Laugh And Live Longer
Bible: ‘A merry heart hath a cheerful countenance,’ and
‘doeth good like a medicine.’
Aristotle: ‘Laughter is the bodily exercise precious to health.’
Now doctors and psychologists in
medical benefits of laughter on the human body and have
confirmed that laughter is really the best medicine.
· Buy balloons for toddlers.
Laughter increases the levels of endorphins in our bodies, which are natural pain-killers. Norman Cousins, an American journalist who wrote Anatomy of an Illness was suffering from an incurable disease of the spine. Laughter therapy helped him when no pain-killer could. Endorphins released as a result of laughter may help in reducing the intensity of pain in those suffering from arthritis, spondylitis and muscular spasms of the body. Many women have also reported a reduced frequency of migraine and tension headaches. Norman cousins recovered from what is usually a fatal disease
He who laughs frequently is less likely to suffer from heart attacks. ‘A light answer turneth away wrath,’ says a proverb. An anger hijack can be stopped by a joke.
Laughter is certainly the best medicine.
There are a number of causes for high blood pressure and heart disease like heredity, obesity, smoking and excessive intake of saturated fats. But stress is one of the main factors. Laughter definitely helps control blood pressure by reducing the release of stress-related hormones and bringing relaxation.
In experiments it has been proved that there is a drop of 10-20 mm in blood pressure after participating for ten minutes in a laughter session. It does not mean that those who are taking 2-3 tablets for blood pressure every day will be completely cured. Maybe, you will require two tablets if you are taking three, or if you are a borderline high blood pressure patient, you may not require any medication after some time. It takes years to develop high blood pressure. It cannot be reversed in a few days or a month. But definitely laughter will exercise some control and arrest further progress of the disease.
If you are at high risk of developing heart disease, laughter could be the best preventive medicine. Those who are suffering from heart disease and have stabilised on medication will find that laughter improves the blood circulation and oxygen supply to the heart muscles. Due to improvement of blood circulation there are less chances of forming a clot. Those who have had heart attacks or have undergone bypass surgery can also participate in laughter therapy.
The greatest of all miracles is health. Every day our bodies are attacked by millions of microbes, viruses and bacteria. The body is able to repulse these invaders and protect itself. This mechanism is called the immune response. The body’s immune response is enhanced by laughter.
Laughter is like internal jogging. It fills your mindspace with positive emotions. Emotionally it is relaxing, reducing harmful muscle tension. Endorphins and serotonin flow into the blood, resulting in a peaceful happy state of mind. A good bout of laughter also reduces the levels of stress hormones epinephrine and cortisol.
Laughter strengthens the immune system:
Our immune system plays a very important role in keeping good health and keeping away infections, allergies and cancers. It has been proved by psycho-neuro-immunologists that all negative emotions like anxiety, depression or anger weaken the immune system of the body, thereby reducing its fighting capacity against infections. According to Dr Lee S Berk from Loma Linda University, California, USA, laughter helps to increase the count of natural killer cells (NK cells―a type of white cell) and also raises the antibody levels. Researchers have found that after laughter therapy there is an increase in antibodies (immunoglobulin) in asthmatics. Laughter does the same job, more easily and almost free of cost.
Mucus in the nose and respiratory passages is believed to have protective capacity against some viruses, bacteria and other micro organisms. There are many members of Laughter Clubs who have noticed that the decrease in frequency of common colds, sore throats and chest infections amongst their members. The effect of laughter on our immune system is considered to be very significant in regard to deadly disease like AIDS and Cancer.
Love is a great healing rasa. Giving and receiving it energizes and expand your inner self.
There are many types of love ranging from ‘vatsalya’ or mother’s love, to ‘meithri’ the love of friends (according to the Greeks, the highest love is ‘platonic’ love―the pure love between friends), love of the nation, and the universal love and reverence one feels for all living creatures.
Plant the seeds of love in your mindspace, give it space to grow and celebrate it.
Action Plan for Welcoming Sringara Into Your Life
Let love come in:
You need to invite those who love you and those whom you love to enter your life. You may have friends whom you have no time to meet, children who know you only through orders you issue to study well, keep their rooms neat, or cut their hair.
Give love space and time:
Love needs both quality and quantity time. One cannot replace the other. Leisurely spaces allow love to take roots and grow. Love does not need an itinerary, or be totally programmed according to your convenience. It flourishes in idleness, in long companionable silences, in tears and in stumbling. Sharing is its life breath.
Celebrate Love
Celebrate anniversaries. Be generous with affirmations ‘What I really like about you is ….’ Create occasions to show verbally, tonally, and non-verbally that you care.
Family get-togethers affirm the bonds of blood and celebrate them. Launching a family e-bulletin is a celebration of together news. Everyone needs ‘Oh’! moments; they heal the heart with good chemicals and peace.
When you give compassionately, you receive the gift of happiness. The Buddhists believe in metta bhavana, a feeling of immeasurable loving-kindness towards all living beings. Like colour dropped into a glass of clear water, metta bhavana colours and permeates your whole life with the joy of all beings. In systems like pranic healing or reiki or even in organised religions, one prays for the peace and happiness of all beings in the universe. This can be an unending source of joy.
Sharing, helping each other and cultivating strong social relationships keep us healthy and contribute to a peaceful life. The rasa of compassion is a great source of creating a positive mental state and fortifying the body’s immune system as it taps into the feel-good chemicals in the body.
Studies have shown that those with eight to six close relationships were healthier than those with less than four. It is this feeling that promotes altruism and the many service clubs in the world. We need social relationships to truly thrive. Social networks can help us change our health activities. Laughter Club, Alcoholics Anonymous (the Twelve-step programme), Weight Watchers International, regular dance and exercise groups are examples.
Pets in cancer wards have been found to improve healing and reduce the negative response to chemotherapy.
We need social relationships to be methodically developed to promote compassion and mutual empathy.
Action Plan for Welcoming Karuna into Your Life
• Take up a sport.
• Take up a hobby.
• Become a volunteer.
• Join your local community association.
• Get involved in your spiritual community.
• Reach out for someone today.
• Plug into the healing web of relationships.
• Establish a family assembly.
• Develop family traditions.
• Eat together.
• Give your child a hug.
• Join or establish self-help groups. www.selfhelpweb.org.
