Laughter The Best Medicine

It's said, "Laughter is the best medicine" and I firmly believe this.
Laughter can put you in a lighter mood, when things aren't going well.
Some studies have shown, people with illness when they watch comedies daily, recover faster.

This is from Cancer Center of America

What is laughter therapy?

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

Laughter therapy, also called humor therapy, is the use of humor to promote overall health and wellness. It aims to use the natural physiological process of laughter to help relieve physical or emotional stresses or discomfort.
Research supporting laughter therapy

A growing body of research supports the theory that laughter may have therapeutic value.

For years, the use of humor has been used in medicine. Surgeons used humor to distract patients from pain as early as the 13th century. Later, in the 20th century, came the scientific study of the effect of humor on physical wellness. Many credit this to Norman Cousins. After years of prolonged pain from a serious illness, Cousins claims to have cured himself with a self-invented regimen of laughter and vitamins. In his 1979 book Anatomy of an Illness, Cousins describes how watching comedic movies helped him recover.

Over the years, researchers have conducted studies to explore the impact of laughter on health. After evaluating participants before and after a humorous event (i.e., a comedy video), studies have revealed that episodes of laughter helped to reduce pain, decrease stress-related hormones and boost the immune system in participants.

Today more than ever before, people are turning to humor for therapy and healing. Medical journals have acknowledged that laughter therapy can help improve quality of life for patients with chronic illnesses. Many hospitals now offer laughter therapy programs as a complementary treatment to illness.
The healing power of laughter

For people living with cancer, it may seem strange to find humor when facing such serious issues. Yet, laughter can be helpful in ways you might not have realized or imagined.

Laughter can help you feel better about yourself and the world around you. Laughter can be a natural diversion. When you laugh, no other thought comes to mind. Laughing can also induce physical changes in the body. After laughing for only a few minutes, you may feel better for hours.

When used in addition to conventional cancer treatments, laughter therapy may help in the overall healing process.

According to some studies, laughter therapy may provide physical benefits, such as helping to:

    Boost the immune system and circulatory system
    Enhance oxygen intake
    Stimulate the heart and lungs
    Relax muscles throughout the body
    Trigger the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers)
    Ease digestion/soothes stomach aches
    Relieve pain
    Balance blood pressure
    Improve mental functions (i.e., alertness, memory, creativity)

Laughter therapy may also help to:

    Improve overall attitude
    Reduce stress/tension
    Promote relaxation
    Improve sleep
    Enhance quality of life
    Strengthen social bonds and relationships
    Produce a general sense of well-being

These are a few things that make me laugh..

My four children when they are all together is a natural "comedy team" they keep me in laughter. Unfortunately, we can't get together but once a year, but I savor that time.
                                       

Three of my children,Tecia my oldest daughter, Blake on the left, my youngest son, and Cory my oldest son
                                      

Me and my two daughters. My youngest of the family, Karissa on the left, and Tecia the oldest.

My husband makes me laugh all the time. He wakes up in a good mood, which I on the other hand, am "Ms Grump" in the mornings, until I am fully awake. But, he has the ability to make me laugh anytime.
                                                     

                                                  

No, he has no shame LOL! We were setting up for a Yard Sale and he found this lovely pink flower.

My pet who I refer to my "Doggie Daughter", Cookie,makes both of us laugh everyday! She is part Lab and part Brittany Spaniel. She has big floppy ears, and tiny short legs, but looks like a lab.
We have this game when my husband comes in. He will come over and kiss me and say, "Hello Mama, and I say Awww "Hello Daddy". I have sworn I am going to take a video, because it sounds just like she is saying Hello!
                                        

My favorite shows and movies are comedies, and my favorite comedian is Robyn Williams. I think he is so fast and quick witted, and I just adore him.
All my friends who I connect with the most, have a great sense of humors.
I can also laugh at myself when the occasion arises..
I will tell you one story of when I have laughed at myself.

I was looking for a job when I lived in Idaho, and I went to a company that I really wanted to be hired on with.
I went into the office, talked to the interviewer, and she seemed like she was interested in hiring me.
She gave me an application to fill out, so I went to the desk that I was told to sit and fill the application out.
I could see everyone in the office, for they were all on phones, and they could see me.
As I went to sit down,the rolling chair rolled out from under me, and I landed on my bottom HARD.
I started laughing and I couldn't stop. Not ONE person in that whole room laughed. Come On! If I had seen someone do that, even if I were on the phone talking, I would have burst out laughing right there..
I sat back down in the chair, carefully this time I might add, and the whole time I was trying to finish filling out the application, I would burst out  laughing.. I still laugh when I think about it.
Needless to say, I didn't get the job.
My son told me, "No wonder you didn't get the job Mother, they probably thought you were NUTS". I decided I wouldn't want to work at a company where no one had a sense of humor anyway.
                                                     

                                                   

What about you, what makes you laugh and have you laughed at yourself?

Be sure to visit my Etsy shop Gina's Corner Crafts.  I probably don't have anything that will make you laugh, but I have a few items that will cause you to smile.
I have pencil shaving flowers, handcrafted woodworking creations, nice vintage items, and various eclectic crafts.
Ginascornercrafts.etsy.com