Once this happens there is permanent loss of hearing usually more pronounced at the offending frequencies. Wearing ear plugs & playing softly when unprotected can eliminate this danger. The foam or rubber ear plugs are inexpensive and will reduce the number of decibels by about six on average. This may be adequate for much ensemble play and there are other ones that block loudness many times this value which are considered safe for rock band use. An audiologist can design ear plugs that fit the ear canal precisely that are the most effective of all and they are quite expensive. A drum is capable of producing one of the softest and quietest sounds imaginable...
The Pound of Cure
Or maybe the cure for pounding, eh ?
Muscle Soreness Due to Overexertion
Icing down the area (freeze a plastic cup of water and use the "popsicle" formed works great) alternating with heat... when possible as hot soak, then an application of arnica cream/gel, and if you wish your favorite over the counter analgesic to reduce inflamation and pain. You may wish to seek Therapeutic Massage preferably by a professional, or work through and massage sore areas yourself. Alternatively, lightly striking areas of pain and tension can bring blood and drain lymph and promote relaxation to these tense areas. If you can find a good work on reflexology or acupressure there will be charts of the nodes that will also help to relieve the pain in these areas.Sore feet
We need properly fitting shoes that support the foot well. Using arch support inserts can be used in the shoe to cushion and supplement the support of the shoe. An ill-fitting shoe can even lead to back pain by throwing off the entire structure.Numbness in hands
This could be from carpal tunnel syndrome (common amongst computer users due to repetitive movements) that might be alleviated by a change in habits and ergonomic aids like gel pads in front of keyboard and mouse, etc. This condition is indicated by pain across the hand just past the wrist where the ligaments pass over the nerve to the thumb and first two fingers that would become numbed by the pressure on the nerve. Warming up, not playing as loud & rest play a pivotal role in this malady. It is also important that the hand be in a neutral position, IE not bent in either direction, most of the time.Blisters & cracks on the hands
Hot salt water or Epsom salts will help to soften and soothe the skin and underlying areas that are cracking. Combine this with moisturizing with a good hand lotion following to seal in the moisture from the soak before they dry out again. For good measure putting a large amount of moisturizer on the hands before sleeping and wearing light gloves to keep it in place, is a good means of softening hardened skin that is prone to cracks. There are many products that are good moisturizers ones that contain Shea butter , aloe, and Vitamin "E" are favored. Also, the essential oils of Lavender, Calendula, and Tea Tree are marvelous in their ability to soothe a host of challenges to the skin. Blisters are better treated by not breaking them which can set one up for infection or keeping them very clean and applying anti-bacterial ointment with a loose bandage if they do break or need to be lanced.Another good product to have "on hand" is "New Skin; Antiseptic Liquid Bandage" manufactured for Medtech, Jackson, WY 83001 USA; 1.800.443.4908. With minor injuries and blisters on your hands (or elsewhere) you can paint this product on the hurt. The jar says 'may sting' in my experience it would be more accurate to say 'WILL STING.' However, it has oil of cloves in it so after a couple of minutes this numbs out and greatly soothes the hurt. The great thing about it from a drumming stand point is that it stays on without tape that may or may not stay on during a drum session.
Arnica gel (a bit more pleasant as it is non-greasy) referred to above, the brand I am familiar with is "Roberts". These preparations will help with the pain of all your affected parts, caution needs to replace the feeling of pain because pain is a signal that something is out of balance. I stress the avoidance of re-injury with attention is of utmost importance whenever medicated either by this or by analgesics.
Reports of other treatments that may be of help:
From Wynnie :
When there is bruising... the best [ointment] we have found to use is Zeng Gu Shui. It is a liniment with camphor, menthol, in an herbed cinnamon base. It will pull the bruising out completely in a day , or two. Asian food stores et al are where we find it.From Michael Wall :
a) clean the split and let dry (ideal time to do this process is ASAP after the split). b) SuperGlue it back together - be sure to wipe away all surface excess as you hold the two sides together. c) wrap with tape - and leave it wrapped for the next few days! d) play. From HappyShel Weisman :
You can also use a therapeutic wax, used by manicure/nail professionals, in a eucalyptus base to soften and repair damaged hands and fingers rather fast.
"In humans, 3 types of anthrax infection occur inhalational, cutaneous, and gastrointestinal. Naturally occurring inhalational anthrax is now a rare cause of human disease. Historically, wool sorters at industrial mills were at highest risk. Only 18 cases were reported in the United States from 1900 to 1978, with the majority occurring in special-risk groups, including goat hair mill or goatskin workers and wool or tannery workers. Two of the 18 cases were laboratory associated."Pathogen and Toxicity Issues
of Goat SkinsThe above appears in an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Vol. 281 No. 18, May 12, 1999 .
Now as it states in the quotation the risk is Extremely Low, with almost non-existent odds for getting Anthrax from our dealings with goatskins. However, any risk is unacceptable if it can be prevented, ay? Or is my concern over the top? Am I being "Chicken Little" expressing a hysterically obsessive/compulsive world view?
Alarmist or not, I feel to caution folks to avoid breathing dust and dander from their goatskins and to wash up thoroughly after handling them. Anthrax is not the only reason. There is also a potential presence of toxic treatment materials, especially on imported skins from countries that still use DDT. So we need to be following safe procedures for handling these skins anyway, in my opinion.
I wish you well Additional health information resources may be found at:
Health
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