Laughter, the Best Medicine

Luba · 10-01-2005, 08:55 AM

http://www.umm.edu/features/laughter.htm

Since one of my favourite things to do in this whole, wide world is to laugh, I have been doing some research on the Health Benefits of laughter...
Following is an article from Reader's Digest:

Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine

Researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Centre have found that laughter is tied to the healthy function of blood vessels. It causes the endothelium--the inner lining of blood vessels--to dilate, increasing blood flow.

"The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries." says lead researcher Dr. Michael Miller. Laughter, then, may be an important factor in reducing the risk of heart disease, he says.

Twenty volunteers were shown a stressful movie, blood-vessel lining constricted, reducing blood flow by about 35 percent. Laughter, when shown a movie that provoked laughter, increased blood flow by 22 percent.

"The magnitude of change we saw in the endothelium is similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic activity," Miller says. Be he doesn't recommend not exercising.

"Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system."