Laughter Therapy

“Laughter is the best medicine!” We’ve all heard that before, but is it true? Studies show 20-25 minutes of laughter every day is healthy for the body. Laughing also helps with depression, cancer patients, making our hearts healthy. It also strengthens our immune systems, relieves stress, helps us look younger and so much more. Laughing Therapy relates to positive thinking.

Most diseases are related to stress, tension depression. When we have tension, we start various problems in our body such as; high blood pressure, heart troubles, lowers our immune systems, etc.

Laughing helps relaxes our muscles and helps in relieving stress. Muscular tension is released when you laugh. Your digestion is better. It helps heart rate and helps blood flow. The blood vessels carrying blood in our body expands which results in increased blood supply to various body parts. When we laugh, our mind stops the thought process, we don’t think of anything, keeping our stress at lowest possible level.

At the other end, positive thinking helps a person improve his/her immune system and become healthy again as soon as possible. Laughter therapy helps in removing negative thoughts from our mind and not letting our immune system go down any further.

“According to one research, laughter helps in increasing the number of Natural Killer cells, antibodies levels in our body which fight against diseases that attack us, improving our immune system many folds.” This has proved very helpful in fighting against some deadly diseases such as cancers, AIDS, some mental disorder. The treatment of which requires patient to have a strong immune system. It also helps you feel and look younger by exercising your facial muscles.

Laughter provides support in curing some chronicle and hereditary diseases, asthma, obesity problems, addictions of various types by improving conditions of patients such by strengthening immune system, blocking negative thoughts, arresting anger and similar mental conditions. People who cannot exercise because of their physical condition, have found laughter to be very beneficial.

Steve Wilson started the Laughter Therapy in 1964. He was a psychologist at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Wilson was asked to teach his practices in other states and it became a hit! He went from Ohio across to California and he made it to India. In India, he met Dr. K in 1998, who was also a Laughter Therapists. The teachers’ in India who believes in the laughing therapy was completely different from the East side of the world. The East side thought it would just a study to go into for school and to help relieve stress. The West believed it healed the ill ones. With the influence of the India teachers and his colleagues from the East, Wilson decided to start his World Laughter Tour so the methods of the East and the West could be shown to the whole world.

There are classes taught everywhere here in Utah. Most are called Laughter Yoga Classes. The Laughter Yoga Classes is learning the unconditional laughter with yogic breathing, also known as Pranayama. You will learn how to just laugh, without even hearing a joke, seeing something funny, or even thinking. Laughter Yoga is non-political, non-religious, non-racial, non-threatening, and non-competitive. It also teaches you to just take a breather and stay positive no matter what situation you are in. “Laughter Yoga combines laughter with yogic breathing exercises. It is a perfect way to laugh and get exercise at the same time. It approaches laughter as a body exercise so it’s easy to laugh even if you’re depressed or in a bad mood. I’ve tried it, and it works.” – Oprah Winfrey

Laughing for about 20-25 minutes a day can make you feel fresh for the rest of the day. Not only does it make you feel fresh but also it helps keep you healthy. Laughing will help keep your blood levels downs, help the blood flow smoothly, relaxes your muscles, and help cure diseases. You will learn how to relax and think positive. Laughter Therapy is known all over the world. However, I have just found out about this. Classes are taught all over Utah. Take a class and get the feel of what Laughter Therapy can do to you. And remember, “Laughter is the best medicine!”

Works Cited:

1. http://www.worldlaughtertour.com/sections/about/history.asp

• CeraNet, Inc. World Laughter Tour, Inc. – History ©2011

• Used September 24, 2011

2. http://www.laughteryoga.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=731:laughter-yoga-as-laughter-therapy&catid=263:laughter-yoga-for-healing-therapeutic-benefits&Itemid=457

• Laughter Yoga International, Dr. Kataria – Last updated September 10, 2011

• Used September 24, 2011

3. http://www.laughteryoga.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180:what-is-laughter-yoga&catid=85:about-laughter-yoga&Itemid=265