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Sept. 12–18, 2005 Listen to the message
Laughing for Health
Want a free and easy way to burn calories, strengthen your immune system, and increase your tolerance for pain?
Don’t laugh; I’m serious.
Actually, laughter is the very thing I am talking about.
Humor’s effect on disease prevention and recovery has been discussed and debated for centuries. According to the Book of Proverbs, “Laughter is like soap for the soul.”
The question entered the scientific consciousness in the late 1970’s when writer Norman Cousins published a book claiming he had cured himself of a serious disease by watching old Marx Brothers films.
The funny thing is that 25 years of research on the subject hasn’t proved or disproved his theory.
Still, I encourage my patients to keep their mood as light as possible, and I laugh with them every chance I get.
