humourfeb2006

Since this is an article about the healing power of humour, you’d kinda expect this to
be somewhat funny. Well, don’t. That kind of pressure gets me craving chocolate
and makes my blood sugar way too high.

And that, dear captive reader, is exactly the point. Stress raises cortisol levels,
sugar levels, causes oxidation (rust) in the body, and generally wears out body and
mind. Which leads to illness, more medications, mental exhaustion and all that fun
stuff. Whoa Nelly - did I just really say being sick is fun? Hmmm, maybe I’d better
rephrase that. “Fun” was sarcastic; meaning it is not fun; therefore being sick is not
fun. Ok, better? Get it? Got it? Gooooood.

Let’s recap then - being sick is not fun (unless, of course, you are one of those
people that enjoys misery, or a really good challenge). Well, technically, being well
is not necessarily fun either, although it is generally more fun than being sick
(unless, of course, you are one of those people that enjoys misery, or a really good
challenge). Fun is a state of mind, not of body, yet our state of mind directly
influences our body. And one of the best ways to get into a fun state of mind, is
to.....see if you can guess it.....ready?........Have FUN! LAUGH!

•        Research has shown that positive feelings such as laughter, love and being
touched strengthen, heal and keep the body healthy. Its effects has been linked to
lower blood pressure, greater endorphin release, strengthening of both the immune
system and heart, dilating blood vessels allowing more blood into the organs,
affecting blood clotting and coagulation, reducing hardening of the arteries, reducing
allergic responses, improving mood, and lowering hormone levels.

•        A 2005 study by geneticist Kazuo Murakami, showed laughter releases energy
in the cells of the DNA, possibly healing our DNA and switching on and off disease.
His primary research documents that our mental state over-rides and alters our DNA.

•        A 2003 study in the Diabetes Care Journal showed post meal glucose levels
were lower after a meal, for both people with and without diabetes, following a
humourous speech compared to a boring one.

Diabetes, and the world in general, is just way too serious. You’d think it was a life
or death matter, or something. Not a whole lot of fun in needle pricks, seeing those
scary numbers on the meter, and having absolutely no idea how they even got
there! Maybe it was an electronic glitch. The meter did end up in the microwave
during that last low.... Or maybe it was walking past those hydroelectric wires. Or
watching too much TV. Hey, maybe that’s it! Its not laying on the couch all day in
front of the TV that raises glucose levels, but electronically altered meter readings!
Ah ha - that remote control did it. Yes! Now, with that solved, where did those
potato chips go to?

And remember, he who laughs last, didn’t get the joke the first time.