Could Laughter Be Therapy?

Ask yourself is "laughter a good medicine"? It is still unclear as to the extent of laughter healing toward patient benefit, but researchers have not found any harmful side effects. Perhaps taking time for just a little chuckle each day will keep us laughing a little longer. A belly laugh could be as good for your heart as a workout.

A few minutes of exercise at least three times weekly, and a few minutes each day of laughter, would be a healthy lifestyle. Have you ever thought that a few good belly laughs help your body process its sugar? A study showed that after eating a meal diabetic and non-diabetic patients listened to a very boring lecture. The next day they were given the same meal but were entertained with a comedy show. Levels of blood glucose were lower after the comedy show in both diabetic and non-diabetic, Brain chemistry seems to be changed by laughter. Being able to laugh seems to give a person more control over themselves as well as over the situation.

A good laugh can release anger, fear, and stress. All of these can cause harm to the body over a period of time. We need to use the power of smiles and laughter to help heal as well as prevention. Laughter is a good medicine, but research shows that just the expectation of watching a funny program or video lowered the level of stress, inducing chemicals in the blood and helped the release of stress relievers. It seems that laughter (and humor) may help to prevent heart attacks.

Laughter is a good body workout and will give your midsection a workout, too; help with digestion while strengthening the muscle that holds the abdominal organs in place. A good laugh burns calories equivalent to an exercise bike or rowing machine. Having the ability to laugh is in itself therapy. This keeps your brain alert and helps in learning and retaining. We should use laughter as a way of reducing tension. Usually after a round of laughter there is a more relaxed atmosphere.

Inside the immune system laughter helps in the production of natural killer cells and T cells; a major defense mechanism of the immune system. A good laugh will exercise your lungs. This is a big help for those who suffer from chronic respiratory conditions. If you should start laughing and can't seem to stop, you may be producing lots of nitric oxide. This is known as our laughing gas. Laughter is an art.

It is amazing how much research has been done, and is being done on laughter. We know that a happy, healthy person laughs more than others. Laughing is by choice. You can choose to laugh or you can choose not to. Laughter is the best medicine available and the fact that it is free makes it even better.

Being able to laugh at situations helps us to improve our disposition and hopefully it would influence the ones around us to improve on theirs. Sometimes just a laugh can dissolve anger and unite troubled friends or family. Of course it has to be a heartfelt laugh to work this miracle. We need this laughter to connect with others in a healthy way. If we can laugh at ourselves, that will be a way of accepting and respecting ourselves. Without this it could lower our self esteem.

That's a lot of personal attention to get from a laugh, but it will certainly be worth your time and effort. Laughter helps people to feel that they are in control of their situation and this makes the situation seem more manageable. It gives them a feeling of freedom from fears, anger and stress. It certainly improves the quality of life. Laughter brings in positive emotions that can be used to help relieve stress.

If we are to feel free we will have to get rid of stress. Long term stress can have a serious impact on all parts of the body as well as cause us to age faster. A study about stress showed that being involved in a positive event or even knowing you were going to be involved, reduced levels of stress and increased levels of chemicals that would aid in relaxation. These feelings of optimism give a feeling of freedom from stress.

So, laughter proves to be an excellent tool for not only physical therapy, but mental and emotional therapy as well.