Humour & Health

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September 24, 2008 |

Kaplan’s Mnemonic

Laughter may not be the best medicine, especially if you have appendicitis, but medicine it certainly is. Hundreds of scientific studies have proved the therapeutic benefits of laughter. Here are some of the ways laughter is good for you. I have used the mnemonic SMILE to remember them all.

S	STRESS hormones reduced (adrenalin and noradrenalin, cortisol)
M	MUSCULAR relaxation (muscles take 2 hours to return to previous state of tension after belly laugh)
I	IMMUNITY increased, IgA and IgM and IgG increased in blood after laughter, improved resistance to colds and infections
L	LUNGS are helped by laughter expelling residual volume of air, allowing more fresh air to enter lungs
E	EXERCISE Dr. William Fry of Stanford Medical School has established that 100 laughs a day give you as much beneficial exercise as 10 minutes of rowing – and without the agonised expression that rowers, stationery cyclists and joggers customarily have on their faces.
E	ENDORPHINS & ENCEPHALONs, natural high making chemicals of the body are increased by laughter

Recent research at the University of Maryland has shown that laughing regularly offers some protection against heart attacks.

Credit for drawing attention to these important facts must go to Dr. Fry of Stanford University who has spent many years proving how good laughter is for you and of course to the famous physician/clown, Patch Adams, who has dedicated his life to healing with fun and love. I corresponded with Patch for many years before the highly successful movie Patch Adams (in which he was played by Robin Williams) made him very famous indeed.

I’ve been involved with comedy, especially stand up comedy for many years. In 1996 I co-founded the ACADEMY OF LAUGHTER & HEALTH with comedians Arnold Brown and Neil Mullarkey to publicise the therapeutic benefits of laughter. 1997 The Academy put on a stage show called “Are you Feeling Funny?” in which I appeared with Arnold and Neil as Dr Samuel FishHead at the New End Theatre in London which sold out at the time. Since then I’ve explored Frank Farrelly’s Provocative Therapy which I now consider to be the cutting edge of humour as a therapeutic tool in medicine.

www.provocativetherapy.co.uk

In addition to these physiological benifits, most people know that laughter is good for body, mind and spirit. It is an excellent ice-breaker in the consulting room and this is so important in all medical consultations but especially homeopathic conversations. When homeopath and patient laugh together you can be pretty sure that rapport has been attained. The right joke at the right time can do this….