The best blush to use is laughter: It put roses in your cheeks and in your soul. Linda Knight We all know the old adage that Laugher is the best medicine - but what does that mean, actually? Well, research has shown that laughing can help in: * Lowering blood pressure
* Reducing stress hormones
* Increasing muscle flexibility
* Boosting immune function
* Triggering the release of endorphins, the bodys natural painkillers
* Producing a general sense of well-being. The most famous case of laughing away illness is that of Norman Cousins who took that quote literally and set out to heal himself of a serious chronic disease by laughing at favourite comedy shows. He stated that ten minutes of laughing gave him two hours of drug-free pain relief. In fact the positive effects of laughter have been recognized to the point that now there are certified laughter coaches (my favourite laughter coach website is: www.laughtercoach.com Just going there will make you smile!) Cheryl Oberg of the Canadian Association for Therapeutic Humour states that children naturally laugh over 300 times a day, but as adults we only laugh about eight times a day. We need to raise the bar a little here! So, what's a good way to start laughing? Watch small children and listen to their conversations; watch a funny movie with friends (go for some good old fashioned Charlie Chaplin, I Love Lucy or Laurel and Hardy); simply keep your eyes and ears tuned for funny events. If you need more serious help, you can even take a course on laughter at: www.higher-self-studies.com. I haven't taken that course but if you do, let me know how if it was good! Darlene Hull, www.mom-defrazzler.com ***************************************************************** Publishing and Re-Print Guidelines * The article text, resource box, URLs and copyright information must be left intact and unchanged * When re-published online, all links must be live hyperlinks. * These articles may not be distributed in any manner that does not comply with federal communication guidelines. * These articles must not be password protected or limited to membership or paid-only viewing. These articles must remain free. ***************************************************************** |
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