Healthy Living

"There isn't much fun in medicine, but there's a heck of a lot of medicine in fun."
~Josh Billings

Every time a family member or friend has an encounter with the medical field, I learn something valuable that I can apply to my own personal or professional life. Last week my daughter had surgery on her hand and was a bit apprehensive, naturally. She lives in California so we waited for her to call us to let us know all went well. When she called, one of the first things she said was how the anesthesiologist made her laugh and what a calming effect it had on her.

My husband was scheduled for a cardiac catheterization and was a little anxious. Our friend Jeff called prior to the procedure and it was music to my ears to hear the two of them laughing and joking on the phone. Brian has a great sense of humor, and from what he said, he was more relaxed through the procedure because he joked and laughed with the health care team.

Don't we all feel much more relaxed after a good laugh? New evidence shows a good sense of humor not only enriches life, it also promotes physical and mental health. According to Paul McGhee, PhD, author of The Laughter Remedy, research has shown several therapeutic effects of laughter. This is just a short list of the benefits:

• Muscle relaxation
• Reduction of stress hormone
• Improved sleep
• Boosted immune function
• Enhanced oxygen intake
• Pain reduction.

Humor reduces pain sensation through triggering the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Rheumatoid arthritis patients who report more chronic pain also say they look for humor more often in everyday life. They've learned that humor helps manage their pain.

Because of all of the good effects of laughter, some experts recommend everyone get 15 to 20 minutes of laughter a day, much like the advice to exercise regularly and eat five fruits and vegetables every day.

My husband and daughter are fine and healing well. Along with their medicine, frequent doses of laughter is definitely part of their prescription for healing.