You have probably noticed that you feel a lot better after a good
belly laugh. The problem is that your sense of humor generally abandons you
just when you need it the most - when you get sick.
New evidence suggests that you may want to consider laughter as
part of your comprehensive wellness program. It not only boosts your mood, but
it also revs up your immune system, protects your heart, lowers blood pressure,
reduces pain, improves lung capacity and provides a general sense of
well-being. A good belly laugh also reduces stress hormones in your body.
Humor and Healing
The mere fact that you feel better after a good laugh should lead
you to conclude that humor must be good for you. But research now confirms that
your sense of humor promotes physical health. Clinical studies over the last 20
years have demonstrated that laughter plays an important role in healing. As a
result, hospitals and health care organizations are initiating a number of
humor-related programs, ranging from "laughter channels" on TV to
visits by clowns.
Presbyterian Inter community Hospital in Whittier, CA has trained 25
clowns with the mission of putting smiles on the faces of its patients.
"We have discovered that clown therapy works," says hospital
President and CEO Daniel F. Adams..
Immune System Enhancement
Whether or not you get sick depends on your body's ability to fight
off disease. Research has proven that positive emotions such as laughter
enhance your immune response.
According to Dr. Lee S Berk of Loma Linda University in California,
laughter helps increase the count of white cells and also raises the antibody
levels. After "laughter therapy" he noticed an increase in antibodies
in the nose and respiratory passages which are believed to have a protective
capacity against some viruses and bacteria.
In a BBC article about laughter and hospital treatment, researchers
found that the healing power of humor reduced pain and stimulated immune
function in children with cancer, AIDS and diabetes and in children receiving
organ transplants and bone marrow transplants.
High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease
Those who suffer from heart disease may discover that laughter can
improve their blood circulation and oxygen supply to their heart muscles.
The most astonishing evidence of the power of laughter comes from a
1997 study of 48 heart-attack patients whose therapy included 30 minutes of
laughter a day. After a year, ten patients in the control group had suffered
repeat heart attacks, compared to only two in the group that watched comedies.
Another study demonstrated a drop of 10-20mm pressure after
patients participated for 20 minutes in a laughter session
Pain Reduction
Laughter increases the level of endorphins, which are natural pain
killers found in your body.
Norman Cousins drew the attention of the medical community to the
pain-reducing power of laughter in his book Anatomy of an Illness. He
discovered while watching comedy films that belly laughter eased his pain and
noted that ten minutes of belly laughter gave him two hours of pain-free sleep.
Over a dozen studies have now documented that humor does have the power to
reduce pain for many people.
In one study, people listening to Lily Tomlin joking about the
phone company were less sensitive to pain than those who listened to an
academic lecture. Another study showed that when elderly residents in a
long-term care facility watched funny movies, the level of pain they
experienced was reduced. In a third study of 35 patients in a rehabilitation
hospital, 74% agreed with the statement, "Sometimes laughing works as well
as a pain pill."
"A clown is like an aspirin, only he works
twice as fast."
Respiratory Relief
Laughter is one of the best exercises if you suffer from asthma and
bronchitis. It improves your lung capacity and oxygen levels in your blood.
Doctors often recommend chest physiotherapy to bring out mucous from the
respiratory passages, and blowing forcefully into an instrument or blowing
balloons is one of the common exercises given to asthmatics. However, laughter
does the same job, but more easily and cheaply.
Stress Relief
When confronted with a threatening situation, animals have two
choices: they can fight or they can flee. You have a third choice: you can
laugh. Humor may be one of the best antidotes to stress. You cannot laugh and
worry at the same time!
Lee Berk, M.D., Ph.D., has conducted studies showing that laughter
can fend off many of the physiological effects of stress, including those
caused by the hormones cortisol and epinephrine, which can trigger increased
blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar.
Prolonged and chronic stress can suppress your immune system,
increasing your risk for viral infections and even tumors. According to Dr.
Berk, the positive biological effects of a single one-hour session of viewing a
funny video can last from 12 to 24 hours.
"Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress," says Dr.
Berk. Heart disease patients are often given drugs called beta-blockers
specifically to block these hormones. "Laughter can do that same
thing," says Berk. "And it's a lot more fun."
What You Can Do
Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful healing tools you
have, and laughter may be one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself.
You may want to consider adding a hardy laugh to your disease prevention
program by
* Actively seeking out things that make you laugh;
* Taking in regular doses of funny movies, books and videos;
* Cutting out newspaper comics that make you laugh and posting them
on
your refrigerator;
* Finding a funny saying to repeat to yourself when things get
tough;
* Telling a joke;
* Laughing at yourself;
* Looking for the funny side of events;
* Trying to use humor to handle anxiety;
* Hanging out with happy people.
