Laugh Your Way To Health In 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 05:36PM If you have a cold, if you are depressed, if you have a life threatening disease, watch TV or DVD’s that are funny and bring you to Laugher. There is definitely a reason for the popularity of the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine”. In such works as The American Journal of Medical Sciences, The Southern Medical Journal and The Journal of Clinical Research, many studies have revealed important facts.
Laughter reduces cortisol, a hormone that causes stress, and it increases endorphins, which are the body’s own natural opiates, creating a happy feeling.
Laughter releases muscle tension which can be good for rheumatism.
Laughter increases the body’s T-Cell count, cells of the immune system that fight bacteria.
Laughter enhances blood oxygen levels and boosts circulation.
Laughter brings an emotional high through which stressful problems can be seen from a different, healthier perspective.
The professor, Norman Cousins was instrumental in the beginning research regarding laughter and health. Cousins was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. In his book, Anatomy of an Illness he states, "I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep. When the pain-killing effect of the laughter wore off, we would switch on the motion picture projector again and not infrequently, it would lead to another pain-free interval".
A Movement, World Laughter Tour, was brought to the United States by Steve Wilson, a Psychologist from Ohio. In May, 1999, Steve and Karyn Buxman successfully kicked off the World Laughter Tour and their slogan was “Think Globally, Laugh Locally”. They also have a vision of world peace through laughter. Having attended their training I became a Certified Laughter Leader (CLL). I have many certificates and this one always raises eyebrows. What is a CLL? This is someone with the training to run a Laughter Club. This is a venue where we laugh for no reason. Actually, we laugh for the reasons listed above plus many more. Laughing for no reason means there are no jokes. We laugh with a chant, “Ho, ho, ha, ha, ha.” We have learned that simulated laughter brings about stimulated laughter. It’s true that laughter is contagious. Laughter Clubs also incorporates deep breathing and stretching. Through the years, hundreds of laughs have been created, such as: the greeting, the milkshake, walking on hot sand, ice cube down the back, just to name a few specific laughs.
Now that you know the importance of laughter, here’s one of my favorite quotes, “Seven days without laughter makes one weak”.
There is a Laughter Club scheduled January 2008at the Center for Creative Living, 2011 Crooks Road, 24873. Call 248-414-4050 to reserve a spot.
Angela Mazur, MA, LLP is a therapist at the Center for Creative Living in Royal Oak. Besides being a therapist, Angela is a Certified Laughter Leader and she is trained in Ignatian Spirituality as a Spiritual Director.
Reader Comments (3)
hey nice post ..love ot read your articels everytime ...
We pay money to laugh. At the movies and a comedy clubs. We stay up to catch the jokes on late night talk shows. We delight in finding something funny in our lives to laugh at. When we laugh, we get pleasure. What a joy! What a blessing!
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