What do scientists identify as our number one killer? If you answered heart disease, you would be correct. Recent studies indicated that people with the propensity to laugh may be less likely to develop heart disease. Therefore meeting stressful situations with laughter or humor may be relevant to heart health. Certainly laughter is contagious; so to really share the joy, laugh out loud to help your family and friends "catch" the stress reducing benefits of a good laugh. It will help to relax muscles and lower blood pressure, decrease stress hormone levels as well as release mood-boosting substances into the blood stream.

Research further shows that laughter can strengthen our immune systems which means that we may be able to fight off diseases and ailments more efficiently. We know that laughter can assist in lessening our mental stress, a condition that causes unnecessary aging. But did you know that U.S. researchers recently reported that possibly even looking forward to a good laugh can boost the immune system and reduce stress? A team from the University of California-Irvine says that Just Anticipating a funny event can raise the levels of pleasure and relaxation-inducing hormones while lowering the production of stress hormones. Lee Berk, who led the study, said "This study shows that even knowing you will be involved in a positive humorous event days in advance reduces levels of stress hormones in the blood and increases levels of chemicals known to aid relaxation".

In 2000 a team at the University of Maryland reported that people who stated that they used humor more often were less likely to have had heart attacks. But, according to Berk, this it the first time that someone has shown that anticipation of having fun has similar effects. "You have been thinking about it... so you experience a change in biology even before you get there. That is therapeutic." said Berk. Unfortunately some of us don't feel we have much to laugh about or look forward to; or perhaps we don't share the same sense of humor as the next person, but thankfully that doesn't preclude anyone from enjoying the many therapeutic benefits of laughter, according to Linda Marlow, Certified Laughter Leader. Thanks to her training and certification with Dr. Steve Wilson of the World Laughter Tour, Inc. and Columbus State Community College, she is able to bring this healing laughter to everyone.

In her sessions, Marlow says that she has people come in who are in a laughing mind set immediately, but there are those who are very sad for various reasons. What they have in common is that they go away feeling uplifted at the end of the session, having shared laughter, regardless of their "mood" when they began. It brings to mind the saying, "Laughter is the best medicine."

For more information on therapeutic laughter,
contact Linda Marlow in Miami-Dade at 786-486-4142
e-mail: laughwithlinda4@yahoo.com
or Dr. Steve Wilson at l-800-669-5233.
Website - www.worldlaughtertour.com