Doctors Agree With Me

I know pills can be FUN to take, trust me... I like pills just as much as the junkie down the street.  Pills make great "rocks" for certain mixed drinks and can also be used as substitutes for some higher calorie ingredients in some of your favorite dishes.

And in the world we live in, it seems like there is a pill for EVERYthing.  We are obsessed with pharmaceuticals and their ability to magically cure whatever it is that is bothering us.

However... sometimes the solution to a problem, much like Dorothy discovered in the Wizard of Oz, has been with us the whole time.  It's the healing power of laughter! (The University Of Maryland Medical Center)

"Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to a new study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. 

The researchers found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease."

According to WebMd we change physiologically when we laugh. We stretch muscles throughout our face, we increase our pulse and breathe faster which sends more oxygen to our tissues.  They even say that laughter can produce some of the benefits of a mild workout.  (NO, that DOESN'T mean you can skip your workout today if you watched an episode of The Office.)

"We could perhaps read something humorous or watch a funny video and try to find ways to take ourselves less seriously," Dr. Miller says. "The recommendation for a healthy heart may one day be -- exercise, eat right and laugh a few times a day."

Think about the last time you had a GOOD laugh either from reading something, watching something or hanging out with those friends of yours that you can't HELP but laugh with.  How did you feel?  Lighter? Happier?  A little less like the world was conspiring against you?  I know if I don't laugh regularly I feel stale and even a little sad... but after a couple of good laughing sessions, I start to find the humor in everything again and nothing seems so bad anymore.

There you have it... PROOF that all you really need to do is sweat. laugh. live.