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Laughing Facts
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/262840_laughter14.html
Coach Gail Wolz, a laughter leader certified by an organization
called the World Laughter Tour, gave a quick review of the health
benefits of laughter: "Don't get mad, get funny," she advised. "Laughter
helps open blood vessels, enhances your immune system. It reduces
stress. Don't you feel good after you've laughed?"
"A belly laugh increases the ability of your immune system to fight
infections," says Elizabeth Taylor, on the faculty of Bastyr University,
the Seattle-area institution devoted to natural medicine. "Laughter
is the power of positive healing," she said. "I've seen it work
best for people with losses -- death, divorce, a job, for example.
Humor is a tool to empower people to move forward. It helps them
improve their quality of life, to take better care of themselves."
Laughter can literally ease pain. We use energy focusing on pain
when we're ill. Our muscles tense. When distracted by laughter,
our focus shifts away from pain, we relax and the body gets a few
minutes of relief.
http://www.holistic-online.com/Humor_Therapy/humor_therapy.htm
Laughing is found to lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones,
increase muscle flexion, and boost immune function by raising levels
of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called
Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies.
Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural
painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being.
Humor is a universal language. It's a contagious emotion and a natural
diversion. It brings other people in and breaks down barriers. Best
of all it is free and has no known side effects.
Humor is a wonderful stress-reducer and antidote to upsets. It is
clinically proven to be effective in combating stress, although
the exact mechanism is not known. Experts say a good laugh relaxes
tense muscles, speeds more oxygen into your system and lowers your
blood pressure.
Dr. Lee Berk and fellow researcher Dr. Stanley Tan at Loma Linda
University School of Medicine, has produced carefully controlled
studies showing that the experience of laughter lowers serum cortisol
levels, increases the amount of activated T lymphocytes, increases
the number and activity of natural killer cells, and increases the
number of T cells that have helper/ suppresser receptors. In short,
laughter stimulates the immune system, off-setting the immunosuppressive
effects of stress.
"There ain’t much fun in medicine, but there’s a heck
of a lot of medicine in fun." (Josh Billings)
The greatest amount of research to date has focused on immunoglobulin
A, a part of your immune system which serves to protect you against
upper respiratory problems, like colds and the flu. Our saliva contains
IgA, and this is often referred to as the body’s first line of defense
against upper respiratory viral and bacterial infections. Several
studies have shown that watching as little as 30 or 60 minutes of
a comedy video is enough to increase both salivary IgA and blood
levels of IgA. This has been shown for both adults and children.
Immunoglobulins M and G have also been shown to be enhanced as a
result of humor/laughter. Laughter even increases levels of a substance
called Complement 3, which helps antibodies pierce through defective
or infected cells in order to destroy them.
Given all the evidence that watching a humorous video strengthens
different components of the immune system, it makes sense that individuals
who have a better developed sense of humor--meaning that they find
more humor in their everyday life, seek out humor more often, laugh
more, etc.--should have a stronger immune system, because they get
more of the kinds of benefits offered by watching a comedy video
by exercising their sense of humor more often. Consistent with this
expectation, three studies have shown that individuals with higher
scores on a sense of humor test have higher "baseline levels" of
IgA.
"The simple truth is that happy people generally don’t
get sick." (Bernie Siegel, M.D.)
Pain Reduction
Norman Cousins drew the attention of the medical community to the
pain-reducing power of humor in his book Anatomy of an Illness.
This spinal disease left him in almost constant pain. But he quickly
discovered while watching comedy films that belly laughter eased
his pain. In his last book, Head First: The Biology of Hope, he
noted that 10 minutes of belly laughter (just counting the laughing
time) would give him two hours of pain-free sleep. Over a dozen
studies have now documented that humor does have the power to reduce
pain in many patients.
"Humor is the instinct for taking pain playfully." (Max
Eastman)
In a study of 35 patients in a rehabilitation hospital, 74% agreed
with the statement, "Sometimes laughing works as well as a pain
pill." The patients had such conditions as traumatic brain injury,
spinal cord injury, arthritis, limb amputations, and a range of
other neurological or musculoskeletal disorders.
"A clown is like an aspirin, only he works twice as
fast." (Groucho Marx)
Laughter also provides an excellent source of cardiac exercise.
The next time you’re having a good belly laugh, put your hand over
your heart when you stop laughing. You’ll see that your heart is
racing, even after 15-20 seconds of laughter. It will remain elevated
for 3-5 minutes. This has caused some to refer to laughter as "internal
jogging." You can give your heart a good workout several times a
day, just by laughing. One physician noted that his patients who
say they laugh regularly have lower resting heart rates. While this
is no substitute for real exercise, many seniors and bed-ridden
patients don’t have the option of other forms of physical exercise.
For them, laughter is FUNdamental to good cardiac conditioning.
Emphysema and other respiratory patients often have a build-up of
phlegm or mucous in their respiratory tracts. Nurses try to get
them to cough to loosen up and expel these substances, but they
generally don’t enjoy coughing, so the phlegm builds up. When they
laugh, however, they inevitably start coughing, producing exactly
the effect the nurses want--and the patients have a good time in
the process.
http://www.thisisawar.com/LaughterHealing.htm
THE HEALING POWER OF LAUGHTER
By Mike Moore
Laughter isn't just fun and enjoyable, it's good for our health.
Each month modern medicine is discovering more about the therapeutic
dimension of humour and laughter and is encouraging us to add them
to our wellness program.
The health benefits of laughter
When we laugh we ...
- Alleviate depression;
- Lower our blood pressure;
- Promote relaxation;
- Reduce stress;
- Increase the oxygen level in our blood, giving us more energy;
- Increase the endorphin activity in our body resulting in a sense
of well being;
- Are able to keep things in perspective;
- Banish boredom;
- Are more socially attractive - people enjoy being with those who
laugh easily and often; and
- Immeasurably increase our enjoyment of life.
Laughter has been called social glue because it bonds us to the
people we laugh with. The message is clear: To live better ... laugh
more.
If it feels good to laugh then laugh to feel good.
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