(UN)Healthy living - Part 1.

“Why SO serious? Let’s put a smile on his face!”
– The Dark Knight - The Joker


Each and every day we all hear the same complaints from the people around us. Hell, we’ve probably even made the same complaints ourselves. Everyone is looking for a healthier way to live. We have more types of fat now than we did 20 years ago, and they are all bad for us in some way or another. :-) We know more about cholesterol, protein, carbohydrates, etc, than ever before. And at some level, we’re all concerned about it.

But what about the other, just as important, parts of a healthy life? Do we give equal time and research on those things?

The short answer is…No. :-)

It’s said so often, that it’s now considered an Old Proverb (yes…I tried to look it up), that “Laughter is the best medicine.” And only recently have our learned scientists actually validated it.

So, why is laughter good for the body? And is it more than just that?

Check out the fun info that I found:
• It reduces pain and allows us to tolerate discomfort.

• It reduces blood sugar levels, increasing glucose tolerance in diabetics and nondiabetics alike.

• It improves your job performance, especially if your work depends on creativity and solving complex problems.

• It synchronizes the brains of speaker and listener so that they are emotionally attuned.

• Laughter establishes -- or restores -- a positive emotional climate and a sense of connection between two people

• It helps your blood vessels function better. It acts on the inner lining of blood vessels, called the endothelium, causing vessels to relax and expand, increasing blood flow. In other words, it's good for your heart and brain, two organs that require the steady flow of oxygen carried in the blood.

So, there you go. It’s good for you to laugh.

“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.”
- Jean Houston

Laughter opens a door inside of you. One that is constantly trying to open, but that we force shut, because it’s “not an appropriate time to laugh”. We all have this belief that our laughter is not going to be accepted in certain times and places. OK…I might be able to see the validity of that…maybe…like at a funeral. Unless something REALLY ridiculous happens…like they drop the casket. :-)

But in reality, laughter tells the body that certain chemicals should be released. Chemicals that help keep us sane and mentally under control.

"Mirthful laughter diminishes the secretion of cortisol and epinephrine, while enhancing immune reactivity. In addition, mirthful laughter boosts secretion of growth hormone, an enhancer of these same key immune responses. The physiological effects of a single one-hour session viewing a humorous video has appeared to last up to 12 to 24 hours in some individuals," Berk noted, " while other studies of daily 30-minute exposure produces profound and long-lasting changes in these measures."

Laughing is something that we are built for. Think about it for a second. How many times have you laughed inside, or behind your hands, because that was the first reaction you had? It relieves stress and makes a tense situation less.

“You can fake an orgasm but you can't fake laughter.”
- Bob Dylan

Sometimes you just can’t help it. That should tell you how vitally important it is to your body and spirit that you just can’t control it. And really, you shouldn’t.

Let’s face it…this world is funny. The things that happen in and around the world are sometimes simply too ridiculous to face without a laugh.

And sometimes…the things that happen in the world are simply too tragic to be dealt with using any other weapon than to sit down and laugh till you cry. It’s what preserves our hearts in good times and in bad. And I think it should be a standing doctor’s order. “Laugh each and every day.”

And just remember, “A man that can laugh at himself…will have a lifetime of entertainment.” :-)



“Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche