Testimonials – Specific Medical Conditions

1 GENERAL
2 ASTHMA AND COPD
3 PARKINSON’S
4 STROKE

GENERAL

“The singers at Sing for Better Health enjoy the sort of benefits that might otherwise be achieved by medication or counselling. Sing for Better Health also benefits the wider community by providing music at many local events. It would be wonderful if similar groups could exist in every town. There would be more happier older people, and maybe fewer calls upon the resources of the health services.”

Wife after her husband’s cancer operation:
“Thought you should know how helpful the breathing exercises you have taught us have been to both of us, especially at this time of worry and stress. In hospital, the physiotherapist was most impressed with how deeply he could breathe, and he has been doing the exercises to the best of his ability everyday and they are helping him with calmness and also his posture. The staff are sure they are really helping his recovery.  They are so good to do, especially when you only have limited mobility.
For myself: they are a real help to keep calm when I get a little anxious and stressed.  Just pausing and taking a few minutes to stand up straight and breath properly really clears the mind.  I find myself doing my breathing automatically – when I am standing in the kitchen doing the “chores” and even on the bus just sitting quietly!  Thank you for all the help you have given us – we really feel they are so beneficial.”

“After years of sleeplessness – I cannot believe how quickly I go asleep now (after doing the exercises in bed)”

Young disabled person:
“I suffer from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome hypermobility type 3, and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. I have found both the singing itself, and the accompanying exercises, to be very helpful with both my physical posture and emotional well-being. I believe I have had less joint pain as a result when working at my computer. The group is excellently led, friendly and welcoming – it’s often a highlight of my week.”
His mum:
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support you have given him this year. I am not sure how he would have navigated the last months without you.”

“I feel I must say how much better I feel since joining your singing group.”

“The exercises have helped me to relax and my doctor has halved my blood pressure medication.”

A lonely MS sufferer:
“The singing group has made a difference to my life in many ways. I find my ungainly and unpredictable posture have benefitted from the exercises. I feel more grounded. It has been good for my memory – learning words and melody (trying to sing without song sheet!) I have made good friendships with some wonderful people. Being long-term sick I had missed having work colleagues. Now I have singing colleagues! Singing is an uplifting experience, so good for the soul! I always, always feel positive about life after singing with friends.”

A doctor says:
“I wish the medication I prescribe could be as effective as your Sing For Better Health groups!”

2. ASTHMA AND COPD

“I am an ex-coal miner who also smoked, resulting in ‘Emphysema’. The classes help me to control and live with my problems. The breathing exercises are calming and soothing, relieving the pain of breathlessness and fear of the future.”

“I had my annual asthma check-up just last week and the nurse was really pleased at my peak flow. It was the highest it has been for ages. Improving my posture also helps with my breathing.”

“My Asthma has improved greatly….Singing is one of the greatest things for helping the health of my lungs. Although I always carry my puffer I rarely need to use it…”

“I haven’t had a COPD flare-up all winter.”

“I feel personally my breathing has maintained a level due to the exercise of singing and breathing, and properly kept me out of a hospital bed under the NHS. It has also helped me to give up cigarettes.”

“It has really helped me to expand and to use my lungs more. Also I feel that it has kept me freer from lung infections and so in turn I have had less free prescriptions too! Also, I have not had to go to hospital and have more chest X-rays which all take time and cost the NHS more money!”

“I just wanted to say how much I’m enjoying your Sing For Better Health group and how much my health has benefited over the past few months.  My breathing has improved significantly, and that’s had a huge impact on my energy levels and on my ability to do more. Thank you!”

“The nurse measured my lung capacity: it improved through the singing classes!”

“This group has been extremely helpful in many ways, physically and psychologically. The benefits have kicked in gradually. I get less out of breath, even walking uphill is getting easier. I never used to join in when other people sang, now I do. I enjoy singing so much that I even sing in the bath! Taking breaths is much more natural now. I just don’t have to worry about breathing any more. I am much calmer now, and my sleep has improved.”

“Since I’ve been coming I’ve given up smoking, and it helps me keeping off cigarettes.”

“I have been attending this group for about two years now. The reason for me going initially was that I was diagnosed with COPD and I was looking for non-pharmaceutical ways to improve my breathing. During the first session I wondered if this was the sort of thing I was looking for but when I walked out of the room I realised that my spirits had, indeed, been lifted. The exercises have definitely helped me as when I get an attack I am now able to use the exercises to bring my breathing under control. Before this, I would, like most people, panic and make the breathing worse.”

“I feel one of the long term benefits is that I have had less episodes with my COPD and have therefore been able to stay away from my doctor and the hospital and avoid the use of antibiotics and steroids.”

“We have an enthusiastic group of people of all ages who look out for each other and enjoy meeting up weekly for their exercises and singing. I feel that collectively we all see less of our doctors because of the beneficial effects of this group.”

“I live on a long, hilly road. When I first began your exercise and singing classes I was not able to walk up this road without becoming breathless, and having to stop every few yards to get my breath back. Now I am able to walk up it with ease and am not breathless at all. A great improvement, which is a result of your classes. I am most grateful to you.”

“My peak flow was 320! Never been so high! My nurse was delighted!”

“The singing group helps me improve my breathing. I suffer with COPD, but have noticed that the shortness of breath which I normally suffer from does not kick in as often as it used to. SO, a very big thank you not only for the improved breathing but also bringing together a group of non-singers who are so happy to sing theirs hearts out, under your direction and with so much fun.”

“Had my C.O.P.D. review today, all was well. The nurse was quite surprised I had done so well. The breathing tests were fine, they tested my breathing with spirometer tests and I came out of it very well.”

“I suffer with COPD but since joining your group my breathing has improved to the point where I can actually regulate my breath to last the required time for the song.”

“…the relaxation exercises which you can call upon in any given circumstances at any time, even in bed. Also the singing – a very relaxed way to exercise the lungs.”

“It enabled me to give up smoking…Joy of living positively.”

“The breathing into the back has really helped me – I can now do country walks easily, even walking up and down, better than young people!”

“At times… I shed a tear as I listened to my own singing voice which I had not used for the previous 50 years since leaving church. In spite of returning to church attendance about 12 years ago my breathing was too shallow for me to finish the prayers so singing was out. Sadly I am unable to reach the high notes at times and maybe I was off key, but for me the wonder of my own singing voice raised my spirits so high. The atmosphere…(at a group singing event)….was electric. All the groups mixed and the happiness and joy which we were all feeling should be bottled. What a tonic.”

“Having joined the group at the suggestion of my practice nurse to improve my lung capacity, I have not only done just that (up 10% in 1st year), but have found a great improvement in the resilience necessary for solitary living. We are fortunate in having a brilliant leader in Udita and admire how she manages her disparate groups and how she turns us into friends.”

“I found the breathing exercises and singing classes organised by Udita extremely helpful. They have improved my breathing and alleviated the worst symptoms affecting my throat.  As a consequence, I feel that my visits to my GP and the hospital are less frequent than they would otherwise be.” 

“I enjoy attending the Hangleton & Knoll Sing For Better health group, and feel that both my mental wellbeing and physical health have improved. The exercises help me to facilitate my lung capacity, and help with my breathing.”

“Being part of a supportive group increases my confidence. I have made new friends through the group and increased my social contacts. Being part of the group makes me feel valued, and when I do feel miserable I feel that coming to the group lifts me and I feel happy.”

“We have been coming to Sing For Better Health since it began. We try not to miss it. You may come in feeling low, but you can guarantee you leave feeling uplifted. The group we go to on Tuesdays you could not wish to meet a more friendly bunch. It has helped my husband with his emphysema. All praise to Udita for leadership.”

“This is a wonderful group, warm and caring, it lifts me for the week. Udita is a wonderful teacher. It has helped with the sinus, respiratory and nerve problems. I have had a mouth ulcer. It is something I definitely look forward to and we have a lovely, varied repertoire of songs.”

“This was Grey Power with Swing, with Attitude and …a genuine sense of powerful nostalgia. Hardly a dry eye on the street, old and young. And, heavens, didn’t you all show us how to BREATHE and SING OUT IN TUNE!!” – member of ‘audience’

3. PARKINSON’S

“The exercises and the singing have noticeably improved my voice projection, people can now hear me when I speak, I am much more confident and I am no longer depressed about anything in my life. Also I can sing so much better. It really is a lovely group and would recommend it to anyone with a health problem or depression.”

“I have Parkinson’s which affects the voice badly and the singing helps it.”

“Diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s, one of my first troublesome symptoms was that my voice became very soft and my words often unintelligible. This threatened my work both as a teacher and lecturer. Joining the … singing group was therefore nothing short of a miracle for me, as the exercises and singing itself brought my voice back to me, when I had begun to accept that it was lost, and could only get worse. The support of the others in the group helped enormously too, because no one is too afraid to try, and the singing is uplifting, one feels happier and more capable. The beneficial effects for me were almost instant, and the fact that the exercises are something we can take home with us and carry out each day means that the improvement can be constant.”

“…she enjoys it so much and it is doing her good, she speaks faster and clearer after her singing group.”

“Since coming here for just over a year my voice has strengthened, and people are able to hear me better.”

“I take an 86 year old, who has Parkinson’s disease, to Sing For Better Health as often as possible. After having 14 hours of 1 to 1 physio I was trying to find some form of exercise for her to do to reinforce what she had been doing and found an advert for the singing group in a magazine.”

“It is the only thing I have found that she is motivated to go to and it is the only thing she does. I think the gentle stretches improve her posture and the singing improves her vocal strength. Even more than that, she enjoys the singing and the company and the relaxed sociability at the break. She always comes out happier than when she went in.”

4. STROKE

“Having had a stroke which has left me with a weak voice and aphasia (word finding difficulty) I am surprised at the strength of my voice and how I remember the words of songs when I am singing – this has given me great encouragement as well-being beneficial for me. We have a lovely group of people and it is always a happy occasion.”

“I had a stroke about 5 years ago, which affected my breathing – which in turn impeded on my walking….Within a few weeks of attending Sing For Better Health sessions all my friends and family noticed a difference, which has gone on from week to week. The difference after the exercises and singing were unbelievable – now I am able to take my dog out for walks, go shopping alone, and even do house chores. What a brilliant idea this is – but best of all, I’ve met some wonderful people!”

“Having had a stroke which has left me with a weak voice and aphasia (word finding difficulty) I am surprised at the strength of my voice and how I remember the words of songs when I am singing – this has given me great encouragement as well-being beneficial for me. We have a lovely group of people and it is always a happy occasion.”

“I have had a stroke and heard my voice would be stronger when I was singing.   This is quite true and to do it in such genial company under Udita’s expertise makes it very special. Thank you.”

“…he can sing louder than he can talk, and this is great for the vocal chords.”