Laughter therapy
"Before the assault of laughter nothing can stand." Mark Twain.
Laughter is the best medicine. There is no doubt about that. Laughter can pretty much make you feel better no matter what ailment you are going through. It makes you feel better not just physically but emotionally as well.
But the line that “laughter is the best medicine” is not just a general statement. There have been actual researches done about the effect of laughter on persons with chronic and acute diseases. These researches have found out that laughter can actually relieve many body aches and pains.
The most notable of these findings is the one made by Norman Cousins in 1979. In his book, entitled “anatomy of an illness”, he tells of his own experiences in using laughter therapy. He states that to try to relieve the pain that he suffers from chronic ankylosing spondylitis (a type of arthritis) he watched his favorite comedy TV shows. Ultimately, he came to the conclusion that watching approximately 10 minutes of the shows and giving himself a hearty laugh gave him approximately 2 full hours of pain relief without the aid of any pills.
Laughter therapy has also been found to be very effective in dealing with high blood pressure and also with greatly reducing the burdens of stress. It also increases the flexion capabilities of the body’s muscular system.
Against infection, laughter therapy is a great treatment. Laughing well hugely increases the body’s ability to fight disease. The levels of the body’s T-cells (the cells responsible for fighting off infection) are raised when the body laughs, thus the immune system of the body is also made stronger. Furthermore, the levels of B-cells (the cells that produce antibodies) and gammainterferons (proteins in the body that fight off many common diseases) are also increased to higher amounts.
Laughter therapy also triggers the body to naturally release endorphins which help the body cope with pain. Endorphins are the natural pain killers of the body. Laughter therapy also leads to a generally better sense of well being for any individual.
Laughter therapy is even more effective and helpful in terms of stress management and anxiety alleviation. It can serve well as a process that can provide a person or persons with very important emotional bonding. It can also be used as a tool to show demonstrative acceptance and support toward person feeling deep stress in their daily lives. With laughter therapy, an individual can look at a particularly distressing situation he has experienced and distance himself from it. This will allow him to get a different perspective on the situation and let him deal with it better and more confidently.
Yes, laughter is the best medicine. It provides warmth, relaxation, and a very good feeling that you can feel deep inside. It is something you can enjoy just as much when you are alone as you can when you are with your friends and family. Just think, isn’t the “life of the party” always the person who makes the party fun and makes the guests laugh? Laughter brings life to the party, and laughter makes life so much better.