Reducing Pain With Music Therapy Diet May Impact Risk of Miscarriage

One in six pregnancies ends in miscarriage. While there are many known causes, including chromosomal problems and infections in the womb, nearly half of pregnancy losses remain unexplained.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham, in the UK, analyzed 20 studies that examined the eating habits of 63,838 healthy women of childbearing age in the months before and shortly after conception to see whether there was evidence of an association with a lower or higher chance of miscarriage. The review, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, found that, compared to low consumption, high intake of fruit was associated with a 61 percent reduction in miscarriage risk, and high vegetable intake was associated with a 41 percent reduction.

Risk reduction was also linked to dairy products (37 percent), grains (33 percent), seafood (19 percent) and eggs (19 percent). The evidence was uncertain for red meat, white meat, fat and oil, and sugar substitutes. The researchers looked at whether specific types of diets (such as the Mediterranean Diet or Fertility Diet) were also linked to miscarriage risk, but they could not find evidence that following any of these diets lowered or raised risk.

A new study in the journal PAIN Reports conducted by researchers at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health, in Cleveland, looked at patient outcomes in pain reduction after music therapy. The study examined music therapy interventions provided to 1,056 adults that reported moderate to severe pre-session pain, anxiety or stress. Interventions included listening to live, music-assisted relaxation and imagery, and active music making. After a single music therapy session, the patients reported clinically significant reductions in pain, anxiety and stress.

Additionally, patients receiving a music therapy session in which pain management was a goal were 4.32 times more likely to report pain reduction than those receiving the therapy without such a goal. While music therapy may be an effective, non-drug therapy for acute pain and distress management, additional research is needed to determine which characteristics of music therapy interventions influence pain improvements.

Climate Victory Gardens

During World War II, an estimated 20 million Americans planted individual and community “victory gardens” to assist the war efforts by producing more than 40 percent of the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in the country at the time. As the world faces a different kind of threat today, Green America is encouraging and training people to plant “climate victory gardens” to restore soil health and draw down carbon as a way to help solve the climate crisis.

The project invites people to log their garden on an online map (GreenAmerica.org/climate-victory-gardens), showing the cumulative impact of their effort. More than 20,000 climate victory gardens have already been planted, collectively sequestering approximately 4,740 tons of carbon per year, which is equivalent to eliminating the emissions from driving more than 39 million miles.

The mission of Green America, a nonprofit, is to mobilize and empower consumers, investors, businesses and the marketplace to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Green America provides information on regenerative gardening in down-to-earth terms for beginners and seasoned pros. They also provide resources on related topics, such as organic fertilizers and pesticides, raising chickens, growing food indoors, composting, supporting pollinators and building a rain barrel.