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Life, Laughter,
and Exploding Diapers?
Dr. Wayne Neal
Laughter is
the only response to some events in life.
My two month old daughter recently reminded me of this as I was changing
her diaper. As I held her legs with my left
hand, I was reaching for another wipe with my right hand. At that moment an explosion occurred! My beautiful baby girl contaminated my
favorite college sweatshirt. It was covered with… mustard! Well, it looked like mustard. What did I do? Laughed my head off, which is probably the
same thing you are doing right now!
The Anatomy of Laughter
Laughter
is the way to deal with life situations that are out of our control. Change is just
a part of life. According to one comedian, change is inevitable, except from a
vending machine! Humor is vital to
maintaining health. It is connected to your funny bone.
According
to Paul McGhee, PhD, humor contributes to physical health in a number of
ways. Laughter boosts the immune system. Did you
know laughter causes an increase
in the number and activity level of natural killer cells? These killer cells
attack infected cells and tumor cells.
It also reduces stress and relaxes muscles. Put on your favorite comedy DVD and
get ready to exercise. Laughter has been
shown to exercise the heart and improve respiration. This is what I call the comedy cardiovascular
workout!
In the book Anatomy of an Illness,
Norman Cousins reported how he overcame a severe arthritic condition with a
combination of huge doses of vitamin C and laughter. Studies show laughter can reduce patients’
level of pain and reduce high blood pressure.
I remember going through a rather serious time in my life. A friend
suggested I take a stand-up comedy class. The teacher said there were two
requirements to take the class. “First, the check had to clear the bank! Second, you have to be able to laugh at
yourself.” This is the key to humor. My
wife sent me a short email when we first started dating. It read, "Blessed is he who can laugh at
himself, for he shall never cease to be amused."
Take 2 Doses of Laughter and Call
Me in the Morning
The best way to change your
perspective in a serious situation is to laugh.
It releases “feel good” chemicals in the brain and eases the physical
and emotional pain. Here is my
prescription for laughter:
·
Read the newspaper comics, rather than the front page or
obituaries.
·
Spend time with children.
They not only make you laugh, but they also will laugh at you.
·
Watch one of my favorite comedy DVD’s Thou Shalt Laugh.
·
Buy a box of crayons and learn to color again. Warning:
Do not let your 3 ½ year old color unsupervised or he/she will redecorate your
living room walls!
·
If
this article has not made you laugh, get your spine checked. You are probably out of adjustment!
For further information
on this topic, you may contact Dr. Neal at 770.952.5353, or by email at DrNeal@humberparkerson.com.
The Highest Level is
the monthly e-mail newsletter of the
© Humber Parkerson Clinic 2006
February 2007 issue of The Highest
Level
