Laughter Therapy
evawhite on July 23rd, 2008
Since the news on TV and among the pages of your newspaper may be far from cheery, you may not find much to smile, much less laugh about. But by all accounts it may well be worth your while to attempt a daily guffaw or an hourly chortle. Research has shown that laughter can cure a lot of ills that may ail; it may in fact be the best medicine!
Just take a look-see around the net and you will find that laughter clubs abound, all over the world. Laughter apparently, “lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts 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.” Reason enough to laugh then! Let’s take a look at how laughter can help such as lot:
Laughing can aid in muscle relaxation, because when you laugh, the other muscles of your body tend to relax. Laughing has also been likened to internal jogging, gives you a bit of a work out (don’t skip your session at the gym to watch a comic film though; those are not exactly interchangeable). What laughing does is it gives you the same benefits as those derived from deep breathing. So if someone suffers from emphysema and other respiratory ailments laughter may especially be beneficial for them.
That laughter also reduces stress is almost a no brainer. Laughter is said to reduce hormones associated with the stress response; i.e. epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, etc. Scientific studies have also shown that you can increase your immunity by laughing. Laughter also reduces hypertension and this is apparently more effective for women than men. While laughing may actually make you forget about your aches and pains it also is shown to release endorphins which are our bodies’ natural pain killers.
If the picture at the beginning of the post made you laugh, go get some more laughter therapy here. Also if you want to get with laughter club, look here to find one closest to you. Apparently they are everywhere, from Australia to Zimbabwe! Be happy, Be healthy!
