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SutterHealth - > Sutter Health -> Laugher – The Best Medicine
Laugher – The Best Medicine
The arrival of a good clown exercises more beneficial influence upon the health of a town than twenty asses laden with drugs.
Thomas Sydenham, 17th century physician
The idea of using laughter and humor for healing has been around since biblical times. Cultures from the ancient Greeks to Native Americans have recognized the power of humor to help us to heal. The healing power of laughter was reawakened during the 20th century, and research studies in mind-body medicine have confirmed that laughter produces positive physiologic changes in our bodies. 
 
What happens when we laugh? A good belly laugh seems to benefit multiple body systems – our cardiovascular system, our musculoskeletal system, our immune system, and our hormones, not to mention our mood and outlook. Laughter can also be a great pain reliever and a great stress-reducer. Studies in the recent past looking at health outcomes with laughter therapy have shown the following:
 
  • Laughter increases the activity of the immune system, especially IgA, which helps us to fight respiratory infections. It also increases natural killer cells which protect us from cancer and viral infections. Once study showed that 30 minutes of funny video-watching produced positive immune changes that lasted for 12 hours!

 

  • Laughter seems to relax and dilate our blood vessels, protecting us from heart disease and lowering our blood pressure; one study at Loma Linda Medical School showed that heart attack survivors who watched a funny video for 30 minutes every day significantly reduced their risk of recurrent heart disease. Another study showed that people with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to similar folks without heart disease.

 

  • Laughter forces us to breathe more deeply and may help us to clear mucus from the respiratory tree; this can be beneficial for people with respiratory diseases, including asthma.

 

  • Laughter relaxes our muscles and reduces spasm; this may be one of the reasons why hearty laughter seems to reduce musculoskeletal pain. Laughter may also boost endorphin production, which is our body’s own natural pain-killer.

 

  • Laughter reduces our stress hormones, including cortisol and epinephrine; this in turn also protects our immune system, as chronic stress weakens our immune cells and makes us more vulnerable to infection.

 

  • Laughter helps us to maintain optimism and hope; this is enormously powerful in healing, and can also reduce the risk of anxiety and depression when we are facing illness or other challenges in our lives.
 
What should you do if you want to become more mirthful? You certainly don’t have to become a stand-up comic. In fact, those people who learn to find and appreciate the humor all around them seem to benefit the most (that’s right – humor is a learned behavior – you too can do this!). You can also start by learning to laugh more at yourself and taking yourself less seriously – we guarantee benefit from this. 
 
 
Topics: health
posted by SutterHealth on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 01:25 PM
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