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New Music & Health Clinic at Beth Israel Med. Ctr in NYC

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The Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center Unveils The Music & Health Clinic

New York, NY (August 24, 2006) Beth Israel Medical Center will celebrate the opening of the Music & Health Clinic, part of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine, at a cocktail reception from 6-8 p.m. on September 19 at the hospitals' Phillips Ambulatory Care Center at 10 Union Square East. The clinic has a two-fold mission: to address the unique medical needs of musicians and performing artists using music as part of the treatment modality; and to research and provide music therapy care to complement medical treatment for children and teens with asthma and adults with chronic pulmonary or heart disease.

Jazz legend Frank Wess, performing arts advocate and philanthropist Sherry Bronfman, and former music-therapy patient and pianist/composer Kevin Robinson will be honored at the celebration. The event will also feature a live jazz performance by Jon Faddis and music from the Broadway cast of Rent. “For centuries, people have known about music's ability to heal. Not only does music help the listener, but it can also benefit the performer,"says Faddis. “At The Music & Health Clinic, music's healing properties have a vital new home. The research and the work performed here take music and medicine into the 21st century and beyond and I am proud to be a part of the Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine's developing community."

The new clinic expands upon Beth Israel's Louis and Lucille Armstrong Music Therapy Program, a program that has served infants, children, adults and their families for the past 11 years. “Through published research, innovative clinical music-therapy services and generous support, our team has played a major role in advancing the field of music therapy in health care," says director Joanne Loewy, DA, MT-BC. The Clinic is made possible by a generous gift from the David B. Kriser Foundation and through the estate of John H. Slade, directed to Beth Israel from hospital trustee Richard Netter with additional support from the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.

“New York City is blessed to be home to a rich mix of musicians and performing artists, collectively a compelling group with unique medical and wellness concerns," says Stephan Quentzal, M.D., medical director of the Music & Health Clinic. “The Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine provides an expansive and integrative practice, consisting of a full range of bio-psycho-social and mind-body approaches to care, developed expressly for this fascinating patient population. Our team of consulting physicians, music therapists and various other clinician specialists are thrilled to be part of this special healing haven for our city's beloved artists."

Programs of the Music & Health Clinic:

The Wellness Clinic:

Musicians and performing artists have unique ailments that may be best evaluated and treated through a combination of traditional medical treatment and music, a modality that is comfortable and familiar to them.

Musicians and performing artists are more prone to certain medical ailments including overuse, pain, depression and chemical dependency. Our music therapists are trained in the most current interventions that assist specific cognitive psycho-motivational aspects of depression.

Clinical music improvisation facilitated by a trained music psychotherapist may provide a dynamic healing environment that's easily accessible for performers.

Clinic medical director and music therapists will consult with specialists from the fields of otolaryngology, orthopaedics, physical therapy, psychiatry, pain medicine internal medicine, family medicine, cardiology and neurology to address all aspects of patient care.

Low cost for musicians and performing artists who prove eligibility (playbills, programs or union cards).

Overuse Syndrome - musicians are particularly vulnerable to repetitive motion injures Current research suggests that prevention of overuse lies in the development of methods that involve conscious and effective control of use. At the clinic, overuse patients will be exposed to:
-- Vibration - through the use of body gongs and tonal vocal holding, muscles and joints can be stretched and relaxed.
-- Rhythmic Release - drumming and rhythmic play can prompt the discharge of tension. Motoric sound making stimulates neuromodulation through the release of neurotransmitters and hormones, which reduce stress.

Asthma Initiative Program (AIP) Asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness in children and affects approximately 5 million American children every year. At the Music & Health Clinic, a research team comprised of music therapists and physicians is researching the effects of music therapy and wind playing on these patients. Children and teens ages 7-18 diagnosed with asthma are eligible.

Music for Advances in Respiration (AIR) & Music for Cardiac Advances in Rehabilitation (CAIR) Programs

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) includes a range of progressive lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are characterized by difficulty breathing, wheezing, fatigue and chronic cough. Heart disease is the umbrella term for a number of conditions including heart attacks, heart failure, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and clogging of the arteries. Through a collaborative effort with the Center for Cardiac & Pulmonary Health, the AIR and CAIR programs offer individual or group music therapy to outpatients. Patients do not require any former musical training to participate. The program is initiating research which investigates the effects of music therapy (wind playing, singing and music assisted relaxation and imagery) combined with traditional medical care to manage COPD and/or heart disease, including:

Wind-Pipe Jammers - Patients give their lungs gentle exercise through music making with others using easy-to-play instruments including easy-to-play recorder flutes and pan pipes.

Sing A-Lung - Patients use vocal techniques through choral singing to enhance breathing and vocal quality. The group sings music from different genres and ongoing songwriting lessons are provided.

Music R&R - A music-assisted relaxation group incorporates guided imagery accompanied by live music, customized for group members, created by the music therapist.

Rhythmic Synchrony - Supports heart and breathing rhythms through group music making, using cutting edge techniques.

For more information about the Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine's Music & Health Clinic, please call: 212-420-3484. If you would like to interview practitioners and/or patients of the clinic, please call Elizabeth Dowling in the public affairs office at: 212-523-4047.

For more information contact .

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