Music therapy? Frequency (EEG) devices finally available in Spring 23? What I, as a musician, think.

【Sound Stimulation Activates the Brains of the Elderly… Shionogi and others to sell products for home use in spring 2023】
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/kansai/news/20220929-OYO1T50016/

・Shionogi has teamed up with Pixie Dust Technologies (Tokyo), a startup company from Tsukuba University, to develop a practical technology to activate the human brain through sound stimulation.

・By having the elderly listen to special sounds, it may help improve their declining cognitive functions. The company aims to sell the product to households in the spring of 2023, after conducting further demonstrations.

・Research has shown that the brains of dementia patients have a weakened specific rhythmic activity called “gamma waves,” a type of brain wave. Focusing on this point, the two companies will conduct joint research starting at the end of 2021 to develop a 40 Hz sound that may activate the brain and strengthen gamma waves.

・Since sound is almost inaudible, we envision products that can be connected to TVs and audio equipment to add brain-activating sound and improve cognitive function while living everyday life.

These are the quotes from the article

Expectations of and attention to music therapy (frequency devices)

Music therapy, music medicine, brain waves, and frequency medicine have been on my radar for a long time. I had thought that they would eventually be put to practical use, but I was surprised to see that finally a major company, Shionogi, and, moreover, that they are being marketed to the general public, not as specialized medical devices.

By the way, here is a blog I wrote about brain waves a few years ago.

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【Seeing music in brainwave frequencies】
https://amimako.com/science-brain-wave-frequency-music/

Delta wave (1-3Hz) … Sleep state
Theta wave (4 to 7Hz) … state of being out-of-sync, state of distraction
Low alpha wave (8-10Hz) … Relaxed state
Alpha wave (8-12Hz) … approximately relaxed state
High alpha wave (10-12Hz) … Relaxed with a little concentration
SMR wave (sensory motor rhythm) (12-15Hz) … zone state
Low beta wave (15-18Hz) … Concentration state
Beta wave (13-36Hz) … approximate state of concentration
High beta wave (23-36Hz) … Tense state

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“Developed a 40-Hz sound that may activate the brain and intensify gamma waves.”

The research team states.

Since the high beta waves of tension are 23-36 Hz, we can assume that 40 Hz would create even more tension.

It remains to be seen if the tension really works for dementia patients.

The research team further states that “since the sound is almost inaudible,” but as a musician myself, I can tell you that 40 Hz is a normal audible sound (frequency).

Click here for reference.↓

Does the device mentioned above have a special mechanism to “deafen” it? That is another point of interest.

Finally, I will write what I think about frequency medicine like this one.

We usually take food (nutrition) by mouth. And sometimes we take medicine by mouth.

I suspect that music therapy and frequency medicine will be no different in the future.

In everyday life, we ingest music and other sounds through our ears. And sometimes we will take frequencies from our ears like a drug!

The only difference is whether the approach to health is through the mouth or the ears, but the general idea is the same.

For good health, a well-balanced diet (nutrition) is important. And when we feel ill, we need medicine, which is an ingredient extracted from a certain thing.

But sometimes, the drug may cause side effects or not be right for you.

Frequency medicine, like this one, is also, in a sense, the sound of an extracted component of all sounds. It is like medicine.

Therefore, I believe that it can have a positive impact, but also carry dangers such as side effects.

I think of it this way,

While I have great expectations for frequency medicine, I am also wary that we must proceed with caution.

Since a major company called Shionogi means general sales, frequency medicine will be increasingly available to the public in the future.

However, as a musician with an interest in music therapy, I strongly felt that I would like to carefully monitor the situation based on the above.

See you then.

Just as a well-balanced diet from the mouth is important for good health, it is simply important for the ears to hear well-balanced sounds, that is, music and nature sounds that are comfortable for you.