One of the most basic questions in the emerging field of modern sound healing is also one of the most often ignored: What exactly do we mean by “sound healing,” and how does sound produce healing?

Over the last 35 years, I’ve been involved in pursuing answers to these questions. Although the subject began receiving mass media coverage in the mid-1990s, it’s rather disturbing how few major classical, or even New Age labels, have even broached the subject. They seem to be more content to just jump on the bandwagon and go for the sales.

So when one of the major figures in holistic sound research publishes a groundbreaking study relating musical intervals and their effect on cells, this is good news for all of us. I believe it adds a major new perspective, much as the pioneering work of Dr. Herbert Benson did, with his research relating the relaxation response and healing.

John Beaulieu, N.D., Ph.D. is a naturopathic doctor who has been a major proponent of the use of tuning forks for well-being. But he has also studied and practiced herbal medicine for thirty years, and his latest work builds on these two approaches. The following is excerpted from articles and papers by Dr. Beaulieu and his associates.

In 1998, Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro, and Ferid Murad discovered that cells produce and release a gas called nitric oxide. Their discovery was so important that they won the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Very few of us have heard of that, I would assume. Cells try to maintain a state of balance by regulating their release of nitric oxide, which is called “puffing.” When nitric oxide is released into our tissue, we are healthy and our immune system is strong.

When nitric oxide production is diminished, or “flatlined,” it leads to depressed immune function, which often leads to disease. According to the researchers, flatlined nitric oxide is the body’s cellular response to psychological and physiological stress.

Scientists use the word “spiking” to describe anything that gets flatlined nitric oxide to puff again. When the nitric oxide level is spiked, you immediately feel a great sense of well-being.

Dr. Beaulieu has formulated a unique herbal producer that triggers nitric oxide production, called EnRhythm. But he has also discovered that certain sounds can produce a similar effect. His research with BioSonic tuning forks demonstrated that the pure sine wave tone of tuning forks causes a spiking of nitric oxide levels in the body.

Intuitively, I know that the sound of the Rhodes electric piano, which I have been featuring on my recordings like Chakra Suite, is created by a series of tuning forks, which are connected to electrical pickups and amplified when I play them with the attached keyboard.

As a musician, this is much more fulfilling and interesting than the intervallic harmonies you can create with tuning forks, but the principle is the same. It also relates to the ancient tradition of Tibetan singing bowls, or quartz crystal tuning bowls. Each of these instruments produce one pure tone. I am sure that future research will prove that they all cause a spike in nitric oxide levels.

What does this mean to you?

For one thing, now that there is more empirical evidence, you may wish to get a Tibetan bowl, crystal bowl or both to have at home. Even a moment or two of playing them can make a positive difference in how you feel.

You may want to listen to Chakra Suite or Crystal Bowl Healing, and see if you can feel the spiking effect for yourself. But even if you are not sure, rest assured that the effect is taking place: your cells “know the score” ... and you’ll be contributing to your own health and healing.

It also means you may want to supplement your diet with a new class of herbal medicine that works with waves and rhythms on a molecular level Dr. Beaulieu’s formulation, EnRhythm, which stimulates and synchronizes a six-minute nitric oxide molecular wave cycle, is based on a precise combination of herbs modeled on musical ratios. According to John, “The release of nitric oxide causes the cells to relax and ultimately return to a natural healing rhythm. The movement from a dissonant puffing rhythm to a ‘tuned’ rhythm is fundamental to our overall health and well-being.”

For more information on this research and how you can obtain the herbal formulation called EnRhythm, go to www.stevenhalpern.com and click on “Doctor Sound Recommends,” and scroll to the EnRhythm section.

Until next time, stay tuned!

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Steven Halpern is one of the world’s leading composers of music for healing, wellness, and inner peace. His recordings combine ancient principles of sound healing, the healing powers of Mother Earth, and state of the art recording technology. His latest releases are Crystal Bowl Healing and Ocean Suite. Contact Steven at AskDrSound@innerpeacemusic.com or visit his website at www.stevenhalpern.com.

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