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