Laughter is the Best Medicine
How important is humor? Laughter is one of the first things a newborn exhibits. Try going an entire day without even a small laugh and see if you can – I bet you can’t. People don’t avoid pleasure which is why many of our decisions are made based on the level of pleasure we will benefit.
Laughter is the best medicine. We have all heard that saying and we know that when things are looking down, we want someone positive in our lives to lift us up out of our rut. Laughing not only improves our mental state, it has been proven to benefit our circulation, lungs and muscles.
Even American College of Cardiology, Michael Miller, M.D., of the University of Maryland reported that in a study of 20 healthy people, provoking laughter did as much good for their arteries as aerobic activity. He doesn't recommend that you laugh and not exercise. But he does advise that you try to laugh on a regular basis. The endothelium, he explains, regulates blood flow and adjusts the propensity of blood to coagulate and clot. In addition, it secretes assorted chemicals in response to wounds, infection or irritation. It also plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease.
"The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries," said Dr. Miller. "So given the results of our study, it is conceivable that laughing may be important to maintain a healthy endothelium. And reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease."
At the very least, he adds, "laughter offsets the impact of mental stress, which is harmful to the endothelium."
Going through life with a cup half empty or half full, most of us point to the half full cup because if we aren’t already there, that is a goal to get there. Positiveness, happiness, laughter, fun… we want our lives to be rich, full and worth living. We want to be remembered in a positive light and most of all we want to be loved. We all know it is much easier to love a funny happy person than it is to love a sad, miserable person. Happiness, laughter, humor – they just make a relationship easier don’t they?
Inject some humor into your life today. Don’t take things so seriously. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Smile. Laugh. Enjoy life.
With great excitement,
Tina Rains, RN
Empowerment Coach
Speaker
Consultant
Live a life of Purpose and Passion
