Laughter heals us and prolongs our lives

Laughter heals us and prolongs our lives; At the same time, laughter is a therapy that costs nothing.

We all like to have fun from time to time, and then we have the opportunity to see the beneficial effects that laughter has on us. Laughter (and its “little brother”, the smile) is a good means of communication, but also a way to relax and eliminate inner tensions.
It can be triggered reflexively – for example, at a simple tickle – or it can be produced by a psychic or emotional stimulus.

Every emotion we experience influences our health. Thus, it is known that fear or depression decreases muscle strength and the ability to exert yourself. Instead, scientific studies show that laughter has a tonic effect on both the lungs and circulation, as well as on the entire body. It is equivalent to intense physical exercise, which gets the blood moving and generates a general feeling of well-being.

“Laughter therapy” (practicing laughter as often as possible) makes us more optimistic, predisposes us to play and helps us relax and successfully overcome daily tensions and stresses, social or family obligations. Thus, laughter becomes a real element of “emotional hygiene”, which helps us to “cleanse” ourselves of negative emotions and regain our state of candor and good mood.

A child laughs about 40 times a day for no reason, while an adult laughs on average 20 times a day. School, work, social conventions gradually cause us to become serious and lose the ability to laugh spontaneously. Laughter promotes oxygenation of the body and stimulates the diaphragm, thus helping to eliminate waste products present in the lungs. In addition, it increases respiratory capacity and reduces muscle tension. From a cardiovascular point of view, 20 seconds of intense laughter equates to 3 minutes of fast walking. And this is true even if we laugh for no reason or for pleasure, as if it were therapy.

Several studies have concluded that laughter contributes considerably to:

• stress reduction
• increased tolerance to pain (postsurgical, migraines, arthritis)
• enlargement of NK cells, T lymphocytes and secretory IgA – three fundamental components of the immune system
• reduction of arterial pressure
• increasing the level of endorphins (“happiness hormones”)

In general, experimental studies consist of watching comedies in parallel with documentaries and then comparing the analyses of biochemical reactions.
During a copious serving of laughter, the body inhales more oxygen.
Laughter causes muscles to contract, activates the internal organs, the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland and the adrenal glands (these are responsible for increasing the level of endorphins).

Lenny Ravich is one of the proponents of laughter therapy, his book being a living mirror of optimism.
Laughter Therapy has sold over 50,000 copies, being a best-seller.
Here is what the author urges us: “My advice to everyone is to find humor and good mood every day. We don’t stop laughing because we’re getting older. We’re getting older because we’ve stopped laughing. So let’s have dreams.
When we lose our dreams, we die. So many people walk around like the dead, and they don’t even know it. Live your life, my dear reader, but don’t get attached to it. It’s a temporary gift. Choose love over fear. The opposite of love is not hate. It’s fear. Look at the world with love, laughter, humor and optimism – and they will all come back to you in abundance… “

Laughter therapy

The ability to laugh consciously, for therapeutic purposes, appeared in 1964, when Norman Cousin treated a patient with a joint disease, a disease that at the time had no cure.
The patient abandoned drug treatment and classical therapy, and switched to therapy through emotions and positive suggestion. Thus, Cousin recommended that he watch comedy films daily for 30 minutes.
The therapist noticed that after this half hour of continuous laughter, the patient’s pain disappeared for at least two hours.
The treatment worked, and over time his immune system fully recovered.

The idea was also adopted by doctor Patch Adams in the early 1980s, when he began treating his patients dressed in clown clothes.
Later, the first “Laughing Club” led by Dr. Madan Kataria appeared in India, which was extraordinarily successful. Therapy has spread around the world, and now there are over 1000 such clubs.

You laugh from the heart, for the heart!

Cardiovascular disease specialists have shown, following a study conducted on a sample of 300 people, that people suffering from heart disease are very stressed and very serious.
The subjects stated that they laugh very little and rarely, while those around them laugh a lot and eagerly.
The conclusion that cardiologists have reached is that laughter works as a barrier against heart disease;
Laughter with laughter should be part of the treatment of heart disease.

Other benefits of laughter:
• Stimulates memory, relaxes the psyche and develops imagination and creativity
• Reduces stress and pain
• Laughter stimulates the muscles of the abdomen and keeps them in shape
• Increases libido and stimulates the
immune system• Increases respiratory capacity
• Saves tense relationships and ensures the success of interpersonal relationships.

Contraindications

Although it seems hard to believe, there are contraindications to laughter therapy (not to understand that laughter is completely forbidden):

• • people suffering from glaucoma (eye condition), abdominal hernia, hemorrhoids
  • Women whose pregnancy poses a risk of miscarriage, etc., are not allowed to laugh excessively and intensely

But no affection can stop you from smiling whenever you have the opportunity!

Rasoteca from Cluj

In Romania there is only one institution where laughter therapy is done. It is located in Cluj and is called Râsotecă. There, twice a week, people of all ages gather and participate in all kinds of funny games, which make them laugh. The meetings begin with a small warm-up in which they say “ho-ho-ho” and “ha-ha-ha”, and the group leader or moderator is the person who gives the directions.

Antidote to cancer

Laughter is a powerful anti-stress weapon that lowers blood pressure.
It is clear that at the base of pathological manifestations, such as ulcers or myocardial infarction, is stress.
The same stress also plays a decisive role in cases of cancer.
Statistics show that cancer is often detected 6-12 months after a major existential trauma (death, separation, breakup, unemployment, loss of money, etc.)
At least for certain individuals, the repression of the ability to express one’s usefulness also favors the appearance of a cancerous condition.

Laughter is a factor of liberation, of anti-stress therapy and as a harmonious way of expressing inner dynamism. It really has a protective role against cancerous tumors . Even if some may not be so convinced that laughter necessarily increases lifespan, it is indisputable that it improves its quality.

The German doctor Rubinstein proposed a program of treatment through laughter aimed at bringing:

• • an improvement in the general condition of man
  • A long-lasting feeling of interior comfort
  • a more relaxed attitude
  • Increased ability to cope with stress
  • decreased anxiety, nervousness, and depressive thoughts
  • beneficial effects in treating high blood pressure, insomnia, headache, impotence, frigidity
    This therapy constitutes a global approach to the individual through his body, a context in which laughter acts as a driving element of neurovegetative rebalancing.

Laughter therapy allows patients to act on several levels simultaneously: mental and physical, and if it is correlated with other types of natural therapeutic modalities, the chances of success of the treatment will then increase considerably.

Astounding testimony – saved from cancer through laughter!

The hero (literally!) of this true story is Belgian, his name is Jean – Pierre S.
At the time of these events, he was living with his wife and their three children in the small town of Templeuve, in Belgium.
There was nothing to suggest that Jean-Pierre would face a major challenge in his life.
He was the director of a bank branch, the life of the family went on quietly, in plenitude and tranquility;
The most important events they all attended consisted of the boys’ football matches, and the vacations that the family offered themselves, once or twice a year. One day, Jean-Pierre began to remark that his health left something to be desired.

The doctor quickly diagnosed her with metastatic prostate cancer. The tumor had spread throughout the body.
Although the therapeutic recommendation was clear – chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy – doctors were very reserved about the prognosis.
Jean-Pierre went home and took a year’s leave from work.
He underwent certain therapeutic procedures, but above all, he began, instinctively (!!!) to apply what he knew was good for him:

• • he ate healthy, only with natural foods, as little as possible chemically or thermally processed
  • slept enough
  • avoided any form of stress
  • He took walks in nature, without making too much effort
  • HE LAUGHED AS MUCH AS HE COULD!

The man watched comedy films every day, funny shows and read as many humorous books or magazines as he could.

He did not think for a moment about death, nor did he allow himself to be afraid.
His contagious tone and optimism also infused into the souls of his family members, who admirably supported him throughout this life test.
When friends came to visit their home, Jean-Pierre invariably answered questions about his condition: “I’m doing well, I’m about to expel a cancer from my body!”

At the end of 9 months (as long as the time of a new soul coming into the world!) of “self-therapy through laughter”, she reached the periodic medical check-up.
Jean-Pierre saw the oncologist sitting in dismay on his bed.
He told him: “Man, I don’t know what happened, I don’t know what you did…
But your body has defended itself by weaving some organs around each tumor, which necrotizes and dies inside!”
After another 5 months, Jean-Pierre walked victoriously out of the hospital where he came for a check-up: the cancer had been completely defeated, and definitively!

Today, our hero, equally optimistic and “smiling”, is an active activist in the League to fight cancer.
He advises everyone to maintain their health by applying his “recipe”: healthy food, sufficient sleep, drastic decrease in stress and…
AS MUCH LAUGHTER AS POSSIBLE!