TS ICET 30th Sep 2020 Shift-2

A Study found that music therapy sessions have a positive effect on the neurorehabilitation of acute stroke patients. The research was carried out on a 26-bed stroke and rehabilitation unit at a hospital in the UK. In total, 177 patients took part in 675 Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) sessions over a two-year period. According to the researchers, music therapy is understood to help stroke patients through mood regulation, improved concentration and promoting changes in the brain to improve function, known as neural reorganisation. Lots of repetition or "massed practice", is central to neurorehabilitation. In addition to playing physical instruments (keyboard, drum and hand-held percussion), touch screen instruments were used in the trial to help patients with hand rehabilitation, through improving finger dexterity, and cognitive training.

NMT sessions were run along side existing stroke rehabilitation treatment including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and clinical psychology. Of the 139 patients, relatives and hospital staff who completed mood-scale questionnaires, the average response was that NMT was helpful or very helpful. And of the 52 patients who completed mood-scale questionnaire, there was a reduction in sadness and an increase in happy responses immediately following a session. Speech and language the-rapists observed a positive impact on patient engagement and reported that it may help patients overcome low mood and fatigue - both common following stroke - and therefore be beneficial for their rehabilitation.

"The fact 675 session were carried out in two years is in itself an indication of the success of the treatment. It shows that staff are referring patients because they understand the mechanisms of the exercise and can see how it can benefit their patients. It also shows that patients are willing to do the exercises, with each one participating in an average of five sessions", a researcher said.

Thailand brings to mind turquoise blue waters highest landscapes, and thriving wildlife. My journey began at Don Muong airport as I took the flight to Phuket.

The first day had me travelling to Big Buddha, one of the revered landmarks on the island. It sits atop a hill and is a 45-meter-tall white marble, statue of Buddha. Driving up hill I came across an elephant safari and opted not to do the ride for ethical reasons but you could go feed the elephants, play with them and that truly was out of the world. The elephants were tamed and did the sweetest actions like kissing the tourist, asking for food and. I would like to believe that they did it of their own accord. The elephant I met was called Anda and he was a baby, terribly cute and his mannerisms were unlike any animal I have seen. The route is dotted with many cafes that have a spectacular view of the ocean and a nice mocktail coupled with the cold breeze and the sounds of waves was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon.

Phuket was all about exploring beaches and the best part is that it is so close to the many other islands that are just a boat trip away. I decided to go on an island-hopping adventure and took a speed boat to the first island, Panak. In one of the many islands on Phang Nga Bay the resort owner told me that the experience would be like no other.

The island had limestone formations and looked ab absolutely stunning. We had to take a look at the island from the boat. As the boat went close to the rocks. I observed something moving in the water it jumped back on to the rock. It was a monkey. The island had monkey around that very simply jumped into the water, swam and come back on the rocks. For someone who encountered monkeys in the wild as notorious little animals that mostly live on trees, this was pretty fascinating. It wasn't the monkeys but the landscape they lived in that had us, many Indians included, in awe.