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Show r 0 A I L HERALD Y Sunday, September 7.2002 The rhhon Healing melodies: Hospital uses music to help aid recovery Rebecca Boone "The things we're ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER talking about are not traditional ways of doing medicine." BOISE, Idaho Though Sara survived being trapped under ( old river water for 15 minutes, doctors feared the accomplished oboist would never recover enough to play music again.' The had suffered 'severe brain damage, and she tl niggled to relearn basic living kills like grooming and speaking correctly. But Sara's mother, who knew how much the Hoise State University student i ved scores by Mozart, chaikovsky and Bach, sur-- i ounded her daughter with music. ';' " Doctors soon noticed that Sara was calmer and more when music was playing. Now Saint Alphonsus Region-- l Medical Center physicians .n e using music to help all their patients heaL "Your brain is full of connec-- t ions like a massive spider web," said Dr. Pennie Seibert, a neuroscientist at Saint Alphonsus who treated the patient she t nly calls 'Sara' and leads the hospital's brain injury research. Brain injuries interrupt those .mnections, she said, leaving ".ime patients unable to process leas or understand basic com-- i. Dr. Pennie Seibert neuroscientistat i it- Saint Alphonsus Hospital that even though those individual connections are weakened in brain injury patients, using several connections at once strengthens them all When doctors asked Sara to repeat the sentence, "Long, long ago on a cold winter's morn, little Lord Jesus was born," she could only repeat four of the words correctly, Seibert said. But when the phrase was giv-- n en a complex rhythm and melody, Sara could sing back every syllable, note and beat. Because singing the music forced Sara's brain to use more pathways and connections at once, Seibert said, all the connections were stronger. She saw similar results in patients by simply playing music in the background. "Conscious thinking processes take the hardest hit in brain injuries. But music filters in at an almost subconscious level and you don't have to focus on it hard. It gets the neurons fir-ing and those connections go- ing, and that makes conscious thinking easier," Seibert said. I fo-ais- $x i - ...,:,: -, --vTV TROV MABENThe Seibert a neuroscientist at Saint Alphonsus Hospital, holds up a model of the human brain Seibert is doing research utilizing music in treating patients with brain injuries. Dr. Pennie Associated Press at the hospital in Boise, Idaho. - . i lands. "Say I ask you to think of the word 'red.' What pops into your head?" she asked. Apples, blood, all are connected stop signs to the concept of 'red' as well as to new ideas. Seibert's research suggests She compared it to reading learning is difficult at first, but it becomes automatic for most adults. The task of sorting let- - " ters, words, sentences and concepts is left to the subconscious mind. The things we're talking about are not traditional ways of doing medicine," said Seibert. But unlike drugs or surgery, music therapy is free of adverse side effects and easily used in everyday life. Some patients find their memory improves if they tap rhythms with their hands while learning. Others find music helps them relax or distracts them from pain, Seibert said. Based on those principles, the hospital has brought music to the room of every patient. Televisions can be tuned to the CARE (Continuous Ambient Relaxation Environment) channel, a station that shows nature scenes accompanied by original instrumental music. Volunteers regularly play guitar, flute and piano for those who want to listen, and music is often used while treating comatose patients or those in intensive care. Even dying patients reap benefits when serenaded, Seibert said. When her own mother some trends, give doctors a new tool to promote healing and improve patient care and outcome, then that's really what we're looking for." Sara continues to slowly recover, using music all the while, Seibert said Almost three years g Sara after her was singing in a gospel choir and playing the oboe with a community orchestra. Though her brain injury still, plagues her, Seibert said, Sara's love of music is leading her toward an independent life. was dying after a stroke, Seflb-eand family members gathered around to soothe her with song. The familiar sounds seemed to lessen her mother's anxiety, she said, and comforted those around her as well. Seibert is six years into a study that tracks the treatments and recoveries of more than 200 brain injury patients. The results could provide more solid evidence that music heals, she said. "What we know about the brain changes by the second as new discoveries are made," Seibert said. "If we can find rt 20-ye- ar near-drownin- On the Net www.saintalphonsus.org California brush fire threatens 1,500 homes Navajo Nation considers ; Crews also battle ) Oregon wildfire gambling compact with 4 4. ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER A HIGHLAND, Calif. brush fire fueled by erratic winds threatened about 1,500 homes east of Los Angeles on Saturday, while in central Oregon, crews held back another wildfire that had earlier jumped containment lines, About 400 of the 1,500 threatened homes along the edge of California's San Bernardino National Forest were evacuated, and firefighters were taking advantage of calmer weather Saturday morning to battle the blaze, said Melody Lardner, a ; spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. More erratic winds and possible thunderstorms were forecast for later in the day. The fire, which began Friday afternoon, had burned about l ,500 acres by evening. It was t hreatening the communities of Smiley Park, Fredalba, Knob Hill and Enchanted Forest, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. In Northern California, fire-- i ighters continued to battle a n ddweek siege of Kghtning-sparke- d wildfires, with at least 40 new ones spotted. Of 228 known wildfires sparked by lightning in the area Wednesday, 51 still burned Fria 2,600-acr- e day . The largest blaze in Lake County was 85 percent contained. California Department of Forestry spokeswoman Karen 1 errill said some fires were not being fought because there were too few firefighters. About 4,000 were deployed after the lightning storm swept through. Oregon crews held off a wildfire Saturday that had earlier . jumped containment lines and forced the evacuation of 300 people from a mountain resort town. The blaze was burning ( . - - ' - r ASSOCIATED PRESS . DON flYANThe Associated Press hb crews via radio as heavy smoke from the B&B Complex wildfire creates a hazy background, north of Camp Sherman, Ore., on Saturday. A weather front is expected to arrive today in the area, bringing cooler temperatures and moisture. Division Victor supervisor Dale Cuyler speaks to mostly in remote wilderness Saturday as firefighters worked to keep it from spread-- " ing into commercial timber ar-eas. "Our lines have held. The fire never got up and walked," fire boss Don Ferguson said "It doesn't grew m a place that bother us much." - More than 2,000 firefighters were battling the blaze in dense, beetle-ravagpines. The fire, estimated at 83,000 acres Saturday, began to worsen late Thursday because of low humidity and high winds, after firefighters had worked for weeks to contain it. The flare-u- p forced the evacuation of about 300 people from the resort town of Camp Sherman, about three miles from the fire. Many had been evacuated before, then allowed back into their homes just four days, ago. , In Washington, a head-o-n collision Friday that kiDed three ed . . Navajos rejected gambling in referendums in 1994 and WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. 1997. However, To'hajiilee vot ers supported it both times. Navajo Nation President Joe The Council narrowly Shirley Jr. will consult with the tribe's attorney general and passed a resolution approving executive branch lawyers bea gaming compact with the fore deciding whether to sign state of New Mexico during its a gaming compact with New Aug. 29 special session. Mexico approved by the The compact calls for an antribe's Council, a spokes-Woma- n nual $100,000 reimbursement said. to the state for costs of regulation, a payout that will inHowever, Shirley's opposicrease by 3 percent each year. tion to legalized gambling on That would be in addition to the reservation in light of its defeat in two previous referen-dum- s the 8 percent of slot machine remains steadfast, proceeds paid to the state under compacts approved in 2001 spokeswoman Deana Jackson said Friday. by the state Legislature for tribes in exchange for Las Vega"Shirley is with the Navajo gambling. s-style people," Jackson said. "They have said no to gaming." She said his position will not pact also stipulates that the state could charge the tribe a change unless the people say 10 percent interest rate for otherwise in a new referendum. any late payments. To go into effect, the comNavajos at To'hajiilee, off Interstate 40 west of Albupact requires the signatures of querque, have pushed for Shirley, Gov. Bill Richardson and Secretary of the Interior years for casino gambling on Gale Norton. reservatheir If Shirley does not sign it, it tion, which is separated from the main reservation by about would kill the deal according a hundred miles of state, prito tribal officials. "If Shirley does not sign the vate and pueblo land. Gambling is illegal on the compact, then somewhere, main reservation, which covsomehow, someone has a kx of lobbying to do at the presiers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah in the Four dent's office," Council .: Corners area. spokesman Merle Pete said. THE Pi Bruce Haring , Ml people also sparked a wildfire near Chewelah, the Washington State Patrol said. As many as 75 firefighters were working to build a firebreak around the fire, which grew to about 400 acres and briefly threatened some rural homes. In Montana, officials worried that strong winds forecast for the weekend could puff new life into fires around their state as well Fire behavior specialists likened this year's conditions to those during the historic 1910 fires that scorched 3 million acres in Montana and Idaho. Fires have consumed 666,000 acres in Montana so far this year, and about 80 fires are still active. On the Net Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. "Our Microscopic MEDICAL EQUIPMENT Sales and Rentals FREE Delivery fc 1 13 286 West Center - Provo 373-728- 8 ' can give you up to 2509 CRAFTS with 6000 HAIRS, in ONE SESSION!" :;; DiCnigL . f , ' . ' Bering, Medial Director tea Medial Let us help. CALL V. 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