Laughter....It's The BEST Medicine!

Hello from Ms. Judy
Know why the chicken crossed the road?
To get to the other side.

Knock, knock. Who's there?
Keith. Keith who? Keith me, Thweetheart.
Hehehe.hahaha.hehehe

Are you laughing?
What did the sea say to the iceberg?
Nothing, it just waved.

This woman had a one story blue house. Everything was blue. The kitchen was blue, the couch was blue, the walls were blue, even the T.V was blue.
What color were the stairs?
There are no stairs in a one-story house.

Hehehe Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Jamaica.
Jamaica who?
Jamaica me crazy!
Hahahahehehehahaha

Are you laughing yet?
Okay, one more try. A prisoner in jail receives a letter from his wife: "Dear Husband, I have decided to plant some lettuce in the back garden. When is the best time to plant them?" The prisoner, knowing that the prison guards read all mail, replied in a letter: "Dear Wife, whatever you do, do not touch the back garden. That is where I hid all the money." A week or so later, he received another letter from his wife: "Dear Husband, You wouldn't believe what happened, some men came with shovels to the house, and dug up all the back garden." The prisoner wrote another letter back: "Dear wife, now is the best time to plant the lettuce."
Bent over laughing?

Uh Oh. We have a problem here. Everybody needs a good dose of bellyaching laughter, everyday, and if you haven't had yours, you may have a hard time staying alert, have a difficult time coping, trouble keeping your sanity, and see your health decline.

Come with me. I've got to tell you a few things about laughter before it's too late.

April is National Humor Month. It was designed to heighten public awareness on how the joy and therapeutic value of laughter can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills, and enrich the quality of one's life. My goodness gracious, we certainly need it when times are bleak and grim and taxes are due on the 15th.

Besides improving your mood, laughing can help fight infection, reduce pain, and deepen your breathing rate. It also increases your heart rate. Laughing 100 times is equal to about 15 minutes of exercise on a bike.

A woman announces to her friend that she is getting married for the fourth time.
"How wonderful! But I hope you don't mind me asking what happened to your first husband?" " He ate poisonous mushrooms and died." "Oh, how tragic! What about your second husband?""He ate poisonous mushrooms, too, and died.""Oh, how terrible! I'm almost afraid to ask you about your third husband.""He died of a broken neck.""A broken neck?""He wouldn't eat the mushrooms.
"hahaha.Oh, my bellyhahaha

Yes, it is a proven healthy thing to do. When we laugh, we blow the stale air out of our lungs and increase the oxygen levels in our bodies. It is hard to feel pain or tension when you are tickled.

Since laughter can give you a much more positive emotional state, it can also boost your immune system. In fact, patients with cancer, AIDS, leukemia, those receiving dialysis, chemotherapy, radiation, organ transplants, bone marrow treatments, et al are being given a good dose of funny videos at many hospitals across the nation through Rx Laughter, a research project for inpatients and outpatients receiving treatments.

I remember reading a story, a long time ago, about a man who literally laughed himself well. He had a crippling disease and was told by the doctors that he would never be any better . (Sorry, but I can't remember the problem). He rented all the funny videos he could find - Red Skeleton, The Three Stooges, Oliver & Hardy - those kinds. Anyway, he proceeded to treat himself with lots of laughter and, by George, he got well! The doctors were amazed.

Since then, scientific research indicates that laughter may indeed be one of the great medical discoveries of our times. It looks like the old saying, "laughter is the best medicine", just might be true.

In the crowded cities of India there are dozens of laughing clubs. Members meet each morning to laugh in unison. They believe a daily dose of organized guffaws, breathing exercises and social support can help them cope with stressful living.

Research has demonstrated that laughter produces higher levels of endorphins in your brain, providing a tranquilizing effect.

If you want to improve your laugh life, here are a few suggestions:
Build friendships with people who are funny.
Get the giggles in the morning to set your mood for the whole day.
Take some time each day to read or listen to something silly, the comics or a favorite
TV sitcom.
Try to incorporate good-natured humor in meetings and conversations.
Share a joke Get in the habit of laughing at yourself every day.
Make the extra effort. Rather than wait for humor to find you, be observant and look around for comic, off beat people and situations.

Love life, laugh a lot, last longer.

Have you heard the one about the man who went to visit his doctor. "Doctor, my arm hurts bad. Can you check it out please?" the man pleads. The doctor rolls up the man's sleeve and suddenly hears the arm talk. "Hello, Doctor," says the arm. "Could you lend me twenty bucks please? I'm desperate!" "Aha!'' says the doctor. ''I see the problem. Your arm is broke!"

About the author: Judy Hand is retired school teacher and retired co-publisher of a shopper/newspaper. She loves being at home with her cowboy husband on their TN Walking Horse farm. They have 3 children, 4 grandchildren, 40+ horses, 4 dogs, and more cats than one can count. She loves her family, loves to ride her horse, and loves southern gospel music.