Laugh: It's Good Medicine

Celiac.com 05/13/2023 - Norman Cousins, a noted littérateur, Editor of Saturday Review, and a member of the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles suffered much pain from spondylitis (inflammation of the vertebrae). Concerned by this, he wondered if there might be a connection between his emotional state and his painful spondylitis. If so, he reasoned positive emotions might be helpful.

Guided by this reasoning he concocted the following therapeutic scheme for himself:

1. He ceased consuming anti-pain medicines;
2. He rented a private room at a local hostelry; and
3. He stocked that room with a large supply of amusing movies featuring the Marx Brothers plus numerous reels of Candid Camera. Additionally, he induced his attendants to read to him from humorous publications he had accumulated.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
Within some eight days after beginning this peculiar, self-imposed program, his pain began to subside, and clinically he improved rapidly and progressively. Indeed, in short order he felt well enough to resume his professional activity.

Despite Cousins’ clinical improvement, the medical profession at large viewed his unusual therapy negatively. Fortunately, soon thereafter scientific data began to appear that supported his unique approach:

• Doctors and others, working at Loma Linda University, California, reported experimental evidence that laughter:
  • Stimulates the immune system as evidenced by an increase in the number and activity of “Killer” and “T” cells, both of which act against invading organisms;
  • Steps up the production of new immune cells as well as gamma interferon (an immune booster); and
  • Lowers the level or cortisol, a hormone that suppresses the immune system.
• Stanford University reported that 20 seconds of robust laughter affects heart action to a degree equivalent to that resultant from three minutes of hard rowing. They also estimated that laughing heartily 100 times a day elicited the same physical benefits as may derive from riding a stationary bicycle for 15 minutes.
• More recently, a collaborative study presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Neurosciences disclosed that immediately after watching a chosen video, vigor increased 37%, depression and anger both dropped 98%, fatigue fell 87%, confusion reduced 75% and tension lessened 61%. The researchers concluded from these observations that the anticipation of a humorous event alone may have positive benefits.

Appearing in the foregoing report titled "Did You Know?" was the comment: "It takes ten minutes of rowing to double your heart rate, but only ten seconds of belly laughter to attain similar ventilating and heart strengthening results!" It therefore would seem entirely reasonable to conclude that, particularly in our everyday stresses, laughter is good medicine!

Reference: Practical Gastroenterology August 2002