Hoho...haa haa...hoho...Every one of us likes laughter and believes that laughter is the best medicine. But what is laughter therapy? Geletology or laughter therapy is the study of laughter and its effect on the psychology and physiology of the human body. Physicians uselaughter therapy to treat various ailments. .During COVID it was found that laughter therapy can be done individually and also online due to COVID restrictions. It was observed that laughter yogis were the least stressed during COVID due to laughter.Some studies indicated that simulated laughter or laughter therapy had a more positive effect on health compared to spontaneous laughter. They also noted that there are practically no contraindications of laughter. Laughter therapyLaughter therapy can be divided into two types - one is simulated laughter and the other is spontaneous laughter. Spontaneous laughter is triggered by a stimulus like a joke. This typically causes contraction around the eye sockets and is often perceived as a genuine laugh. Simulated laughter is voluntarily and consciously triggered by oneself for no specific reason and by definition is not caused by humour or other stimuli. So laughter therapy falls into the second category, i.e., the simulated category.Laughter yoga is a specific example of non-humorous laughter-inducing therapy. It is encouraged to be done in groups involving laughter exercises, clapping and yoga pose like breathing and relaxation exercises.It is free!Laughter is freely available. All human beings are capable of laughter and it does not have a language or geographical barriers. Wherever we go, if we smile at someone, they smile back to us. So laughter is a universal language or an acceptable gesture.Laughter can be used in improving social relations. Particularly if you are a doctor and if you smile toyour patient, depending upon the situation and his or her pain state, it would be a great way to connectwith your patient. In most cases of Diabetes, you can smile at your patient as it could be a great way to comfort and connect with the patient. Most of the patients like a doctor who laughs or smiles with them. So laughter can be imbibed into medical practice.It has a few limitations as to the situation and condition of the patient should be kept in mind while introducing humour into a care plan. We have to assess the social background of the patient and his educational background because before cracking a joke, these things must be taken into consideration. My observation is that everybody laughs and likes to laugh if the other person is cheerful too.Health benefitsLaughter yoga deals with physical, mental and emotional stressors. It also strengthens the immune system, lowers blood pressure, controls blood sugar levels and keeps one heart healthy. It is a powerful antidote against depression. Laughter and breathing exercises improve the breathing capacity of the lungs and increase the net supply of oxygen to the body.Laughter sessions along with deep breathing activities like chest physiotherapy are especially beneficial for those who smoke and suffer from bronchitis and respiratory airway obstruction.Laughter boosts the immune system. Oxygen is one of the primary catalysts for all metabolic reactions in the human body. Laughter yoga flushes the lungs and fully oxygenates the blood and major organs leaving one post-laughter, bursting with energy vitality.It is known to all that Diabetes is emerging as a major health hazard worldwide. Laughter therapy has shown beneficial effects on Diabetes control. In a research study conducted in Japan, a group of people with Diabetes were showed clinical decision support (CDS) or lecture post breakfast and their blood sugar levels were measured after the session. The next day, they were provided with the same breakfast as before and were shown a comedy show and their postprandial sugar levels were measured.What was seen that if one laughs wholeheartedly, their blood sugar levels remain under control. So the key message is: take every opportunity to laugh to control your blood sugar levels. One of the leading scientists and Geneticists Dr Kazuo Murakami ascertained that laughter reduces blood sugar levels and he identified 23 genes that can be activated with laughter.Laughter therapy also reduces the stress hormone cortisol's response for increase in sugar levels and stabilises the immune system. Those suffering from life-threatening conditions not only go through physical pain but also experience immense psychological trauma. It is seen in not just the person but also his or her family, friends and caregivers.They all need positive reinforcement. Having a positive mental attitude greatly influences the course of the disease. Many people suffering from cancers, immune disorders, multiple sclerosis and other chronic conditions have been found feeling better with laughter therapy. A few days of laughter exercises and deep breathing lower the blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular conditions.Laughter and mental healthDepression is often associated with physical pain, feelings of despair, loss of appetite, immobility, insomnia and other indications. Practising laughter yoga regularly helps resolve most of these conditions. It has been scientifically proven that laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine and enhances positive emotions. Researchers from f"mland and the UnitedKingdom have found that social laughter triggers the release of endorphins, often referred to as feel-good hormones; in the brain regions that are responsible for the arousal of emotion. Endorphins are peptides that interact with opioid receptors in the brain to help relieve pain and trigger feelings of pleasure. So, if one laughs more, they will have more endorphins and will have more pleasure.In some research articles, it has been shown that simulated laughter or laughter yoga has all the benefits of laughter and offers more benefits because in natural or spontaneous laughter, we get very few occasions to laugh and we laugh for a few seconds only, but in laughter yoga, one may laugh for 10 to 15 minutes with belly laughter.Laughter is for everyoneAs we grow older, we tend to laugh less because we ask ourselves why we should laugh. On the contrary, one should take every opportunity to laugh. In laughter yoga classes, one of the steps is staying like a child, that is called childlike playfulness. In that, one spends time like a kid because kids laugh more than adults. So, by spending time with children, one's kids, or grandchildren, one will laugh more.For people with Diabetes, my advice is to make use of every opportunity to laugh. Don't take life too seriously. One should be cautious about Diabetes,but not worry about Diabetes. If managed properly with diet, exercise, medication along laughter as an adjuvant, one will feel better. Many people with Diabetes experience stress because they have to take so many decisions in life, particularly people with Type 1 Diabetes regarding what to eat, how much insulin to take etc. Such people would benefit greatly from laughter therapy. One research studyconducted on people with Diabetes who are using a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) has shown that laughter reduces postprandial blood sugar levels.Laughter is freely available. It makes other people feel better too if you laugh. So laugh more and live healthily.Dr V V Rama Kumar is a consultant Diabetologist in Pune. Dr Kumar is the President of An.dhra Pradesh Diabetes Federation. Dr Kumar is also a laughter yoga leader at Dr Ram's laughter yoga club, Guntur. Dr Kumar can be contacted at ramdiabetologist@yahoo. com
Hoho...haa haa...hoho...Every one of us likes laughter and believes that laughter is the best medicine. But what is laughter therapy? Geletology or laughter therapy is the study of laughter and its effect on the psychology and physiology of the human body. Physicians uselaughter therapy to treat various ailments. .During COVID it was found that laughter therapy can be done individually and also online due to COVID restrictions. It was observed that laughter yogis were the least stressed during COVID due to laughter.Some studies indicated that simulated laughter or laughter therapy had a more positive effect on health compared to spontaneous laughter. They also noted that there are practically no contraindications of laughter. Laughter therapyLaughter therapy can be divided into two types - one is simulated laughter and the other is spontaneous laughter. Spontaneous laughter is triggered by a stimulus like a joke. This typically causes contraction around the eye sockets and is often perceived as a genuine laugh. Simulated laughter is voluntarily and consciously triggered by oneself for no specific reason and by definition is not caused by humour or other stimuli. So laughter therapy falls into the second category, i.e., the simulated category.Laughter yoga is a specific example of non-humorous laughter-inducing therapy. It is encouraged to be done in groups involving laughter exercises, clapping and yoga pose like breathing and relaxation exercises.It is free!Laughter is freely available. All human beings are capable of laughter and it does not have a language or geographical barriers. Wherever we go, if we smile at someone, they smile back to us. So laughter is a universal language or an acceptable gesture.Laughter can be used in improving social relations. Particularly if you are a doctor and if you smile toyour patient, depending upon the situation and his or her pain state, it would be a great way to connectwith your patient. In most cases of Diabetes, you can smile at your patient as it could be a great way to comfort and connect with the patient. Most of the patients like a doctor who laughs or smiles with them. So laughter can be imbibed into medical practice.It has a few limitations as to the situation and condition of the patient should be kept in mind while introducing humour into a care plan. We have to assess the social background of the patient and his educational background because before cracking a joke, these things must be taken into consideration. My observation is that everybody laughs and likes to laugh if the other person is cheerful too.Health benefitsLaughter yoga deals with physical, mental and emotional stressors. It also strengthens the immune system, lowers blood pressure, controls blood sugar levels and keeps one heart healthy. It is a powerful antidote against depression. Laughter and breathing exercises improve the breathing capacity of the lungs and increase the net supply of oxygen to the body.Laughter sessions along with deep breathing activities like chest physiotherapy are especially beneficial for those who smoke and suffer from bronchitis and respiratory airway obstruction.Laughter boosts the immune system. Oxygen is one of the primary catalysts for all metabolic reactions in the human body. Laughter yoga flushes the lungs and fully oxygenates the blood and major organs leaving one post-laughter, bursting with energy vitality.It is known to all that Diabetes is emerging as a major health hazard worldwide. Laughter therapy has shown beneficial effects on Diabetes control. In a research study conducted in Japan, a group of people with Diabetes were showed clinical decision support (CDS) or lecture post breakfast and their blood sugar levels were measured after the session. The next day, they were provided with the same breakfast as before and were shown a comedy show and their postprandial sugar levels were measured.What was seen that if one laughs wholeheartedly, their blood sugar levels remain under control. So the key message is: take every opportunity to laugh to control your blood sugar levels. One of the leading scientists and Geneticists Dr Kazuo Murakami ascertained that laughter reduces blood sugar levels and he identified 23 genes that can be activated with laughter.Laughter therapy also reduces the stress hormone cortisol's response for increase in sugar levels and stabilises the immune system. Those suffering from life-threatening conditions not only go through physical pain but also experience immense psychological trauma. It is seen in not just the person but also his or her family, friends and caregivers.They all need positive reinforcement. Having a positive mental attitude greatly influences the course of the disease. Many people suffering from cancers, immune disorders, multiple sclerosis and other chronic conditions have been found feeling better with laughter therapy. A few days of laughter exercises and deep breathing lower the blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular conditions.Laughter and mental healthDepression is often associated with physical pain, feelings of despair, loss of appetite, immobility, insomnia and other indications. Practising laughter yoga regularly helps resolve most of these conditions. It has been scientifically proven that laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine and enhances positive emotions. Researchers from f"mland and the UnitedKingdom have found that social laughter triggers the release of endorphins, often referred to as feel-good hormones; in the brain regions that are responsible for the arousal of emotion. Endorphins are peptides that interact with opioid receptors in the brain to help relieve pain and trigger feelings of pleasure. So, if one laughs more, they will have more endorphins and will have more pleasure.In some research articles, it has been shown that simulated laughter or laughter yoga has all the benefits of laughter and offers more benefits because in natural or spontaneous laughter, we get very few occasions to laugh and we laugh for a few seconds only, but in laughter yoga, one may laugh for 10 to 15 minutes with belly laughter.Laughter is for everyoneAs we grow older, we tend to laugh less because we ask ourselves why we should laugh. On the contrary, one should take every opportunity to laugh. In laughter yoga classes, one of the steps is staying like a child, that is called childlike playfulness. In that, one spends time like a kid because kids laugh more than adults. So, by spending time with children, one's kids, or grandchildren, one will laugh more.For people with Diabetes, my advice is to make use of every opportunity to laugh. Don't take life too seriously. One should be cautious about Diabetes,but not worry about Diabetes. If managed properly with diet, exercise, medication along laughter as an adjuvant, one will feel better. Many people with Diabetes experience stress because they have to take so many decisions in life, particularly people with Type 1 Diabetes regarding what to eat, how much insulin to take etc. Such people would benefit greatly from laughter therapy. One research studyconducted on people with Diabetes who are using a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) has shown that laughter reduces postprandial blood sugar levels.Laughter is freely available. It makes other people feel better too if you laugh. So laugh more and live healthily.Dr V V Rama Kumar is a consultant Diabetologist in Pune. Dr Kumar is the President of An.dhra Pradesh Diabetes Federation. Dr Kumar is also a laughter yoga leader at Dr Ram's laughter yoga club, Guntur. Dr Kumar can be contacted at ramdiabetologist@yahoo. com
