Laugh Therapy

LAUGH THERAPY

Have you ever thought that being happy is healthy? Sometimes I ask this question to people and they have many answers. Some people believe that happiness helps you to overcome thebad feelings but it cannot cope with an illness. Others only told me “no” without any comments. As opposed to the above ideas there is a recent therapy, laugh therapy, which was practiced by a famouseditor and the results were amazing.

Norman Cousins, a well-known writer and editor, became very ill. His body ached and felt constantly tired. He consulted his physician, who did many tests.Eventually he was diagnosed as having ankylosing spondylitis, a very serious and destructive from of arthritis. Unfortunately, the doctor explained that he would become immobilized and eventually die fromthe disease. He had only a one in five hundreds chances of survival.

Despite the diagnosis, the editor was determined to overcome the disease and survive. He had always been interested innon-conventional medicine. He had read that emotional stress and negative attitudes are damaged for health. In that moment, Cousins had a great idea. He thought, “If negative emotions produce negative changes inyour body, wouldn´t positive emotions produce positive chemical changes?. He believed that positive attitudes and emotions could have benefits in his health.

That was why, he decided toconcentrate on positive emotions as a remedy to heal some of the symptoms of his illness. He never gave up his medical treatment but he also put into practice his therapy. Cousins made use of humour to promoteoverall health and wellness. He was sure that laughter can relieve pain, stress and discomfort. For that reason, Cousins began to watch comedy films, read humorous books and do other activities thatgenerate laugh. Within a week his pain began to decrease and his body chemistry began to change. Finally, after a few years the doctors recognized that Cousins had reached complete recovery.

There...