CUMMING, Ga. — When you think “harmonica,” it’s likely you can imagine in your head a great blues song or rock-and-roll or even some country music. You might be surprised that whistling a few tunes on the French harp can help heal some damaged lungs.
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Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen spoke to patients and doctors at Northside Hospital Forsyth where a program called “Harmonicas for Health” is being utilized to help some patients battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
He spoke with Judy Kilpatrick, who never leaves home without her portable oxygen concentrator.
“You have good days and you have bad days,” Kilpatrick said.
She also packs her harmonica and a handful of her favorite tunes.
“Oh, I have a lot of them,” Kilpatrick said. “You don’t want to hear me play any of them either! Ha, ha, ha!”
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Kilpatrick and her friends, who gather in a small conference room at the hospital, are following their doctors’ orders. Pulmonologist Dr. Sunil Vallurupalli has them work on their music skills while building the strength back in their lungs.
“I’ve been thinking of ways to encourage people to do the breathing exercises,” Vallurupalli said. “But we never had anything fun.”
Dr. Vallurupalli said Harmonicas for Health was designed just over a year ago for a handful of COPD patients. Since then it has been part of the hospital’s treatment program.
Ben Copeland said it’s not easy work, but it certainly helps.
“There’s 10 buttons and 10 numbers. You push and pull and it makes you breathe really hard,” said Copeland.
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The doctor says that breathing helps with healing. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group has been meeting and playing virtually. Last week for the first time in a very long time, they met in person.
Kilpatrick said seeing the others working hard motivated her too.
“It makes you work. Makes you work your lungs, which is good. It loosens whatever is in there that needs to be coughed up. It’s good therapy,” said Kilpatrick.
Petersen said the group wouldn’t commit to taking the band on tour together, but that’s OK. According to their doctor, as long as they get in their work everyday, they’ll stay on the road to recovery.
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