Catholic Singles

YOU GOTTA LAUGH
BY: MARK ANTHONY ROSOLOWSKI

It has been said that laughter is the best medicine. There have been several studies on laughter and overall health. It is known that laughter strengthens your immune system, laughter has relieved pain, increased energy and reduces stress and stress related illnesses.

Laughing is simple to do, watch an old Abbott and Costello movie as the do the "Who's On First" routine. As they go through that whole routine, they never make a mistake and if you can follow it to its end you will sit back in amazement at them and you gotta laugh.

The laughter has a positive effect on your body, it will lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, increases immune function, increases muscle flexion. Laughter also increases the levels of infection fighting T-cells, as well as proteins that fight diseases such as Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which aid in the production of antibodies that fight diseases. Laughter also increases the release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers and they also produce a general sense of well being and general euphoria.

So watch an old silent movie as the actors walk down the street and slip on a banana peel. Watch them hit their thumbs with a hammer, watch with a smile on your face as they fall through ice on a pond. Watching that, old time humor you will find that you gotta laugh.

Also in addition to all of the above, the levels of epinephrine in the blood stream were lowered even in the anticipation of humor. Levels of dopamine also were lowered when a person is laughing. Dopamine is a major factor in the “Flight or fight response” and is thereby associated with an elevation of blood pressure, therefore you lower the dopamine levels you decrease the blood pressure. As well as the rest, laughing is a good aerobic exercise; it increases the working of the diaphragm, and also increases the body’s use of oxygen. Laughter brings out positive emotions, and is also contagious to those near you.

So get together with friends, go on a trip, share a meal, share stories and laugh. Let yourself have fun, do not worry about who is looking, put on a funny hat, play with childish toys and games, you will find yourself having fun and find that you gotta laugh.

You have to remain healthy, and a way to accomplish that is to remain happy. Just think how much better this world would be if people would just laugh. It is my opinions that before world leaders meet at the United Nations they should all have to watch a comedy routine, so that they learn how to laugh again. Before we go to war we should meet our enemies and go to watch a comedy movie together, and laugh and smile. Before any medical procedure we should laugh till we cry, laugh till it hurts to laugh. Doing all of this we will find that as we laugh we make friends, make amends, say we age sorry, but most of all a shared laugh is a way to say I love you from one heart to another heart.

God bless everyone and remember keep healthy you have to keep laughing and smiling.