Music: Gospel of Life

By Gao Chonghua

Wu Shen went to United States in his 30s in the 1990s. Before he left for America, he had been a music therapist who treated pain with music. Though he was successful, his theory and practice were controversial to some extent. He believed that his health-preserving therapy was neither superstition nor religious faith and that it bonded with science. He wanted his pain management therapy to be tested, developed and established in the West.

With this purpose, he went to the United States. In 1996, he became an accredited practitioner of musical therapy in Florida and did research in collaboration with a few PhD scholars in America.

The first trial on the effects of his Qigong-centered therapy was done in 1998 and 1999 in collaboration with the division of gynecologic oncology at the Walt Disney Memorial cancer Institute at Florida Hospital. He worked with Neil J. Finkler, a doctor of gynecologic ontology at the center. The short-term trial found the Qigong therapy brought beneficial effects concerning reducing pain associated with terminal pelvic cancer. There have been cases in which terminal patients relieved their pains through Shen Wus therapy. Finkler expressed his appreciation of Master Wu at a meeting at the center.

In July, 2007, Wu Shen held a lecture in Taiwan on his musical therapy to relieve cancer pain. He performed his therapy, which was monitored with the Digital Infrared Thermal Image System on the spot. Professor Zhang Rongsen with the Central University of Taiwan confirmed that the instrument indicated that there were visible changes in acupuncture points and brainwave in the body of the subject.

Nowadays, music and cancer pain management has become a medical research area. Hundreds of clinical reports have been published on the topic.

Some people think highly of Wu Shens achievement. However, the professor confesses that he is not a doctor with a cure for cancer. What he does is to make patients relax and make pain go away through music therapy.

In October 2003, he delivered his paper on music and health at a forum in Beijing, jointly hosted by five prestigious universities on the mainland and in Hong Kong. On October 1, 2004, Wu Shen attended a ceremony at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing. He was recognized as one of the top ten outstanding Chinese on the occasion. On October 1, 2005, he attended the National Day Reception hosted by Premier Wen Jiabao. In April 2007, he was engaged as a health advisor by China Elderly Health Association. In October 2008, he gave a lecture in Wuxi on the subject of music and health. On Jun 28, 2009, he gave a lecture on music and health in Kunming, the capital city of Chinas southwestern Yunnan Province.

Since 2004, he is an associate professor in the Department of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii.

He has published books on music and pain. His studies are highly appreciated by some scholars.