The Best Medicine

Forget the apple a day keeping the doctor away. Next time you want to think about health… laugh! Don’t laugh because health is funny, but rather, laugh to protect your health.

According to a recent study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

Laughing lowers cortisol levels, the same level that is increased during stress, so laughter can help ward off stress and its immunosuppressive effects. Endorphins are also released when you laugh. Endorphins are neuropeptides which work in the nervous system to reduce your perception of pain.

The late Norman Cousins wrote about having laughed himself back to health after suffering from a serious chronic disease and we can all learn a lesson from him. Shouldn’t we all lighten up a little? Even on your worst day can’t you find time to crack a smile at something a little silly?

If you’ve ever had one of those crazy moments where you just couldn’t stop laughing, didn’t your whole day go better? Just think of the natural, pain relieving, stress reducing and fun time that can be had by having more of those moments. When you give yourself permission to laugh and realize how addictive laughter can be, you are well on your way to better health.

Now go somewhere and LOL (laugh out loud- for all of us instant messaging illiterate adults)!!!

Start Laughing Now!

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