Historical Details
And now, some historical details: In 2007, after 27 years of medical practice in Cardiac Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, epidemiological data showed it was normal for all of us to lose one half of our lung function between the ages of 30 and 70. This was proposed to be a "normal aging effect". The impact of this knowledge struck me personally, as I had been concerned about a recent observation with my own lung function. While in medical school in 1974, I vividly and proudly recall my lung capacity was 6.8 L, one of the highest in my class, even though I was far from the tallest (age, height, gender, and ethnic group are all determinants of lung function). I did not have this measured again until 2006, when I purchased new equipment at the clinic and after unboxing and setting it up, I performed a quick test of the equipment and was shocked and disappointed to see that my lung capacity had dropped to 4.7 L, a drop of 31% in just over 30 years. This caused me to feel somewhat depressed as I considered myself to be reasonably fit from the cardiovascular point of view, being physically quite active. Not really understanding what had happened in the intervening years, and not really knowing what I could do about it, I recall frequently having a sense that this "dark cloud" was following me around, wondering what impact this might have on my future.
Hand-Made in Germany
My harmonica is hand-made in Germany by highly skilled craftsmen at Seydel, the oldest harmonica manufacturer in the world, they began manufacturing harmonicas in 1847. It is made using the absolutely best materials available in the harmonica world, including stainless steel reeds. Seydel is the only harmonica manufacturer that uses stainless steel reeds, and the only one that only makes harmonicas. Stainless steel reeds have the advantage of being more durable, some argue that they sound better, however, from my point of view, in a medical environment, stainless steel reeds offer significant benefits with respect to clean-ability and hygiene. They can actually be put in a dishwasher, however, I would recommend occasionally simply rinsing with hot water and air drying. A harmonica should never be shared due to hygiene concerns (mostly due to the fact that harmonica playing requires inhaling).
And now, some historical details: In 2007, after 27 years of medical practice in Cardiac Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, epidemiological data showed it was normal for all of us to lose one half of our lung function between the ages of 30 and 70. This was proposed to be a "normal aging effect". The impact of this knowledge struck me personally, as I had been concerned about a recent observation with my own lung function. While in medical school in 1974, I vividly and proudly recall my lung capacity was 6.8 L, one of the highest in my class, even though I was far from the tallest (age, height, gender, and ethnic group are all determinants of lung function). I did not have this measured again until 2006, when I purchased new equipment at the clinic and after unboxing and setting it up, I performed a quick test of the equipment and was shocked and disappointed to see that my lung capacity had dropped to 4.7 L, a drop of 31% in just over 30 years. This caused me to feel somewhat depressed as I considered myself to be reasonably fit from the cardiovascular point of view, being physically quite active. Not really understanding what had happened in the intervening years, and not really knowing what I could do about it, I recall frequently having a sense that this "dark cloud" was following me around, wondering what impact this might have on my future.
Hand-Made in Germany
My harmonica is hand-made in Germany by highly skilled craftsmen at Seydel, the oldest harmonica manufacturer in the world, they began manufacturing harmonicas in 1847. It is made using the absolutely best materials available in the harmonica world, including stainless steel reeds. Seydel is the only harmonica manufacturer that uses stainless steel reeds, and the only one that only makes harmonicas. Stainless steel reeds have the advantage of being more durable, some argue that they sound better, however, from my point of view, in a medical environment, stainless steel reeds offer significant benefits with respect to clean-ability and hygiene. They can actually be put in a dishwasher, however, I would recommend occasionally simply rinsing with hot water and air drying. A harmonica should never be shared due to hygiene concerns (mostly due to the fact that harmonica playing requires inhaling).
