We smile, giggle or laugh out of happiness, irrespective of the degree of it. Laughter is a natural medicine that lifts our spirits, helps us feel happy & alive, and eliminates differences between people. Researches have revealed since ages that humorous events can help to reduce pain. Team of researchers from the University of Michigan has calculated thata short 20 seconds long episode of laughter could be equally beneficial for the lungs as 3 minutes workout on a rowing machine. And the best part of laughter is that it does not have any side effects.
Laughter Therapy: Laughter, as a treatment technique, can be used with patients of any age and gender, even for terminal illness patients. Often in various regions, it is practiced as humor therapy. The laughter therapist or humor therapist actually aims at making the patient laugh out, that too effortlessly. There are warm-up activities which are given to the patient to act out, and that brings out the giggles of the patient. Not everyone can easily fall prey to funny things and chortle out smoothly. Some patients have to fake it through the process but as we already mentionedthat it has the same beneficial effectlike a real hearty laughter. Typically the later sessions are accompanied with comic videos and afterwards the patients are asked to feel the laughter projecting out from their various body parts such as abdomen, cheeks, or neck etc. The therapeutic sessions are carried out in specific centers or departments called “Laughter Clubs” or Humor clubs/groups. Though laughter therapy has no striking adverse effects on health, a specific consultation should be done in case the patient had surgery recently, or if he/she ispregnant, or a patient of glaucoma, hernia, or hemorrhoids etc.
First official Laughter Therapy initiative was introduced by Mumbai (India) based Dr Madan Kataria — he developed "Laughter Yoga" as a subspecialty. He is credited with bringing laughter therapy out in the world as a mainstream adjuvant therapy with his first laughter club in 1995. Presently, over 5,000 laughter clubs exist worldwide.
Benefits of Laughter Therapy
Physical and emotional benefits of Laughter therapy are aplenty, supported by the evidence from various studies. Let’s make a list in how many ways you can laugh out for health:
- Charge up your immune and cardiovascular system
- Enhance health of heart and lungs
- Loosen up stressed muscles inyour body
- Better oxygen intake
- Stimulate the secretion of endorphins (neurotransmitters acting as natural stress-busters)
- Thus help alleviate pain
- Improve digestion
- Enhance mental health (by improving alertness, memory, and )
- Normalize blood pressure
- Infuse positive attitude
- Relieve stress/tension
- Improve quality of sleep
- A sense of well-being
- Enhance quality of life
- Strengthen social relationships owing to comprehensive wellness
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