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Natural health expert Joseph Mercola is very serious when it comes to good health. After all, Dr. Mercola, founder of the world’s leading natural health website, has dedicated his life towards finding the best and hype-free solutions that will help people get healthy and stay healthy.
But Mercola knows when to take a break from the rigors of daily life and manage his stress levels. After all, a number of studies have found that stress is a contributing factor in disease.
There is a direct link between stress and the impairment of body systems. Stress has actual and measurable negative effects on blood pressure, brain chemistry, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, joint function and hormonal balance.
One of the easiest ways to reduce stress is to have a good laugh. That’s the reason why people say that laughter is the best medicine.
Did you know that besides April Fools’ Day, April is also National Humor Month? Here are some reasons why laughter is a good stress management strategy:
- Laughter helps regulate certain hormones – It increases the levels of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins (the body’s natural pain relievers) while reducing the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. Laughter also increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells, helping boost your immune system and lessen the physical effects of stress.
- Laughter provides an internal workout – A good belly laugh allows you to exercise your diaphragm, contracts your abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving your muscles more relaxed. Laughter can provide a good workout for your heart and its aerobic effects help increase your body’s ability to use oxygen.
- Laughter might be beneficial for patients with type 2 diabetes – Japanese researchers noticed a significantly smaller spike in blood sugar after a meal when diabetics watched a popular comedy program.
- Laughter provides physical and emotional release – A good laugh often gives you a “cleansed feeling.”
- Laughter provides distraction—and takes your attention away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in a more beneficial way than other mere distractions.
- Laughter gives you a more lighthearted perspective – Studies show that your response to stressful events can be altered by whether you view something as a ‘threat’ or a ‘challenge.’ Laughter helps you view events as challenges rather than threats, making them less threatening and more positive.
- Laughter provides social benefits – and allows you to connect with others. A 2000 study showed that laughter was 30 times more frequent in social than solitary situations. Laughter is contagious; the more you laugh, the more you can make others around you laugh and experience these health benefits as well. This will help you positively influence their mood, help reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you have with them.
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