The Power Of Laughter

Power of laughter.  The modern father of laughter therapy is Norman Cousins.  For 30 years he was the editor of the National Review.  In 1976, he wrote an article that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.  There he recounted his own self treatment with humor, where he treated a life threatening form of arthritis called Anklylosing Spondylitis.

His Droctors gave him no chance of recovery.  Tranditional medicine failed to relieve his pain.  Cousins checked into a hotel after he left the hospital and took mega doses of vitamin C and watched Marx Bros. films and sitcomss and found that 10 minutes of belly laughter allowed him of 2 hours of painfree sleep.  In his book, Anatomy of An Illness, he spoke about the healing of his illness through laughter.  To this day, this book, inspired research into the effect of emotions on our health.

E.E. Cuming's, the poet, said, "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."

We are all born with the gift of laughter.  Laughter is a natural medicine.  It lifts our spirits and makes us happy.  It is a contagious emotion.  It can bring people together.  It makes us feel more alive and empowered.  

Laughter therapy also known as humour therapy.  It aims to use the natural physiological process of laughter to help relieve physical or emotional stress or discomfort.  Over the years, researchers have conducted studies to explore the impact of laughter on health.  After evaluating participants before and after a humourous event, i.e. a comic video, studies have revealed that episodes of laughter help to reduce pain, decrease stress related hormones i.e. cortisol and boosted the immunity system of participants of the study.  

Join this funfilled discussion with Dr. Richard Tscherne, and be prepared to laugh!