Today’s article is dedicated to one of my dearest friends, because we can all use some more laughter in our lives.

In his book “Natural cures they don’t want you to know about“, Kevin Trudeau’s explains how laughter is one of the most powerfully healers available to us. It helps alkalize our body because of the chemical reactions it triggers in our brain. One of the statistics he gives when talking about this subject is children laugh about 10,000 times per week, while the average adult laughs only 5 times per week, this is pretty sad!

Do it as a prescribed treatment, laugh!! Laugh more often, and louder!! Lighten up, and don’t think so much about things you can’t control. Kid around, literally!! Just like kids do!!

Laughter and humor are the best antidotes to fight depression, aging and many diseases. It energizes, and alkalizes our body. It triggers cell renewal and activates our lymphatic system, helping detox our body.

In her book “Laugh your way to grace” Susan Sparks tells the story of Norman Cousin, a journalist who was diagnosed with a debilitating spinal disease in the 60′s, and given a 1/500 chance of survival. Based on his belief in holistic healing, he checked himself out of the hospital and into a hotel, where he watched continual episodes of Candid Camera and the Marx Brothers. He found that laughter stimulated chemicals in his body that allowed him to be free of pain, and to sleep better. Eventually, as he continued his treatment, his disease went into remission, and he was able to return to his normal life. His experience became his inspiration for writing the best-selling book, Anatomy of an Illness.

After Cousin’s ground-breaking story came to light, there have been several studies conducted around the world, all with similar positive results.

One of those studies was conducted by The University of Maryland, and it showed how laughter-provoking movies had a positive effect in cardiovascular health. The study showed that laughter appeared to cause the inner lining of blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow and avoiding vessel constriction.

Other studies have also linked laughter with a decrease in stress hormone levels, muscular relaxation, and pain reduction. It increase our T cell production, and fight tumors, viruses and inflammation. And if you want more, it also helps burn calories!!

The best thing about laughter, is that it works for everybody, regardless of age, gender, or medical condition. It boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, improves heart and respiratory functions, regulates blood sugar, and improves physical appearance. I honestly can’t think of a cheaper, more fun way of protecting our health and staying young. Really, very few things are better than a good belly laugh!

Ok, so here are my tips for laughing more, take note:

First, laugh at yourself, it may be me, but I find so many reasons to do this throughout the day! Even if it’s not something you just did, I’m sure if you give it a try, you can immediately think of an embarrassing moment in your life, remember it, and laugh about it! Cut yourself a break, you don’t need to be perfect, lighten up, and enjoy the journey, don’t take yourself so seriously. Now by the way, don’t take life too seriously either! Try to focus on the lighter side, on those small great things about life.

Secondly, think about who are you surrounding yourself with. Hang out with people who make you laugh, with people who have that great energy that make you forget about your worries for a while. Allow yourself to joke with your spouse, with your family, with your friends. Children are experts at this art! They know how to enjoy life, and how to get you out of your mental jail.

Now that you are aware about yourself and the people around you, pay attention to how you spend your time. Have fun!! Watch comedies instead of dramas. Share jokes with friends. Take a minute to read that email forward that seemed too silly to loose time on. The time you spend laughing is time you are investing in your health!! When you have a few spare minutes, instead of reading every news article on the internet about how terrible the economy is, the system is, the world is; go on youtube and look for “funny videos”.

Now let me close with another great thing about laughter. It is contagious!! So when you laugh you are not only doing something great for yourself, you are also positively affecting those around you. Wouldn’t it be great to “infect” someone with a little laughter every day? Shoot for one or two good belly laughs every day, and let me know how you start feeling.