Laughter is Still Good Medicine (Part 2)

Reader's Digest has made the claim for decades that laughter is the best medicine. Several very convincing stories have been published giving laughter a strong role in the healing process. We all remember that Norman Cousins partially credited his watching and laughing at Allan Funt's Candid Camera films for overcoming a believed incurable disease.

Today we understand God's miraculous creation of the human person more than ever. The physical body is not a machine — it is an intricate spiritual-physical organism. Scientists and doctors have discovered that there are spirit-lifting acts, which, while feeling enjoyable, actually produce measurable positive chemical changes in the body. Laughter is one example. It has always been obvious that laughter makes one feel better, but now we know the effects are not just for the moment and are not limited to the spirit or the mind. Physical changes occur.

In the medical world, a variety of soul-soothing activities are being included in the treatment of the ill. They include touch, humor, listening to music, watching videos of beautiful scenery, improving the ambiance of the hospital room, prayer and meditation.

My point, in bringing these thoughts to you, is that you take time to enjoy life, enjoy a good laugh, and not take life too seriously. There is plenty going on in the world today to cause us distress, worry, and fear. But God has a better plan.

As I quoted in the previous blog, Proverbs says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine.”