Breathing Easier while Playing Harmonica

For patients with lung disease, every breath is a struggle. Many patients at Mercy's H.E.A.R.T. Center are now breathing easier thanks to a new harmonica program.

The new harmonica class is helping tune up weakened lungs and strengthen diaphragms.The harmonica classes are helpful for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), which results from chronic bronchitis and emphysema.This includes those with pulmonary fibrosis and asthma. Through the harmonica program, patients are learning to control and boost their breathing.

Says one participant, "This is so much better than using the breathing machine. With that, you couldn't see how well you were doing. With this, you can hear it."

Nicole Coverly, an exercise physiologist at Mercy General's H.E.A.R.T. Center says,
"These patients have to be able to take deep breaths in and out, and blow out against the harmonica, which provides resistance and helps strengthen their respiratory muscles."

More than forty patients are enrolled in the harmonica class at the Mercy H.E.A.R.T. Center. The harmonica program at MHP is modeled after a successful program at the University of Michigan. For more information about the Mercy H.E.A.R.T. Center's Harmonica program, call 231-672-3648.