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Humor for Physical and Mental Health

Discover the therapeutic benefits of humor, learn about laughter practices, and find ways to incorporate humor into healthcare settings for improved connection and health. Explore the physical and mental health benefits of laughter, including stress reduction, enhanced patient-physician communication, and improved immune system function.

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Humor for Physical and Mental Health

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  1. HUMOR as a therapeutic tool for physical and mental health Jay Gupta, RPh, MSc, MTM Specialist, C-IAYT NHPA September 2018

  2. No disclosures • The purpose of this activity is to provide learners with knowledge of humor as a therapeutic tool. • There is no conflict of interest for the presenter.

  3. Today we will… • Learn about some of the therapeutic benefits of laughter. • Experience laughter practices while sitting comfortably in a chair. • Discover ways to incorporate humor into the practice setting to build connection and health.

  4. Seriously, humor is a laughing matter! What is humor? • The ability to be funny or to be amused by things that are funny; jokes; amusing quality. (Merriam-Webster) • The faculty of expressing the amusing or comical. (dictionary.com) • Smile (facial, inner smile) and laughter are ways we express this. Let’s look at these more… www.RxRelax.com

  5. the best medicine Let’s define laughter • In-built • Cortical • Social www.RxRelax.com www.RxRelax.com

  6. LOL… ROFL….SROFL… Quiz How many times per day do you think the average American 40 year-old adult laughs? www.RxRelax.com

  7. LOL… ROFL….SROFL… Laughter across the life span “You don’t stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing.” (Michael Pritchard) www.RxRelax.com

  8. Research & Benefits www.RxRelax.com

  9. Laughter/humor as therapeutic tools • Clinical support in the literature for: • Patient-physician communication • Psychological aspects of patient care • Medical and nursing education • Stress reduction for helping professionals • Enhanced bonding and more ‘humanized’ care of socially vulnerable families (Brito et al 2016) www.RxRelax.com

  10. Body workout Benefits • Aerobic exercise (cardio workout) that brings more oxygen to the body and brain • induces forceful, rhythmic contractions of the rib cage • activating muscles, such as the diaphragm, and rectus abdominis, which are normally passive during respiration, • accompanied by an initial rise and subsequent lowering of the heart rate, dilation of the blood vessels • and an increase in lung capacity. • 10-20% increase in energy expenditure of genuine laughter. www.RxRelax.com

  11. Body workout Benefits • Demanding exercise for trunk muscles(J Mot Beh. 2014;46(1):33-7) • Compared laughter yoga to crunch and back-lifting exercises. • activation level of internal oblique muscle during laughter yoga is higher compared to traditional exercises. • multifidus, erector spinae, and rectus abdominis muscles were nearly half activated during laughter yoga. • external oblique muscle activation was comparable with the crunch and back lifting exercises. • further research is required whether laughter yoga is a good exercise to improve neuromuscular recruitment patterns for spine stability. www.RxRelax.com

  12. Disease & dis-ease resistance Benefits • Boosts immune system (Berk et al, Loma Linda Univ.) • Increases immune cells • infection-fighting antibodies • Decreases neuro-endocrine hormones associated w/stress • Cortisol • Epinephrine • Relaxes muscles for up to 45 minutes after • Respiration • Deep breathing has cleansing effect and sends more O2 enriched blood and nutrients throughout body www.RxRelax.com

  13. Disease & dis-ease resistance Benefits • Cardiac health • Improves function of blood vessels, increases blood flow, lower standing BP (raises it then decreases) • Humor, as an adjunct therapy in cardiac rehabilitation, attenuates catecholamines and myocardial infarction recurrence. (Adv Mind Body Med.2007 Winter 22(3-4):8-12. • fewer episodes of arrhythmias, lower blood pressure, lower urinary and plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, less use of nitroglycerin for angina, and a markedly lower incidence of recurrent MI (2/24) than did the control group (10/24). • University of Maryland Medical Center • Laughter may help prevent heart disease • People with heart disease were 40% less likely to laugh in variety of situations compared to people of same age www.RxRelax.com

  14. Disease & dis-ease resistance Benefits • Laughter yoga versus group exercise program in elderly depressed women: a randomized controlled trial.(Int J Ger Psychiatry. 2011 Mar;26(3):322-7) • Laughter Yoga is at least as effective as group exercise program in improvement of depression and life satisfaction of elderly depressed women. • Evaluation of a standardized humor group in a clinical setting: a feasibility study for older patients with depression. (Int J Geriatr Psychiatry.2013 Aug;28(8):850-7) • Improvement for depression, suicidal tendency, and states of: cheerfulness, bad mood, seriousness and satisfaction with life. • Triggers release of endorphins • Creates a positive focus in midst of suffering www.RxRelax.com

  15. Body workout Benefits – Pain, Sleep • Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold. (Proc Bio Sci.2012 Mar 22;279(1731):1161-7) • Laughter has potential as a pain antagonist (Cogan et al, 1987) • Norman Cousins used 10 minutes of genuine belly laughter to get at least 2 hours of pain-free sleep to combat the pain of degenerative arthritis. www.RxRelax.com

  16. Benefits – Anxiety, Pain, severe Stress in Pediatrics • Reviewed various studies. • Clown interventions decrease pain and distress in pediatric patients. • Discussion of physicians in health care clowning (humor, drama, music, dance) as a profession. (Dioniqi, 2017, AMA J Ethics) www.RxRelax.com

  17. Benefits - Diabetes • Laughter therapy is effective in delaying diabetes mellitus complications and should be used as an adjuvant therapy (Noureldein, 2018, Diabetes Res ClinPract) • Diabetic older adults and short term memory • Learning improved • Delayed recall improved • Visual recognition improved (Bains et al 2015) • Laughter lowered the increase in postprandial blood glucose. Diabetes Care. 2003 May;26(5):1651-2 www.RxRelax.com

  18. Benefits – Palliative Care • Relieve tension, foster connection, distraction, improve QoL (Claxton-Oldfields et al 2016) www.RxRelax.com

  19. Benefits for HCPs • Community and healthcare professionals work long hours, intense situations, strong emotions • Stress reduction • Creates community, empathy • Outlet for fears • Humility (poking fun at self) Oczkowski 2015; Mason et al 2014; Leiber et al 1986; Dean et al 2007 www.RxRelax.com

  20. Neurobiology of Laughter Each humor event you experience makes you grow a little bit… the brain has expanded and taken on new connections. William Fry, MD www.RxRelax.com

  21. Regions of Brain affected by Laughter • Frontal lobes • Cerebral hemispheres • Down regulating systems • Motor cortex • Memory areas • Auditory areas • Visual areas

  22. Neuroendocrine hormones involved in Laughing • Similar to stress response • corticotropin (ACTH), • cortisol, • beta-endorphin, • 3,4-dihydrophenylacetic acid (dopac)-(-the major serum neuronal catabolite of dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, growth hormone, and prolactin.)

  23. Laughter and Depression • Depression is a disease, where neurotransmitters in the brain, such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, are reduced, and there is something wrong in the mood control circuit of the brain. • Laughter can alter dopamine and serotonin activity. • Furthermore, endorphins secreted by laughter can help when people are uncomfortable or in a depressed mood.

  24. Laughter Exercises www.RxRelax.com

  25. Fun-damentals Too much of a potentially funny thing… • Time and place for humor • Keep the compassion in humor • Pathological joking is a neurological condition • Certain medical conditions • Laughter can lead to emotional release • Caution with trauma • Structure matters www.RxRelax.com

  26. Let’s practice some laughter… • And some laughter “meditation” www.RxRelax.com

  27. Integrating into daily life… • Consider educating others about the benefits of adding a dose of humor. • Schedule time for fun, even one minute can make a difference. • Stress-relief at end of day • Most laughter does not come from listening to jokes. • It comes from spending time with others. • We tend to laugh more in pairs/groups. • Surround ourselves with others who like to laugh. www.RxRelax.com

  28. Questions? From thebottom of my heart • Thank you! Jay Gupta, RPh, MSc, MTM Specialist, C-IAYT Director of Pharmacy and Integrative Health Harbor Homes Co-Founder: www.RxRelax.com www.YogaCaps.org www.RxRelax.com

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