Laughter and health

We are discussing Dr Shahid's Six Principles of health (also known as "Preventive Holistic Lifestyle", PHL) that guarantee us a long and healthy life (as long as 100 - 125 years and even longer) without ever having to see any health care provider in our long and "healthy " journey of life.

We have already discussed the First two principles in detail (1. Balanced Diet and 2. Exercise).

We have also discussed third the Third Principle of Health (Rest, Sleep and Entertainment, RSE).

Laughter is part and parcel of entertainment. Why laughter is so important? We have disscussed it in part. already in the previous blog.

Now we will discuss in detail the effect of laughter on health.

How laughter affects our physical health?

The Heart

Research shows that laughing helps protect the heart. Although studies are not sure why laughing protects the heart, the studies do explain that mental stress impairs the endothelium, which is the protective barrier lining a person¡s blood vessel. Once the endothelium is impaired, it can cause a series of inflammatory reactions that lead to cholesterol build up in a person¡s coronary arteries, which can ultimately cause a heart attack. Another explanation states :

"With deep, heartfelt laughter, it appears that serum cortisol, which is a hormone that is secreted when we¡re under stress, is decreased. So when you¡re having a stress reaction, if you laugh, apparently the cortisol that has been released during the stress reaction is reduced.

In other words : laughter has been shown to increase tolerance of pain and boost the body¡s production of infection-fighting antibodies (immune system), which can help prevent hardening of the arteries and subsequent conditions caused thereby such as angina, heart attacks, or strokes.

The research shows that distressing emotions lead to heart disease. It is shown that people who are ¡§chronically angry and hostile have a greater likelihood for heart attack, people who ¡§live in anxious, stressed out lifestyles have greater blockages of their coronary arteries¡¨, and people who are ¡§chronically depressed have a two times greater chance of heart disease.

Diabetes

A study in Japan shows that laughter lowers blood sugar after a meal. Keiko Hayashi, Ph. D., R.N, of the University of Tsukubain Ibaraki, Japan, and his team performed a study of 19 people with type 2 diabetes. They collected the patients¡ blood before and two hours after a meal. The patients attended a boring 40 minute lecture after dinner on the first night of the study. On the second night, the patients attend a 40 minute comedy show. The patients¡ blood sugar went up after the comedy show, but much less than it did after the lecture. The study found that even when patients without diabetes did the same testing, a similar result was found. Scientists conclude that laughter is good for people with diabetes. They suggest that ¡¥chemical messengers made during laughter may help the body compensate for the disease."

Blood Flow

Studies at the University of Maryland led by Michael Miller, M.D. found that when a group of people were shown a comedy, after the screening their blood vessels performed normally, whereas when they watched a drama, after the screening their blood vessels tended to tense up and restricted the blood flow.

Immune Response

Studies show stress decreases the immune system. ¡§Some studies have shown that humor may raise infection-fighting antibodies in the body and boost the levels of immune cells.¡¨¡§When we laugh, natural killer cells which destroy tumors and viruses increase, along with Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells (important for our immune system) and B-cells (which make disease-fighting antibodies). As well as lowering blood pressure, laughter increases oxygen in the blood, which also encourages healing.¡¨

Relaxation & Sleep

¡§The focus on the benefits of laughter really began with Norman Cousin¡s memoir, Anatomy of an Illness. Cousins, who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful spine condition, found that a diet of comedies, like Marx Brothers films and episodes of Candid Camera, helped him feel better. He said that ten minutes of laughter allowed him two hours of pain-free sleep.¡¨

Physical Fitness

It has been estimated by scientists that laughing 100 times equals the same physical exertion as a 10 minute workout on a rowing machine or 15 minutes on a stationary exercise bike. Laughing works out the diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles.


Anxiety & Children

Studies have shown that children who have a clown present prior to surgery along with their parents and medical staff had less anxiety than children who just had their parents and medical staff present. High levels of anxiety prior to surgery leads to a higher risk of complications following surgeries in children. According to researchers, about 60% of children suffer from anxiety before surgery.

Next we shall discuss various types of Laughter Therapies".

For comment and questions please write to :

syedshahidmd@yahoo.com.au