Kritis to improve longevity

[satyabalu]

Are there kritis/hymns believed to have improved /to improve chronic illness ?.I understand MD composed Navagraha Kritis to quell colic pain of a king ?Has Najeevadhara of Thiagaraja in Bilahari redeemed a life in Puttur(AP on the way to Thirupati)?

[keerthi]

hymns - the mrtyunjaya mantra and stOtra-s like vaidyanathASTakaM.

kRti-s - durusugA in saveri [by ShAma shAstri] which has 'arOgamunu dRDa-sharIramunu salupu nanu'

emAnaticchevO in sahAna [tyAgarAja] which has 'yashamAyuvu sadbhaktiyu susharIramosange'

[Rajani]

The Tiruppugazh "irumalu rOga muyalagan vAda" is believed to be for curing illnesses. So also Sambandar's "kOLaRu padigam", which lists many diseases which do not affect devotees of Siva.

[Nick H]

So much mythology and superstition is attached to this sort of thing --- but there is reality too, and people who have researched and practice music therapy.

[arasi]

Yes, it's like saying a few 'Hail Mary-s' or' rAma rAmAs'. They can be psycological boosters too. In our days, young women learning to sing MD's bruhaspatE meant that they would settle down with 'a suitable boy' in no time at all

[mahakavi]

1. Belief has a placebo effect. Example: In many clinical trials the placebo effect is almost as much as the "real drug" effect. The drug is approved only on marginal benefit (say a little over 10% over the placebo). So if you believe something will happen it might (based on normal probablity).

2. As for music therapy it is again mainly mental ---sort of a placebo effect---- if you will. Let us say you don't tell which rAgam will cure which disease but tell a person with a specific disease to listen to some sample music which might cure his disease. He listens to it. Let us also say he gets "cured" by listening to a rAgam which was not intended for that particular disease. Now what? Of course, unless it is heavy metal music, gentle music (even sound of waterfalls, the flowing streams, birds chirping in a tropical forest, gentle rain etc.,) has the capacity to soothe the brain function and hence a calming effect overall. But to ascribe a particular rAgam for a particular disease is like going to Baskin Robbins and picking the "flavor of the day".

PS: Those who swear by "Anandabhairavi for diabetes, sahAnA for heart disease, etc.," may ignore my post.

[rajeshnat]

mahakavi
The very first time I heard the phrase placebo , when cmlover talked with me when I met him last time when he visited india. I didnot know the meaning of placebo then at all , now that is familiar. On a side note there is a small article or may be a small booklet that was published about two decades back , I had it in possession. It was written by Neuro Dr B.RAmamurthi , a very famous neuro surgeon based out of chennai, he had mentioned few rAgas and their diseases, I dont have that writeup but then when I read it I enjoyed . I hope if some one has access to it can upload it here please.

[VK RAMAN]

I do have a habit of listening to the trickling sound of droplets from my backyard water fountain during evening hours when everywhere else is silent. It has a soothening effect.

[cmlover]

During my academic days I did some serious research on 'placebo effect' in psychiatric medications. We found that there is a consistent 30% placebo effect in serious disorders like depression, delusions, sleep disorders etc. In other words 3 out of 10 will have relief with plain placebos (sugar pills) just by telling them that it will help their condition. Our recommendation was that the physician should prescribe a placebo (wherever there is no immediate hazard) and wait for the results before using active medications. This however is dead against mecical ethics and there was a huge controversy! In fact the more well-known the physician the placebo will work better!

Music therapy, touch/faith healing etc all belong to the same category. Many may remember a certain station master healing snake bites by chanting a mantra remote. I wonder whether he is still alive... There are hundreds of reports of his success as well as a few failures attributed to bad weather conditions in transmitting his magical powers

I am not against raga therapy! If it works the better for you! In fact any raga will work if you believe sincerely..
The mind is the healer

[rshankar]

Such is the power of the placebo effect that side-effects typical of a medication are reported by patients on a placebo!

[cmlover]

Exactly!

[PUNARVASU]

There was a seminar in the 'ShanmukhAnanda Sabha' in Mumbai a few years back;Music therapy was the subject and Dr.Ramamoorthy presented a paper ,I think. Probably I may have a copy of the same.Have to look for it.

[mahakavi]

Well, the ill effects reported by the patients (who think they are taking the actual medication but may actually be on a sugar pill) on a double-blind study is known as "nocebo" (opposite of placebo) effect. If they think the trial medication may not work for them, then their brain tells them they have got some strange debility as a result of taking the medication. So anything goes! Your mind is the ultimate decider!

As for music therapy, just listen to what you like. Your mind will decide whether you get healed (or not) from the ailments that are bothering you. Hypochondriacs, watch out! You may not get any benefit.

[mahakavi]

>>Many may remember a certain station master healing snake bites by chanting a mantra remote. I wonder whether he is still alive... There are hundreds of reports of his success as well as a few failures attributed to bad weather conditions in transmitting his magical powers <<

That was the station master in JIyapuram (some 20 miles away from Trichy). He was well-known during my college days in Trichy. All you had to do was to give him a telegram with the name of the victim. He does his telepathy and the victim gets up! (if the snake did not get its fangs deep into blood vessel to inject the venom). Of course, you have to arrest the blood flow from the leg (usually the site of attack) upward. So, probablity works again with the help of resourcefulness.

[cmlover]

Thanks subramanian for reminding us of the 'nocebo' effect.
Many of the traditional beliefs on spells, curses, 'seivinai' (black magic) fall under thsi category. There is firm belief (based on astrology) that some of the health problems are due to the visitation on the progenies of sins committed by forefathers! There are special ritulas and chants to ward off such evil effects. The namboodris in Kerala are experts in these rituals. It will be interesting to know whether there are lyrics or musical approaches for these ills! In fact the 'plAkkaNam' songs (?mukhari) are sung to drive away the ghost of the dead person from haunting the house..