Laughter is Good Medicine

By Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler
Pioneer Brain/Mind Researcher
© 2005 All Rights Reserved
www.quantumbraingym.com

How can you reduce chronic stress, enhance your lifespan, boost immune system function, protect your nervous system, and give your endocrine system a much-needed rest – all at the same time? By simply laughing.

Laughter is actually a tremendous healing activity.

Oxygenate your Body
When you laugh you move your lymph fluid around your body because of the convulsions you experience while laughing. This boosts your immune system, and also helps clear waste products out of your internal organs and tissues.

Plus laughter increases the oxygen in your body at both cellular and organ levels. When you laugh you take in vast amounts of oxygen in huge gulps. Oxygen is really good for your body! It is a prime catalyst for biological energy, and is absolutely necessary to sustain your life.

It is also interesting to note that cancer cells die in the presence of oxygen.

Boost Your Circulation
Laughing also boosts the circulation of blood throughout your body. Plus when you laugh you also exercise the muscles in your face and your abdomen. And the harder you laugh, the greater this effect.

If you can find a way to put yourself into a state of rolling, outrageous laughter, you're going to get a fantastic physical workout from it. In fact, the next day, you may even find your stomach muscles are sore. Ever laughed so hard your stomach hurt and your face muscles were exhausted? Now that's some serious youth-restoring exercise.

Inside Laughter
When you laugh, there's a lot more going on in your body than just the physical effect. You're also generating healing natural biochemicals. Some of these are brain-altering chemicals such as serotonin. Others are immune-boosting chemicals such as interleukins.

These totally natural biochemicals have extraordinary positive healing effects on your body and mind. They boost your immune system, improve your mental attitude and optimism, diminish any symptoms of depression, reduce stress … and help prevent all of the lifestyle-destroying diseases and disorders caused by chronic stress.

You can research the field of psychoneuroimmunology to learn more about this. This fascinating scientific specialty studies the link between the mind and immune system function. The researchers in this field have found that your state of mind has everything to do with the functioning of your immune system.

Can’t find anything to laugh about? Consider renting some funny movies, or join a comedy improv class. In Japan many companies are encouraging employees to take 15 minute laughter breaks. Find a way to get laughter into your life, even if it means being a little weird.

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