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e-Medical
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Is Laughter Really the Best
Medicine?
Though it has long been axiomatic that laughter
is the best medicine, it may now be scientific too. Research shows
that laughter:
- Boosts the immune system
- Increases the level of pain-killing chemicals
in the brain
- Provides a beneficial "workout" for
the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen.
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Laboratory studies have demonstrated that the
levels of a kind of antibody known as IgA, found in saliva and in the
mucous membranes of the lungs and intestinal track, measurably
increase during laughter [Western New England College - Springfield,
Massachusett].
The IgA antibody is known to lower a
person's susceptibility to upper respiratory illness. Researchers also
found that among the study subjects, the levels of this antibody were
already higher in those who laugh with greater regularity and rely on
humor to relieve stressful situations.
Laughter also aids in the functioning of the
immune system by stimulating the release of interleukins -
hormones that block the release of the hormone cortisol. When under
stress or in physical danger, the body secretes cortisol to allow
quick action and reaction but high levels of cortisol in the cells act
as an immuno-suppressant, diminishing the body's ability to fight
disease and infection.
Research has shown that a bout of laughter
triggers the release of a flood of beta endorphins, a
morphine-like compound in the brain that can induce a sense of
euphoria while blocking pain. Beta endorphins are one of the body's
best natural painkillers. In his book Anatomy of an Illness, Norman
Cousins describes how 10 minutes of laughter had allowed him two hours
of pain-free sleep at a time when his body was fighting a painful
degenerative disease. Laughter had accomplished what medication could
not.
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