Argentina's New Laughter Law

Laughter is now law in Argentine hospitals...inspired by US physician Hunter “Patch” Adams and the health benefits of laughter, Argentina hospitals are now required to hire "Clown Doctors". The Clown Doctors are not actual doctors but rather trained clowns, currently numbering 2,500, and are considered employees of the hospitals.

Clown volunteers have been a part of hospitals for a long time...could this new Argentina law become a trend? Many hospitals have Laughter Yoga groups for staff and patients, how cool would it be to have Laughter Yoga and Clown Doctors standard in ALL hospitals?

Laughing "All By Myself"

                                    

Laughing with myself...or at myself! I suspect many people do not laugh at themselves enough. I know I don't. I laugh when I find myself doing something ridiculous or remembering something funny and I will laugh until I cry watching a funny movie. But I don't do it enough. Yes I laugh with friends, family and Laughter Yoga Fun groups which might, or might not be, every day but my goal is to increase my solo laughter as well.

Laughing by yourself, for no reason, might seem silly. Personally I think that is the whole idea as it brings back the silliness we had as children. And as I am laughing by myself, the only one to see me being silly, is me! Growing up often means we lose our ability to play and act silly, after all, we have to be "grown up". I start by laughing while doing those mundane things I don't like doing. Don't like loading or unloading the dishwasher??? Laugh as you put a dish in or take it out...I can be hysterical by the time I am done. If mowing the lawn is on your list of don't likes, laughing as you go could make time fly, and who knows, you might even start a new trend in the neighborhood!

And if you become really good at laughing by yourself and want to send us a video, check out our Solo Laughter page on Laughter Yoga Fun.
 

Norman Cousins and Internal Jogging

Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally without having to go outdoors.

Norman Cousins

If the name Norman Cousins is not familiar, an internet search would show you an interesting man. I first heard of him in the late 1970's when his book, Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient, W. W. Norton & Company, 1979, was making the news. He was a journalist, author, and was also known as an advocate of liberal causes throughout his career.

In 1964 he was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitic, a serious collagen illness that causes disintegration of the connective tissue in the spine. His doctor informed him he had a 1 in 500 chance of surviving so he developed his own solution to help him live, all of which were unheard of at that time. The illness was helping to deplete his body of Vitamin C so he started taking massive dosages of the vitamin. His next step was to laugh. He watched Candid Camera and Marx Brothers movies and had his nurse read funny books to him. According to Cousins, 10 minutes of belly laughing allowed him 2 hours of pain-free sleep.

He passed away in 1990, 16 years after the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitic.

Since then numerous studies have been done related to the health benefits of laughter. A few of the articles related to some of the studies are posted on our Laughter Yoga Fun web site.  A positive attitude, which can be easier said then done when going through hard times, and laughter: a definite jog internally for your well-being!