Healing, Hope, Laughter, Words of Endurance

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
PROVERBS 17:22 (NLT)

One of my favorite books of the Bible is Proverbs. Proverbs, the Bible’s book of ancient wisdom, is known for its practical advice for daily living but also for its sound advice for healthy living. I love it when modern scientific research catches up – thousands of years later – and proves God’s advice and wisdom to be true. Take a look at the following health benefits that have been linked to laughter and having a “cheerful heart”.

1. Reduces immune suppressors such as epinephrine and cortisol.



Benefit: Reduces certain chemicals produced by your body that can have an adverse affect on your immune system.




2. General increase in immune system activity – specifically “T” cells, “B” cells, immunoglobulins and natural killer cell activity.




Benefit: Increases chemicals in your body that help fight infection and disease.




3. Increases heart rate.



Benefit: You get a workout without going to the gym!




4. Temporarily increases blood pressure followed by a prolonged mild decrease in blood pressure.



Benefit: Your vascular system gets a healthy workout! Some researchers call laughing “informal jogging.”




5. Increases breathing, which raises oxygen consumption.



Benefit: Your respiratory system gets a healthy workout too! After a hearty laugh you frequently have to take in a big breath of air.




6. Increases muscle relaxation.



Benefit: Your muscles relax, prompting comments such as “I laughed so hard I wet my pants!”




7. Increases levels of beta-endorphins – natural painkillers in the blood stream.



Benefit: This is why we feel so much better after a good laugh.




8. Reduces stress due to the above physiological changes.



Benefit: High stress people who laugh easily have shown to be less depressed and anxious than folks who have a gloomier perspective.

So please – no matter what you are presently enduring – enjoy a spoonful of laughter because …

A chuckle a day may not keep the doctor away,
but it sure does make those times in life’s waiting room
a little more bearable.
ANNE WILSON SCHAEF

On the Journey with You,
Dave and Jan Dravecky