Laugh Your Troubles Away

Ever heard of the age-old adage, " Laughter is the Best Medicine"? Well, surprisingly enough, that may very well be true. I know you probably already read or heard somewhere how Laughter reduces stress in our daily lives but, in actuality, it does so much more. Ok, here's the deal: I am a sincere believer of alternative medicine that offer real life solutions, meaning they are applicable and actually work when applied to the daily   health issues that continue to cripple us, preventing us from living our lives to the utmost. Although many and varied in their categories, alternative forms of medicine are increasingly being practiced by clinicians and even take it up as a sub-specialization. How does laughing some more and more often factor in in all of this? quite simply, it's the cheapest form of alternative medicine you can be doing now. It's free and you can do it as often as you like, when you like , and feel like it. Ok, as I have done in my past posts which has something to do with anything medical, I will list the benefits down first and then we'll delve into each and everyone of them in detail as to why they are so. Although there are many literature on how laughter benefits us, the conclusions are rather iffy at best. No two schools of thought arrives at the same conclusion. This is because the benefits of laughter can't be proved scientifically(yet) and the studies conducted on its benefits are merely to support theories. However, what science can't, or is incapable as of yet, prove doesn't necessarily mean it has no merit. Studies show laughing indeed has beneficial effects and although we can't gauge what those are, we can certainly see clearly how our body responds accordingly.The Benefits of Laughter are:

1.   Laughter reduces Stress
2.   Laughter strengthens your immune response
3.   Laughter as a form of exercise
4.   Laughter is beneficial for better mental health
5.   Laughter as a social tool
6.   Laughter increases our sense of focus and alertness
7.   Laughter lets you sleep more soundly
8.   Laughter lowers your chances of acquiring lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.
9.   Laughter  prolongs your life
10. Laughter helps detoxify our bodies

There are very few constants in life and one of those that we can be sure of is Stress. There are many forms of stress whether it be physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual stress. What we need to understand about stress, firstly, is what causes it and how our body responds to it. Stress is caused by a number of stressors or triggering mechanisms. It is how we perceive these stressors, and more importantly, how we process their potential effects, whether they be short term or long term which dictates how we respond accordingly. When we see a potential threat to imbalance us our body responds by increasing production of  hormones. In other words, we adapt to engage in a fight or flight response. Hormones which increase in their levels during stressful situations are aptly called stress hormones. Opioids produced by our body such as Corticotrophin, and Cortisol as well as Catecholamines such as Epinephrine and Norepinephrine act by preparing our body for a "fight or flight" response in the face of stressful events such as a life threatening situation. There's a lot of physiologic changes going on during a fight or flight response and they are geared to adapt our body to these situations. These hormones reduce stress and relieve pain. How does laughter factor in in all of these? Well, laughter increases the production of another set of hormones called endorphins. Although there are many types of endorphins, the one that has the most benefit in terms of pain is the type called beta-Endorphin. By blocking pain receptors, these hormones essentially modulate how we feel pain. Laughter, however,has a two-fold effect on stress. The first we have just covered and that has something so do with endorphin production. In this regard, we can modulate pain as it comes to us. The other,perhaps more important, role of laughter in stress management is it's ability to fine tune our focus by increasing our level of attention and awareness in any given situation, allowing us to develop a keener sense of observation. This helps in assessing a stressful situation such as a threat, and modulating our response to it depending on it's gravity.

How then does laughter improve our immune response? Without going into the vast field of Immunology it is suffice for us to know that some immune cells are inherently affected in terms of their function and production when the body experiences stress. Antibody production goes down as well as antibody producing cells ( your B-cells). Laughter boosts our immune response for reasons being unclear but the key point is that we strengthen our immune defense against antigens and infections in general when we are happy and full of laughter in our lives. Another benefit of laughter is a rather not so obvious one. When we laugh our body does indeed get a workout. There's a reason why your stomach muscles hurt when you laugh excessively. With this workout you can see and feel your abdominal muscles tense as well as your other respiratory muscles such as the diaphragm, for instance. Of course, with this form of unassuming workout you can expect your heart rate to go up, delivering much needed oxygen to our tissues, in essence giving them a boost. Another benefit is that diabetics are shown to have a lower blood sugar level when subjected to laughing ( have them watch a stand up comedy session ) and this is partly due to the increased tissue delivery of nutrients I mentioned earlier when our heart rate does increase.

One other health benefit of laughter is it's ability to negate depression. Depression, you see has far reaching effects besides our emotions. When we are depressed our bodies produce a lot of radicals and as you know free radical production damages our cells and it is perhaps the sole reason why we age. A healthy daily dose of laughter can indeed  make you feel and look young by decreasing free radical production. This free detoxification process is readily available and indeed life-saving. When practiced daily along with proper breathing exercises ( you'd be surprised to know that not a whole lot of people know how to breath properly ) helps our organs function optimally in terms of oxygenation, nutrient acquisition, and waste removal. One important health benefit of laughter that needs mentioning is how it affects our mental state. Beyond its psychological standpoint, laughter increases our level of awareness and sense of focus aptly increasing our capacity for better decision hence improving our decision making skills.

Perhaps the most obvious affect of laughter, as most people would agree on, is that it is indeed contagious. It is a social tool in that it binds people together, making fuller and richer relationships, easing tensions, and promotes a conducive environment towards positivity. We don't have to talk about how that enriches our lives because it's pretty obvious  how it does so. On that note let me include, however, that lesser tension means better sleep. On a later post we will cover how sleep affects our daily lives and why we must realize its untapped potential.

The question then boils down to how do we incorporate a little laughter in our lives? Well, to start we should establish some practices which promote humor. There are a lot of things we can do and a prime example is try renting out some comedy movies for a change during movie night. Practice silliness daily. By making someone laugh you are actually doing them some good ( now that you know how). Avoid negative people because negativity only breeds negativity. Lastly, keep an open mind and learn to let go. What I mean by that is learn to not take your problems so seriously. Don't fret over the small stuff and you'll do fine. I hope this post has helped you in your quest for a better and fuller life. Glad to be of help. email me if you need to talk to me about anything any comment would be appreciated. Once again, JowelMD signing off. Until our next post. Take care and feel better today. You deserve it.

Contentment Blues

Why are we never really satisfied with just about anything? Why is that we always feel the need to move up to bigger and better things all in the name of progress, notwithstanding? Have we ever once stopped and think that what we have or where we are is as good as it will ever be? So many questions and yet so few answers. Let me share with you an excerpt of a piece I wrote back in 1987 ( whew! I can hardly remember when that was, only that Covergirls, Expose, and Seduction had some really cute lead singers; anybody even remember them?).

I saw an old man once carrying a really heavy load up a steep grade. Having realized his dilemma, he sat on his heavy parcel contemplating how to get his baggage up and over this small hill. With the mid-morning sun slowly climbing and making it's presence felt, he wiped his sweat from his brow, adjusted his sandals, and toiled on. 

Halfway up, he realized, much to his surprise and dismay, that he could not possibly carry ALL his load and expect to reach the top. SO he devised a plan of action. Having thought of all possible ( at least in his mind) options, he narrowed his rather short and crude list into 3 possibilities.

1. He can wait until the next traveler happens by and ask him or her for some much needed assistance.

2. He can divide his load into two manageable trips, ensuring that none will fall off precariously and be lost.

3. He can, with a moment's respite, trudge on hoping that his rested state will spew forth untapped strength to make the journey ahead.

While sitting by the roadside, under an elm even, contemplating which of the three paths of wisdom should he take, he realized that the three choices he devised were not as easy as he thought them to be. 

The first will test his PATIENCE. How long can he endure on waiting before he deems it unsafe to stay out for long with nightfall approaching?
The second will test his COURAGE. Can he really part with even just half of his precious cargo, especially with bandits and thieves about?
The third will test his PERSEVERANCE. Can he push his already worn and tired state further? 

After much self-deliberation he came to one conclusion. He realized that even if he reached the hilltop, the journey beyond that is even more perilous and lengthy with steeper climbs. In his already famished and exhausted state he already knows what the outcome would be should he push himself further.

So he walked over to his much-loved burden and picked two objects most dear to  his heart, leaving the rest to fate and consequence. After a brief rest and a deep breath he ventured on humming softly to himself, stuffing the 2objects he CAN'T DO WITHOUT in his pockets.

When he got to the top he saw me sitting on a dry-rotten bench beside yet another elm tree. My curiousity getting the best of me, I asked him politely what he took with him and why he took so long to decide what plan  of action to take. He answered me with a weary voice," It took a while for me to decide what  to LET GO and what TOO KEEP. Finally, I just decided too keep the two most valuable object I can see there."

"And what did you decide to keep after all?", venturing my inquiry even further. 

" My  ROSARY and a little picture album of my FAMILY. I mean what else is there, right?", with that final remark he bid me a sour note of farewell and off the distance he prodded, disappearing at the next crest of some yet another unnamed hilltop.

With that I am left to contemplate at those parting words, "WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"

Indeed,what else is there?