Alternative healing methods have been used by non-Western medicine for generations. The use of acupuncture to cure everything from seasickness to muscle pain is well documented and widely used. Physiotherapy is often a precursor to surgery and often avoids the need for a more invasive procedure. Music therapy is a lesser-known but increasingly popular form of alternative healing. In the late 18th century, scientists began to study the effects of music on the human body; However, the use of music as a means of healing dates back to ancient times. There are many forms and techniques of music therapy that help various disabilities related to communication, behavioral issues, autism spectrum and healing techniques. Even for musicians, music is their personal form of therapy to express their emotions and feelings that they usually cannot express otherwise through song. Music is an effective form of therapy because it allows people with disabilities to communicate freely through the emotions felt and expressed by the composer. It creates a path of healing and transformation by tapping into human emotions that would otherwise have been left dormant. Music therapy involves listening to music, making or singing music, and participating in musical activities. As a form of therapy, it has gained more exposure due to studies and experiments investigating how music affects human behavior and emotions. Listening to music forces the listener to unknowingly question what they are listening to and to discern what the motivation of the composer of the piece is. Stephan Koelsch, a German academic who studied music therapy, reported that "while listening to music, individuals are in the middle of a sheet...): 532-42. Print. December 6, 2013. Mellskog, Pam. “Music therapy is used in many ways to help patients heal.” Alternative therapies. Ed. Sylvia Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Rep. from “The Sounds of Healing”. Vibrant Life 25 (November-December 2009): 14-17. Opposing viewpoints in context. Internet. October 18, 2013. Stephenson, Jennifer. “Music Therapy and the Education of Severely Handicapped Students.” Developmental Disabilities Education and Training 3 (2006): 290-297. Print. November 12, 2013. Ushedo, Ben. “Music and emotion.” Philosophy Now 57 (2006): n. page. Print. October 18, 2013.Weinberger, Norman M. “Brain, Behavior, Biology, and Music: Some Research Findings and Their Implications for Educational Policy.” ProQuest. Arts Education Policy Review 99.3, February 1998. Web. October 18, 2013. http://search.proquest.com/docview/211019551?accountid=84027