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Defeat Diabetes Foundation

Defeat Diabetes
Foundation
150 153rd Ave,
Suite 300
Madeira Beach, FL 33708

DIABeducation™

By Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE

Those Who Laugh, Last

A recent patient, whom I shall refer to as “Shirley,” shared a wonderful story about her grandmother’s insistence that the family use daily laughter.

About 70 years ago, Shirley’s grandmother, May, made the entire family go to the basement before breakfast, to listen and laugh to a waxed-cut record of a laugh track, every day. It’s hard to imagine doing something like that today, let alone in the 1930s. Well, Shirley and her young sister made a pack on a regular basis while clasping pinkies, “Promise—we will NOT laugh today!” Sure enough, morning would role around and to the basement the family went. And without fail, everyone would eventually crack up.

Shirley pleaded with her grandmother, “Why? Why do you make us do this?” to which May replied, “You feel better, don’t you? Laughter is the best medicine going!”

May was right. Laughter is the best medicine. The literature proves that laughter:

Lowers glucose
Improves immune function
Reduces stress and burnout
Releases endorphins
Improves learning and communication
Reduces pain
Is used as a weight loss therapy

Humor is a must for anyone’s health. The research data proving that point is growing by leaps and bounds. We have Norman Cousins to thank for starting this relatively new field of medicine in 1964, called psychoneuroimmunology, or the mind-body connection. At that time, he was the editor for the Saturday Review when he was diagnosed with a debilitating condition called ankylosing spondylitis, which essentially left him bedridden. He was given a prognosis of 3 months to live.

Norman accepted the diagnosis, but not the prognosis. He postulated, “If negative thoughts have been proven to cause negative physiological repercussions in the body, what about positive thoughts? Would positive thoughts produce positive physiologic results within the body?” So he checked out of the hospital and prescribed high doses of humor by watching several comedy shows a day and making it a point to laugh. He recovered and returned to his editorship at the Saturday Review.

The research solidly backs up his suspicions on the healing power of humor. And May was way ahead of her time. Did you know that there are about 1,000 laugh clubs world wide? That’s where people meet, and listen and laugh to laugh tracks for about 30 minutes. They’re not listening to comedians—they are just laughing, reaping the benefits it has to offer.

In tribute to Shirley’s grandmother, May, I went on-line and found a laugh track. Once it arrives, I plan to intentionally set aside time to just laugh. I also plan to bring it to work so my colleagues can join in for a laugh break. I can’t wait. Plus, I want to look as good as Shirley, who is in her 80s.

Have you had your good laugh for the day? It’s never too late to start and you don’t have to have a basement for it to work. And let me know how it affects your glucose levels.