Laughter IS the Best Medicine

Let's face it, there hasn't been much in the news to laugh about lately. Amidst our economic recession, the seemingly endless and frustrating debate about our nation's healthcare system, the persistent threat of national security, not to mention the war being waged in Iraq and Afghanistan, who feels like laughing?   But, it is very important to laugh---and as it turns out, especially in April.

Among the other 'recognitions' that it holds, and quite possibly because of them, April is also recognized by humorists as National Humor Month. Considering that the month begins with April Fool's Day and midway through offers us the dreaded April 15th tax day, I'd say it's a fair trade.

In fact, April 16th is also known in some circles as Stress Awareness Day. Though many people submit their taxes before the April 15th deadline, judging by the annual television news stories of folks driving to the post office at midnight, there are still a fair number who wait 'til the last minute.  But, after submitting your taxes to the IRS, isn't it appropriate that the next day, you finally realize just how much stress and pressure you felt?

Now that another year's tax deadline is behind us, and summer is just around the corner, think about rediscovering your sense of humor. Much has been written about the therapeutic value of laughter and how it can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills and enrich the quality of one's life. Scientific research now indicates that the curative power of laughter and its ability to relieve debilitating stress and burnout may indeed be one of the great lasting medical discoveries.

The idea of laughing and the use of humor as a tool to lift ailing spirits are not new. Acknowledged by Norman Cousins in his 1979 book, Anatomy of an Illness, laughter was cited an an effective tool for promoting the healing process. Cousins, an American political journalist, author, professor who, when told he had little chance of surviving an illness, developed a recovery program incorporating megadoses of Vitamin C, along with a positive attitude, love, faith, hope, and laughter induced by Marx Brothers' films. "I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep," Cousins reported. "When the pain-killing effect of the laughter wore off, we would switch on the motion picture projector again and not infrequently, it would lead to another pain-free interval."

No doubt you have personal stories of the impact that someone's sense of humor, their joie' de vivre', has affected their health. But as much as you've heard it before, it is true----laughter is good for your health. Here are a few reasons why: