The Healing Power of Music in Healthcare

Dr. Mei Rui is a Yale-trained molecular biophysicist, concert pianist, and clinical researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she runs trials on the measurable effects of music on the human body. In this conversation, we explore what actually happens in the brain the moment music enters it, why the auditory system is the first sense to develop in the womb and the last to go when we die, and how something as accessible as a curated playlist can outperform FDA-approved pharmaceuticals in reducing cortisol. What We Dive Into: 1. Music is not a supplement to healing. In the right context, it is the intervention. 2. The brain responds differently when you actually show up for the music. 3. A longitudinal study in twins showed that three to four years of musical training reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline by 64%, an effect size found in no other single activity. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Oneskin — Code KNOWTHYSELF for 15% off https://oneskin.co/KNOWTHYSELF