16 THE COURIER SUN • HEALTH • OCTOBER 6, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com health IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER BY RONDA ADDY Using laughter to make people feel better has been around since the time of King Solomon. Back in the 1300s, Doctor Henri de Mondeville told jokes to patients in the recovery room. In the 1600s, Richard Mulcater, an educator, told people suffering from head colds to laugh to feel better. Throughout history, kings have had court jesters who would make them laugh when times got stressful. Let’s take a look at how laughter can help make you feel better. Thanks to studies over the past 20 years, research shows that a good laugh will boost your immune system, lower your blood pressure, reduce pain, increase your lung capacity, improve your mood and overall state of wellbeing, and reduce your stress level. Because of this, hospitals, doctors and health clinics have begun instituting laughter programs, involving visiting clowns and humorous TV shows. One of the most important contributions to the laughter and feeling better theory is a book written by Dr. Norman Cousins. In 1964, Dr. Cousins was diagnosed with a crippling and painful disease. His will to live and get better led him to the use of natural resources to improve his condition. Dr. Cousins began focusing on laughter to create a positive factor that would change his body chemistry and help it heal. Dr. Cousins recovered from his illness and went on to write the book, Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient. What is it about laughter that makes you feel better? • Laughter increases your white cell count and raises your antibody level. This increase in antibodies helps your body fi ght infections and illnesses. • Laughter improves your blood circulation and increases the oxygen supply to your heart muscles. • Laughter increases your endorphin levels and lowers your level of pain. • Laughter improves your lung capacity and increases the oxygen levels in your blood. • Under stress your body produces a hormone called cortisol (also called the stress hormone). Laughter reduces high cortisol levels and brings your body back to a more relaxed state. You’ve determined that you don’t laugh enough and you’d like to remedy the situation, but what can you do? Here are some suggestions. • Cut out funny cartoons, sayings or jokes when you see them. Put them in a humor fi le, and when things get stressful, pull it out and look at it. • Do things you did as a kid. Go to the zoo or a park and swing on the swings. • Make your work environment humorous. Bring toys like silly putty or a slinky to play with when the stress gets too much. Have funny pictures of family or pets on your desk. • Blow a stressful situation out of proportion. You will then see that the problem is not as bad as you thought. • Rent or go see a funny movie. • Throw a come-as-you-are party. Just have everyone come when you call no matter what they look like. • Invite friends over for a slumber party. Stay up all night, eat junk food and have a pillow fi ght. The ability to laugh is something you are born with. It’s good for you, you can share it with others and it’s free. Who says you can’t get something for nothing? THE ART OF ELDER LAW For more than 30 years the elder law firm of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates has been providing New Yorkers with legal solutions that protect, relieve and endure for generations. Our dedicated attorneys are skilled in the art of giving legal advice and are accomplished in elder law, Medicaid eligibility, estate planning, trusts, estate mediation, wills, asset protection, guardianships, probate and most issues associated with the challenges of aging. Our distinguished reputation is based on a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards and our core values of honesty, integrity, and excellence. “We won’t settle for anything less”. 1-877- ELDER LAW 1-877-ESTATES Queens • Long Island • Manhattan • Brooklyn ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
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