Humors Healing Power

It is not a joke that humor can ease pain and help healing. More and more doctors, nurses, and health care workers believe in the healing power of humor. Medical resources has shown that laughter can improve physical and mental helath as well as cure various diseases. Don’t worry if you think your not into humor because both spontaneous and stimulated laughter have equal healing powers. Read on to find out more about what the therapeutic benefits of humor are and how it can heal illnes.

A lot of medical studies have shown the healing power of humor. Lee Berk, M.D.’s years of study has proven that laughter has a significant role in fighting viruses, bacteria, cancer, and heart diseases. In his book, health, healing and the amuse system, Dr. Paul E. McGhee wrote that laugther lowers blood pressure and stress hormones in the blood. “it also reduces pain and  strenghens the immune system. The natural killer cells in the body increase in number and become active. They seek and destroy tumor cell,” added McGhee. Lisa T. Wessan, a certified social worker, stated the laughter increase oxygen supply to the brain and improves memory and cognition. In addition, it relaxes muscle, release toxins and stress, and helps people to cope. Laugther can also provide cardiovascular benefits. William Fry Jr. M.D, a psychalist from stanford university, found that 15 minutes of laugther equals 10 minutes on a rowing machine and 15 minutes on a stationary bike in reaching the same heart pulse rate.  Laugther is as good as exercise.

Considering the benefits of laugther to our health, we need to learn to laugh at ourselves, or at least to see humor in difficult situations. Unfortunately, our daily life does not always give as enough reason to laugh. Some other just do not have a sense of humor.

Most of us do not know tha the healing power of humor originates not only from spontaneous but also from stimulted laugther. Both kinds of laugther are always effective. This is exactly the reason why some people join laugther or comedy clubs. There are about 1,300 of them all over the world. These clubs aim at helping people leran how to stimulate laugther anytime they need to. “Laughing together without reason for a healthy life” is a concept promoted by the followers of laugther therapy. A typical laugther session does not even involve jokes. It requires people simply to laugh, stretch their body, and do various breathing exercises. In the session the participants do not have to laugh their heads off, a simple giggle or chuckle will do. Even more anticipation of laughing coud help. In one of his researches. Berk tested 16 healthy men. Only half of the men were told that in three day’s time they would see a comedy video. The members of this group experienced a drop in stress hormones and an incerase in chemicals that benefit the immune system. These changes became even more noticeable as it got closer to show time.

So, are you in need of a spirit and health boost without a prescription? Then laugh more because laugther is as important to your well-being as frequent exercise, good nutrition, and enough rest. And remember what william james, a spiritual psychologist, once said, “we don’t laugh because we’re happy, but we’re happy because we laugh.”