A new scientific study confirms thebeneficial effects of laughter, which has been shown to be an effective therapy against diabetes, cholesterol, heart attacks and hypertension, as well as improving the response of the immune system. The details will be announced at the scientific conference Experimental Biology 2009, which will take place from April 18 in New Orleans (USA).
In a study with 20 patientsdiabeticshigh-risk, researcher Lee Berk, psychoneuroimmunologist specialist, applied therapy withmedicinesagainst diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol. In addition, a dozen of the volunteers were simultaneously subjected to a laughter therapy treatment consisting of 30 minutes a day of television humor, selected to suit each patient. The experiment showed thatlaughing daily reduced epinephrine and norepinephrine, and therefore thestress levels. In addition, laughter increased “good cholesterol” in patients and reduced indicators of inflammation. Specifically, after one year of treatment, the levels ofcholesterolwell, they had increased by 26% in patients undergoing laughter therapy, compared to only 3% in the group treated with drugs. And C-Reactive protein, considered a risk factor forhypertensionand other forms of diseasecardiovascular, was reduced by 66% in those who practiced laughter (compared to 26% in the rest of the patients). According to Berks, their study provides evidence for something that all good medical professionals already know, and that is that positive emotions, “healthy laughter, optimism and hope have positive effects on our physiology.”
