methodofdealingwiththeproblemhasbeentoinventanewdrug,butthedrugsdonoteradicatethe
problem, because the behavior which leads to the problem again and again, remains unchanged.
Modernmedicalsciencehasdocumentedthebeneficialeffectsofcomedyandlaughterinthetreat-
mentofillnessbecauseitengendersapositivefeelingthatallowsthebodytorelievestressandre-
leasepositivehormonesasopposedtoself-destructiveagentsintothesystem.Itineffect,bolstersthe
immunesystembyreducingstress.Thefollowingisanexcerptfromanarticle,whichappearedinthe
newspaper “USA TODAY” that illustrates the point most succinctly.
Humor as a Healing Force
A chuckle a day does
indeed help keep ills at bayMom said it, editor Norman Cousins wrote it, and now researchers are
proving it: Laughteris the best medicine.
A good belly laugh boosts the body’s immune systemand reduces hor-
mones that cause stress. A positive state of mind helps keep healthy
people well and helps the sick recover.
“Silliness is very serious stuff,” says Dr. Lee Berk, one of the USA’s
foremost researchers on humor and health. “This is not alternative
medicine, this is real medicine,” says Berk, of the Loma Linda
University Medical Center, Calif. He’ll review his research Nov. 3 be-
fore the American Association for TherapeuticHumor in Orlando, Fla.
Researchers, says conference presenter and mind-body expert Dr.
Barry Bittman, have “taken the wisdom of the ancients and tested it
with the technology of today, providing solid, scientific research show-
ing this stuff really works.”
The research “is not yet taught in traditional medical schools, but that
is going to be changing,” says Patty Wooten, the group’s president, a
nurse and author ofCompassionate Laughter: Jest for Your Health.
Ancientwisdomspeaksvolumesabouttheneedtoremainstressfree,tobecheerful,courteousand
freeofworrybytrustingintheDivine.Nowmodernscienceisbeginningtorealizethebenefitsof
ancienthealingwisdom.Inthespiritofmirth,theauthordiscoveredthefollowingjoke,whichfitsex-
actly into the general theme of this volume-for your enjoyment and good health!
History Lesson: A brief history of Medicine:
2000 B.C.E. Here, take this root.
1000 A.C.E. That root is for a heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.C.E. That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 A.C.E. That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.