We always welcome articles for this newsletter from any of our listeners and finally we have a new columnist to add to our list of zany article writers each week. His name is Phil from Sydney, Australia and he will be doing a regular column each week called "Vegemite on toast". Make sure you read his first article!! If it inspires any of our other listeners to send something in, do so, we welcome everyone to join in and be a part of "the Asylum". Just send your articles to Michelle at emseashell@yahoo.com. "Vegemite on Toast"........yummmmo!!!! The Vegemite Sandwich Yeah G’day Greetings from the Antipodes. My name is Phil and I’m based in Sydney Australia. I’ve been involved in community radio down here for 11 years and love the magic of broadcasting. It’s a real honour to be asked to join the mob on Asylum News so here goes! One of the topics raised on Shadows show last week was body and mind. It reminded me of that old saying ‘Laughter is the best medicine’ Laughter is an amazing medicine. I find it pretty difficult to think negative, depressing or pessimistic thoughts while laughing. Having a good laugh is the quickest and most effective way of coming to terms with our fears. Suddenly the worries appear silly, our fear (False Expectations Appearing Real) seems not so scary and problems appear in a better perspective. I’m a laugher and marvel at those who can laugh easily and often, particularly at themselves. People who make me laugh are the true leaders in this world, people who understand the personal power available through helping peopleto activate their own internal pharmacies. While surfing the net I came across Norman Cousins. He wrote a book ‘Anatomy of an Illness’. It is a fully documented account of how he laughed himself to optimistic health from a medical diagnosis of certain death. This bloke was diagnosed in 1964 with a rare terminal disease his survival chances were virtually nil. He discharged himself from hospital and commenced an unorthodox treatment of high intravenous doses of vitamin C together with the medicine of laughter. He watched Marx Brothers, The Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello movies. He stated in his book ….I made the joyous discovery that 10 minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anaesthetic effect that would give me at least 2 hours of pain free sleep. Cousins amazed the medical profession as he proceeded to recover on his laughter & vitamin C formula and was eventually pronounced free from illness. Look him up next time your surfing the net. Today we understand a little of what happens as a result of the laughter. Naturally produced hormones Endorphin, 20 times stronger than morphine and Enkephylin, fight off pain and promotes feeling of a natural high. Our own internal pharmacy injects these hormones into our system whenever we use one of the natural keys that release them and like optimism laughter is such a key. Laughter causes the immune system’s effectiveness to rise boosting our resistance, easing pain and prompting a general feeling of well being. A mate of mine’s dad calls laughter ‘oil for the soul’. Maintaining our sense of humour is a wonderful way of adapting to life’s highs and lows. Laughter keeps the child within us alive and well and helps us not to take ourselves too seriously. Visit your sense of humour. Is it merely a warehouse for jokes or does it help you laugh with others, see the lighter side of life and laugh occasionally at your own silly attitudes and behaviour? I’ll get out of your way now. See you on ‘The Middle Path’ Hoo Roo! P.S If you’d like to visit my web site or listen to our show visit www.oocities.org/wombatswazza PP.S If you want to know what a wombatswazza is ask an Aussie!……Michelle???? |
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