| Prevention and Anti-Aging Tips:
Your “Funny Bone” and Your Health
Antioxidants
| Free
Radicals | Laughter | Kindness
| Stress
Management | Diabetes
Are you stressed? Tired? Angry? Sad?
Laugh it off!
According to e.e. cummings, “The most
wasted of all days is one without laughter.”
Saluterra agrees whole-heartedly. Laughter is
the only therapy we can think of that is effective, free,
and has no known negative side-effects. It produces a general
sense of well-being and provides many measurable health benefits:
• Boosts the immune function by raising
levels of the human growth hormone and cells that produce
disease-destroying antibodies
• Boosts the respiratory system
• Improves circulation by dilating
the inner lining of blood vessels (thus increasing blood flow),
and strengthens other cardiovascular functions
• Increases muscle flexion
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces stress hormones (cortisol,
epinephrine, and dopac)
• Triggers the release of endorphins,
the body’s natural painkillers that can also alleviate
depression
Research shows that even the anticipation
of laughter can enhance our biochemistry. In an experiment,
16 healthy male volunteers were divided into two groups. The
experimental group was told that they would be watching a humorous
video, the control group was not.
Blood tests showed not only a decrease in stress
hormones, but also an increase in endorphins and the human
growth hormone in the members of the experimental group. That
was after they were told about the funny video but before
they saw it!
Are you finding it difficult to laugh in certain
situations?
Here’s an anti-stress formula that might
work for you and help you develop the funny bone:
When you’re stressed by something, ask
yourself: “Will I laugh about this five years from now?”
If the answer is “Yes” (or even
“Maybe”), why not start right away?
Here are a few other ways to increase laughter
in your daily life:
• Hang around fun-loving people
• Play with kittens, puppies, or other funny animals
• Ask someone to tickle you (if you’re ticklish…)
• Watch comedies
• Take a free laughter yoga class and learn to laugh
for no reason
• Laughter is contagious, so make other people laugh
- Play funny, innocent pranks
- Tell jokes
Have you laughed today yet? Ha! Ha! Ha!
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Antioxidants
| Free
Radicals | Laughter | Kindness
| Stress
Management | Diabetes
|
Prevention and Anti-Aging Tips