I'm no medical doctor but I've been playing the whistle for nine months now, (just a novice :roll: ) and my health has definitely improved!
I had my annual physical this morning and lo and behold, my blood pressure was down 20 points!
Lower than it's been since college (over 20 years ago)!
Is that amazing or what?! And I haven't done anything out of the ordinary this year except pick up the whistle. (More than one actually; )
Has anyone else experienced this sort of thing? Is this something we should share with the rest of the world?
Rod
"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."
I've not noted any drop in my BP... but then I haven't been practicing enough lately. No matter. This is a splendid opportunity. What we do is, set up an ostensibly controlled, double-blind, blah blah blah clinical trial of the antihypertensive properties of the fipple flute: the "CHAFF trial." Should have a nice large sample... the entire C&F memberlist should do nicely. With generous govt funding (we'll need a really slick grant writer) we all get free whistles. Recor***s are the placebo. Discard all unhelpful data, naturally, while producing superb, grossly biased news releases. Before you can say "bad science," health insurance companies will be paying for our whistles. At this time I'd like to open the floor for nominations for Research Director.
Tell us something.: A long time chatty Chiffer but have been absent for almost two decades. Returned in 2022 and still recognize some names! I also play anglo concertina now.
Whistling may be good for blood pressure and lung capacity - but the trauma when someone who just can't take any more of that %#$@#$% whistling buries it fipple-first in your ear has to make it an overall negative.
DCrom wrote:Whistling may be good for blood pressure and lung capacity - but the trauma when someone who just can't take any more of that %#$@#$% whistling buries it fipple-first in your ear has to make it an overall negative.
Speaking from personal experience there?
Steven - IDAwHOa - Wood Rocks
"If you keep asking questions.... You keep getting answers." - Miss Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
DCrom wrote:Whistling may be good for blood pressure and lung capacity - but the trauma when someone who just can't take any more of that %#$@#$% whistling buries it fipple-first in your ear has to make it an overall negative.
*hides that from the other people in my house or else they'll start getting ideas*
DCrom wrote:Whistling may be good for blood pressure and lung capacity - but the trauma when someone who just can't take any more of that %#$@#$% whistling buries it fipple-first in your ear has to make it an overall negative.
Speaking from personal experience there?
Let's just say I'm really cautious if my wife gets too close when I'm playing a high whistle. She likes low whistle, fortunately - I'd hate to think of the damage my skull might do to the whistle if she used it as a bludgeon.
In the interest of marital harmony, I try not to play high whistle in the same room with her unless she walks in and sits down while I'm playing.
She thinks I play pretty well, actually, but the repetition gets to her. Between my whistling and our daughters practicing piano, she gets to listen to the same few tunes over, and over, and over . . .
Sure, it's true. Anything that makes this many people happy is going to have a positive effect on your health. Music is definitely a health tonic!
Yes, I'll second the notion-as long as we practice alone!
For me, playing whistles is a form of meditation. Focusing on one's breathing is a time-honored meditation technique. Well, what is whistle playing but focusing on breath. I play mostly original tunes, so the conscious mind is usually given time off, and the subconscious and/or the greater consciousness bring the music to me. Many other songwriters describe their creative process in similar terms.
I remember the time I spent playing for my grandmother while she was in the hospital. It had a powerful effect, not only for her, but the entire wing. A friend of mine gets paid for similar music therapy, bringing her harp to play for patients.
+ Bill
DCrom wrote:Whistling may be good for blood pressure and lung capacity - but the trauma when someone who just can't take any more of that %#$@#$% whistling buries it fipple-first in your ear has to make it an overall negative.
Speaking from personal experience there?
Let's just say I'm really cautious if my wife gets too close when I'm playing a high whistle. She likes low whistle, fortunately - I'd hate to think of the damage my skull might do to the whistle if she used it as a bludgeon.
In the interest of marital harmony, I try not to play high whistle in the same room with her unless she walks in and sits down while I'm playing.
She thinks I play pretty well, actually, but the repetition gets to her. Between my whistling and our daughters practicing piano, she gets to listen to the same few tunes over, and over, and over . . .
Perhaps the health benefits are inversely proportional .... BP goes down for the whistle player & up for the listeners.
This would, of course, lead to 2 grants being necessary .....
scottielvr wrote: At this time I'd like to open the floor for nominations for Research Director.
Would travel expenses be included? And there are quite a few whistlers who'd make fine subjects in locations such as Fiji, are there not? I would of course, happily cover the European territories as well.
Tell us something.: I love Irish music! I am mostly a whistle player but would like to learn more about flutes. I also have a couple older whistles I'd like to sell and maybe pick up a bamboo flute to practice with.
DCrom wrote:Whistling may be good for blood pressure and lung capacity - but the trauma when someone who just can't take any more of that %#$@#$% whistling buries it fipple-first in your ear has to make it an overall negative.
Speaking from personal experience there?
Let's just say I'm really cautious if my wife gets too close when I'm playing a high whistle. She likes low whistle, fortunately - I'd hate to think of the damage my skull might do to the whistle if she used it as a bludgeon.
In the interest of marital harmony, I try not to play high whistle in the same room with her unless she walks in and sits down while I'm playing.
She thinks I play pretty well, actually, but the repetition gets to her. Between my whistling and our daughters practicing piano, she gets to listen to the same few tunes over, and over, and over . . .
)
"It might be a bit better to tune to one of my fiddle's open strings, like A, rather than asking me for an F#." - Martin Milner