Laughter Is Good For You

		Laughter Is Good For You - Articles, search and news in a single place. Information about Heart Disease Symptom . Laughter Is Good For You By: Nicky Vanvalkenburgh Have you ever thought about laughter as healthy? Over 25 years ago, Dr. Norman Cousins in his book "Anatomy of an Illness" described how watching Marx Brother movies helped him recover from a life-threatening tissue disease. "Laughter is an antidote to apprehension and panic," wrote Dr. Cousins. Can laughter improve your health? Yes! Medical studies have shown that laughter utilizes muscles throughout the body. For instance, laughter exercises the lungs and circulatory system and increases the amount of oxygen in the blood. Laughter also: Reduces muscle tension Boosts endorphins, the body's natural painkillers Reduces levels of hormones and neurochemicals Stablizes blood pressure Increases heart rate Provides a natural boost to the immune system Amazingly, laughter also reduces stress. Levels of epinephrine, the stress hormone which constricts blood vessels and suppresses immune activity--decrease in the body as a result of laughter. In other words, laughter is a good way for people to relax! It is beneficial from the inside-out, and has no side effects. Do you have respiratory problems? It may be possible to laugh them away. There have been incidences where a hearty belly laugh helped people with respiratory problems by clearing mucus and aiding ventiliation. Laughter also gives your heart a good cardiac workout. Some hospitals have stand-up comedians and "clown kids" in attempts to speed their patients healing, recovery and boost morale. Medical researcher Dr. Lee Berk found that laughter increased the activity of "natural killer cells" which destroy viruses and tumors. Laughter also increased disease-fighting protein, B-cells, the source of a disease-destroying antibody, and T-cells which help cellular immune response. Today is a fantastic day to laugh, learn, love, and grow. You can do it! Go ahead and laugh. It's good for you. About The Author Nicky Vanvalkenburgh If you need a good laugh, check out Nicky VanValkenburgh's stress reduction website that features funny, weird and bizarre photographs: http://www.20minutestolessstress.com/Funny_pictures.html This article was posted on October 11, 2005 Heart Disease Symptom Articles Index
Diabetes drug may keep lung cancer at bay The common diabetes drug metformin may hold promise as a way to keep smokers from developing lung cancer, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. Diabetes drug used for lungs CHICAGO - THE common diabetes drug metformin may hold promise as a way to keep smokers from developing lung cancer, US researchers said on Wednesday. They said metformin prevented lung tumour growth in mice exposed to a cancer-causing agent found in tobacco smoke, and because it is already widely used in people, it may be worth further study. Diabetes expert to be feature speaker at free fair GARDNER -- Dr. David M. Harlan, a leading figure in diabetes care and clinical research, will be the featured presenter at the annual Heywood Hospital Diabetes Education Fair to be held at Mount Wachusett Community College on Sept. Diabetes drug can reduce risk of cancer, researchers find Metformin reduced the development of lung tumors in mice by more than 70%. Clinical trials on humans for lung, breast and prostate cancer are being organized. A growing body of evidence suggests that the widely used diabetes drug metformin can reduce the risk of cancer, researchers said Wednesday. Diabetes: Could Breastfeeding Help Prevent Diabetes? Diabetes is the focus of a U.S. researcher who says mothers who don't breastfeed their children may be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, than mothers who do breastfeed. Study co-author Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz at the University of Pittsburgh says diet and exercise are widely known to affect the risk of type 2 diabetes but few people realize breastfeeding also reduces mothers' risk of ...