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when
laughter is the best medicine
"A
laugh a day keeps a doctor working a part-time job."
Having
a good sense of humour reduces stress and helps you gain a sense of
peace and prosperity.
Life is
too serious to take things too seriously. Laughter actually and
literally heals by releasing toxins and unwanted memories from your
cells. Laughter releases emotions, is a learning tool, and opens the
door to many new possibilities.
Fred
Wright
A laugh is like a fingerprint -- no two are the same. For many years, people
have been laughing in India as a form of therapy. In recent years, this idea
has made its way to the United States. From the Association for Applied and
Therapeutic Humor to the World Laughter Tour's "laughter clubs," laughing has
caught on, and with good reason...
Laughter has been demonstrated to have healing powers. Norman Cousins, editor of the Saturday Evening Post, wrote the book, "Anatomy of an Illness as
Perceived by the Patient ." In it, he describes how daily doses of laughter from
funny videos and television during his recovery restored him to health after
doctors gave him six months to live.
Cousins asked his friends to tell him whenever they heard or thought of something funny. Results were immediate -- He realized for every 10 minutes of
laughter he got several hours of pain-free sleep.
"Negative emotions have a negative effect on health.
Positive emotions, a positive effect." Norman Cousins
Health Question &
Answer Session
From a doctor -
Q. I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't
waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can
extend the life of your car by driving it faster.
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Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and
corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an
efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain?
Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily
allowance of vegetable products.
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Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine,
that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even
more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
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Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have body fat, your ratio is one to
one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
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Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular
exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good
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Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil.
In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
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Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the
middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You
should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.
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Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO ...... Cocoa beans ... another vegetable!!!
It's the best feel-good food around!
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Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
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Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!
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Hopefully, this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets and remember: Life should NOT be a journey to the
grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved
body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand -strawberries in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out,
and screaming ........
WOO HOO! What a Ride!"
Laughter can help keep your heart
healthy
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, have discovered laughter can help keep your heart healthy.
They presented their study results at the Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology this week in Orlando, Florida.
The team found that laughter-provoking movies cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand, resulting in an increase of blood flow.
For their experiment, the team recruited 20 healthy volunteers to watch two segments of movies at the extreme ends of the emotional spectrum - "King Pin" and "Saving Private Ryan."
They found that when the study subjects watched a movie that caused laughter, beneficial blood vessel relaxation or vasodilation was increased in 19 of the 20 volunteers. In contrast, Brachial artery flow was reduced in 14 of the 20 volunteers following the movie clips that caused mental stress.
The team said overall, blood flow increased by 22 percent during laughter and decreased by 35 percent after watching a clip that caused mental stress.
Lead researcher Dr. Michael Miller, indicated people should combine regular exercise with 15 minutes of laughter a day for good cardiovascular health.
"It is conceivable that laughing may be important to maintain a healthy endothelium, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease," said Miller.
Copyright © Health Talk.
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