Participants in pain management programme said singing and breathing exercises eased their symptoms
Wales is famed as the land of song, the music of the valleys and mountains providing a source of pride, joy and a sense of belonging.
But a pioneering project led by Welsh National Opera has suggested music can also help people suffering with persistent pain.
Participants in a pain management programme run by WNO with NHS Wales reported that singing and taking part in breathing exercises in sessions run by vocal experts eased their symptoms.
An independent report on the Wellness with WNO persistent pain pilot programme has reported that two-thirds of people who took part in a study of the programme’s effectiveness reported decreases in pain and a similar number said their mental health had improved.
Those who had taken part had no illusions that they had been cured of chronic illnesses but said the programme had helped them manage their pain by giving them techniques to deal with it.
June Evans, 67, from Llandrindod Wells in mid Wales, who has a number of serious illnesses including a heart condition, said the programme, funded by the Welsh government, had changed her life.
