Sound is everywhere, we are immersed in it practically all the time. The auditory centre in our brain functions like a supercomputer, operating even while we sleep. Thanks to various medical and acoustic studies, we now know with certainty that sound affects our state of consciousness by altering brainwave frequencies (binaural beats). It influences our mood, changes blood pressure, levels of gastric juices, fatty acids, and even heart rate. Scientists have also demonstrated that sound can enhance our intelligence (the Mozart effect), and even destroy cancer cells and microorganisms.
It is believed that ancient schools taught the use of sound not only as a creative force, but also as a healing one. There is evidence that sound played an important role in healing practices in ancient Greece, China, India, Tibet, Egypt, and in the indigenous cultures of both Americas. One could therefore say that sound is one of the oldest known forms of healing. Sound healing was once one of the main pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Unfortunately, this pillar is no longer cultivated today, and very little information about the art of sound healing has survived. Nonetheless, we know for certain that it was a highly developed discipline in Eastern traditions. There is also evidence that sound-based acupuncture is at least as effective as traditional needle acupuncture.
Why does sound frequency matter so much?
Not all sounds are audible to us. We know that the human ear can hear frequencies in the range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz), although adults typically cannot hear above 16,000 Hz. Sounds below 20 Hz are referred to as infrasound, while those above 20,000 Hz are called ultrasound. Hz is short for hertz. Thanks to hertz, we can precisely define how high or low a sound is. Sound is an acoustic (mechanical) wave that travels, for example, through the air. The frequency of sound, measured in hertz, tells us how many wave cycles occur per second.
Imagine, for instance, a group of musicians playing the violin, viola, and cello. Before playing, these string instruments must be tuned — ensuring that the A note above middle C (known as A4 in musical notation) sounds at the standard pitch of exactly 440 Hz. Only through tuning to a standard can musicians playing together sound harmonious. It’s impossible to imagine a symphony orchestra performing without tuning. But music isn’t the only field in which frequency plays such an important role. Increasingly, we hear about biofeedback devices, which can diagnose the body and offer therapy using nothing other than frequencies.
Do we hear only with our ears?
At first glance, the question may seem odd, but it’s a crucial one. When discussing the influence of sound on the human body, we must ask it. The fact that our cells can “hear” sound was proven by Fabien Maman, a French musician, composer, acupuncturist, and bioenergetic therapist. In 1981, alongside biologist Helene Grimal, he began an 18-month study in a Paris university laboratory on the effects of sound on healthy and cancerous human cells.
Equipped with a microscope, a camera for high-magnification imaging, and another for Kirlian photography (used to capture electrical discharges), Maman and Grimal began their experiments. Maman played various instruments (guitar, gong, xylophone) and also used his voice, exposing the cells to sound for twenty minutes at a time and observing their behaviour under the microscope.
He found that when a cell experiences “vibrational affinity” with a particular frequency, its energy field (aura) transforms into a mandala-like shape, and its colour changes to vivid pink or blue. He concluded that every cell has something like a “fundamental frequency” that it recognises (hears) and responds to.
Similar observations were made by French physicist Joel Sternheimer, who discovered the vibration frequencies of elementary particles. He transposed molecular structures into “molecular music” — essentially musical patterns. Sternheimer noted that when an organic structure has a problem, the molecules in that structure stop vibrating. But when they “hear” their own characteristic, vibrationally resonant frequency — their “melody” — they begin to vibrate again.
Research on the effects of sound on cells
Fabien Maman and Helene Grimal discovered and documented that sound could gradually destabilise the structure of cancerous cells, ultimately causing them to rupture. “Younger” cells resisted the effects of sound for longer, which acted like a pressure valve, pushing energy from the centre outwards toward the cell membrane.
Similar results were documented by Anthony Holland, a professor at Skidmore College in New York. Over a 15-month period, Holland and his team searched for the precise frequency that could directly destroy microorganisms. They discovered that when two frequencies — one low and one high — were used simultaneously, microorganisms shattered like crystal. However, one condition had to be met: the higher frequency had to be exactly eleven times the lower one.
Holland then began working with a group of cancer researchers, leading to the discovery of frequencies that killed between 25% and 60% of leukaemia cells. The method also slowed the growth of cancer cells by as much as 65%.
It’s also worth mentioning Dr Mitchell Gaynor, an oncologist and internist, who was a pioneer in new strategies for cancer treatment and prevention. Since 1991, Dr Gaynor achieved remarkable results working with cancer patients, particularly through the active use of Tibetan singing bowls. He emphasised in his publications that numerous studies had shown that sound can lower blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates, reduce pain, and boost immune response.
Oliver Sacks, professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, described in one of his books the profound impact music has on the human brain — especially in people suffering from dementia.
Are viruses afraid of sound?
We are constantly exposed to viruses. They do not have a cellular structure and are not considered living organisms. Viruses are parasites, and to replicate, they must infect the cells of a host organism. A virus consists of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) and a protein shell called a capsid. It penetrates a host cell and releases its genetic material, containing all the information needed for replication. The virus then hijacks the cell’s metabolism, forcing it to produce new viruses. The infected cell is destroyed, releasing the new viruses to infect other cells.
Because viruses do not respond to antibiotics, our primary weapon against them is a well-functioning immune system — and research suggests that sound therapy can significantly support its function. Remarkable results in this area come from therapies using Tibetan singing bowls and gongs, as they produce sounds rich in harmonic overtones. When a singing bowl is struck, in addition to the fundamental tone, we hear a multitude of overtones.
There is currently ongoing research into a new method of destroying viruses by breaking their capsid using frequencies. Professor Otto Sankey of the University of Arizona, along with his student, developed a mathematical model to calculate virus capsid vibrations — specifically, their lowest resonance frequencies. This method utilises ultrasound.
In June of this year, The New Indian Express reported that the Human Energy Research Centre in India had decoded the vibrational frequencies of the coronavirus and two related enzymes. This led to the development of three sound waves capable of destroying the virus. The therapy, created by Dr Ramesh Vaish, Ikwan Onwuka, and Dr Harsh Rastogi, is based on ancient Vedic philosophy, incorporates quantum theory relating to waves, and relies on the principle of resonance.
Sound operates on many levels. As a weapon in the fight against viruses, it can: enhance the immune system, destroy viral capsids, and potentially block the virus’s genetic information, preventing replication. There are many recordings designed to support immune function. It’s worth listening to sessions with Tibetan bowls, gongs, or tuning forks. More on sound coming soon.
Author: Izabela Strzelecka