Laughter Is Still The Best Medicine

Setting aside time each day for some good, hearty laughter could help diabetics improve their cholesterol levels and possibly lower their risk of heart attack, researchers report. "Laughter may indeed be a good medicine," said study author Lee Berk, a preventive care specialist and psychoneuroimmunologist at Loma Linda, California. "Laughter may be as valuable as the diabetes medicines you are taking." Berk, and colleague, Dr. Stanley Tan, an endocrinologist and diabetes specialist, at Oak Crest Health Research Institute in Loma Linda, assigned 20 adults with type 2 diabetes, average age 50, to the control group or the laughter group. All had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Both groups were taking standard diabetes medication, high blood pressure medicines, and cholesterol lowering drugs.

The laughter group was instructed to view "self-selected" humor for at least 30 minutes every day. Self-selected humor, Berk said, "was that which they found humorous or funny for themselves." That usually meant watching sitcoms or funny movies. The laughter group members really got into it, and were faithful to the minimum exposure to humor time of 30 minutes daily. After 12 months, the researchers evaluated both groups by such tests as measuring cholesterol levels and levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation thought to be associated with heart disease.

The laughter group had an increase in HDL cholesterol (good) of 26 percent, compared to just a 3 percent increase in the good cholesterol of the control group. Berk said, "harmful C-reactive proteins declined by 66 percent in the laughter group but just 26 percent in the control group. Both differences were statistically significant, Berk noted. What's the secret? Put very simply, Berk said, "you are decreasing the bad chemicals in the body with laughter and increasing the good chemicals, which help you stay well, may prevent disease, and may well have (additional) value relative to the therapies you are taking."

Sue McLaughlin, president of health care and education for the American Diabetes Association, said, "It is encouraging to know that something like laughter, which is cost-free and can be shared and promoted by many, has beneficial effects on the well-being of a chronic disease that affects 24 million Americans."

START LAUGHING:

"The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day you're off it." - Jackie Gleason

A great way to lose weight is to eat in front of a mirror. Restaurants will almost always throw you out before you can eat too much.

I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd druther not." - Mark Twain

What do you call an overweight E.T.? An Extra Cholesterol

A guy goes into a store to buy a bottle of cooking oil. As he's paying for it, he says, "where do I get my cholesterol?" The clerk replies, what are you talking about?" The guy says, "don't be a wise guy, it clearly states on the label, 'Cholesterol Free'.

I'm not into working out. My philosophy is, "no pain, no pain."

I drive way too fast to worry about my cholesterol.

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. Four worms were placed in 4 separate jars. The first worm was put in a jar of alcohol. The second worm was placed in a jar filled with cigarette smoke. The third worm was placed in a jar of chocolate syrup. The fourth worm was placed in a jar with good clean soil. At the conclusion of the sermon, the minister reported the following results: The first worm in alcohol - Dead. The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead. The third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead. The fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive. So the minister asked the congregation, "What did you learn from this demonstration?" Maxine, sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said, "As long as you drink, smoke, and eat chocolate, you won't have worms."

http://www.mymoxxor.com/?ID=Badman