The Best Medicine

by Pat Nordman

Laughter may indeed be the best medicine after all. In his Anatomy of an Illness, published in 1979, Norman Cousins recounts how ten minutes of solid belly laughter would give him two hours of pain-free sleep. Laugh-ter stimulates heart and blood circulation and promotes respiration; it produces deep relaxation, thereby breaking up our tension.

Just putting on a happy face can be rewarding. I worked in a high-rise for senior citizens for several years and I made what I thought at the time was the profound discovery that if I smiled–whether I felt like it or not–I felt better anyway. I knew I couldn't go in to these dear old people looking like a grump, so I pasted on a smile and soon I was actually smiling. In an article published in The Orlando Sentinel Ronald S. Miller states that "if we just assume facial expressions of happiness, we can increase blood flow to the brain and stimulate release of favorable neurotransmitters." So when I smile I am releasing neurotransmitters, and giving others–and myself–a better day in the process!

Years ago I had a ministry with parents who lost children. At the risk of sounding like a heretic, I asked them to keep a good joke book beside the Bible. I explained that there would be days–in their daze–when even the Bible might not help, but a good laugh would, at least momentarily, lift the incredible weight. My personal daily shot in the funny bone is Lynn Johnston's For Better or For Worse. God bless this dear lady for her painkiller insight on family life.

So let's rattle those funny bones today and praise our heavenly Father for the wonderful gift of laughter. One more bit of advice: Don't stick around negative people. These are what one writer calls "energy suckers." Do yourself a huge favor and find some-one positive and funny, and enjoy life. God won't get us for laughing with Him and His! 

Laughter stimulates heart and blood circulation and promotes respiration; it produces deep relaxation, thereby breaking up our tension.