We've all heard that laughter is the best medicine, and research has now backed it up scientifically. 

In September 2011, a study published online in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B found that laughing increased patients' pain thresholds, probably due to increased production of endorphins-hormones in the body that relieve pain.

Building on a history of attempts to understand the science of laughter, the researchers inflicted pain on 206 volunteers by placing a freezing wine sleeve over their forearms or tightening a blood pressure cuff as they watched comedy videos, non-funny documentaries or live performances. The scientists tracked volunteers' laughter, with results suggesting that people who had been laughing had a higher tolerance for pain.

Comedian and cancer survivor Brenda Elsagher, 55, has witnessed the benefits of laughter firsthand. She sees it in the faces of the people laughing when she gives speeches or performances, and she knows its impact from her own experience.

The Burnsville, Minn., resident was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 39 after feeling extreme pain in her rectal area. She thought her hemorrhoids were flaring up and was shocked at the diagnosis.

"I thought, 'Who has that?' " she says. "At first I said I had an 'inconvenient' tumor. Then someone asked, 'Is there a convenient tumor?' " And the process of acceptance began.

Her diagnosis was followed by two years of surgeries, including the removal of her rectum, the creation of a permanent colostomy, a hysterectomy and vaginal reconstruction. She developed repeated problems with her stoma-the opening in her abdomen where stool exits into an external pouch-and needed it moved twice.

When she was diagnosed, Elsagher and her husband had two young children, then 3 and 5. A hairstylist, she worked many hours at the salon she owned near their home in the Minneapolis suburbs.

During four months of recuperation after her first operation, Elsagher re-evaluated her priorities. She began working part time, and followed a childhood dream by taking a comedy class, where she learned the power of telling stories. She then enrolled in college, where she discovered a love of writing.

She has since written four books, starting with If the Battle Is Over, Why Am I Still in Uniform?, followed by I'd Like to Buy a Bowel Please, Bedpan Banter: Funny & Inspiring Medical Stories, and It's in the Bag and Under the Covers.

As a cancer survivor, Elsagher performs comedy and travels around the country talking to health care professionals, other survivors, people with ostomies, and caregivers.

To read the interview about laughter's role in easing pain click here.

Used with permission: Cancer Today © 2012 AACR | 615 Chestnut Street, 17th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106-4404 | Phone: 215-440-9300

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