Sound Frequencies for Health
by Steve Rees, Ret. RN, Harpist
This article continues to explore the subject of Serenity and some of the scientific reasons for surrounding yourself with the wonders of the natural world.
John Stuart Reid from the Shift Network provided a class on the subject of Sound Therapy. As this subject was close to my area of interest, I decided to pay for the course and learn from John’s knowledge. I’m glad I did because he provided information that confirmed what I have understood for some time now. Also, he presented it in a very scientific way.
One of the recommendations that I presented in my last article was to take the time to enrich your senses with the wonders of the natural world. These are the places and times when you will find rejuvenating energy for your body, mind, and soul.
As I listened to one of John’s modules, he explained that when we sit and listen to a waterfall, creek, or river, we expose ourselves to ultrasound frequencies that are not audible but are present as documented by instrumentation. A walk by the ocean will produce the same effect. He had a meter that recorded the presence of ultrasound frequencies and played a recording of a waterfall, and it lit up. Amazing! At the same time, it did not light up when a voice spoke into it.
John also observed that there are many sources of these ultrasounds in the natural world instead of the artificial environment that most people live within. The sounds of the wind in the trees, the birds chirping, and many other sounds one encounters on a walk in the woods produce these frequencies that are so beneficial.
What is even more amazing about this phenomenon is the biological function that occurs within the nasal passage. When exposed to these ultrasound frequencies, special cells stimulate the production of nitric oxide which is responsible for reducing blood pressure and slowing the heart rate. Another producer of these ultrasounds are full sound spectrum musical instruments such as the harp! This explains why so many people are positively affected by the music I present on CDs, on YouTube, and at live concerts.
A look at the properties of nitric oxide reveals that the endothelium (inner lining) of blood vessels use nitric oxide to signal the surrounding smooth muscle to relax, resulting in vasodilation and increasing blood flow. This also results in reducing blood pressure. Interestingly, breathing through the nose produces nitric oxide, but breathing through the mouth does not have the same effect.
I recommend John’s work to you if you were interested in sound therapy. His website is:
He has also developed a Cyma Scope that can display beautiful geometric patterns of different sounds that are sampled or spoken into a microphone.