| "Laughter is the best medicine" -- who doesn't know | | | | also includes lessons on cheering patients up. |
| this popular adage? Laughter is not a cure for cancer | | | | Humour therapy provides other benefits aside from |
| or other degenerative diseases, but doctors and the | | | | increasing treatment receptiveness and making |
| medical professionals found that it increases | | | | patients happy. The therapy allows patients to see |
| treatment receptiveness in patients. Scientists | | | | situations in a lighter perspective. The frustration of |
| researching about psychoneuroimmunology are | | | | being confined in a hospital is decreased and the |
| discovering that there is a crucial connection between | | | | patients feel more in control. Other than this, the |
| a person's mind and body. This is particularly | | | | therapy enables patients to release negative |
| manifested by the body's ability to heal through | | | | emotions like fear, anger, and stress in a positive |
| mental stimulation. Laughter appears to change brain | | | | way. Although these benefits don't cure the diseases, |
| chemistry and boosts the body's immune system. | | | | they make the effects bearable for those who are |
| Through the recent development in medicine, this | | | | sick. There are also studies that prove laughter to be |
| popular saying becomes a fact. Humour therapy aids | | | | a preventive measure against diseases. Stress and |
| in healing by promoting good feeling, laughter, and | | | | other negative emotions are known to have |
| smiles. Sometimes called therapeutic humour, this | | | | debilitating effects on a person's health. By releasing |
| type of therapy is fast gaining popularity among | | | | these emotions through laughter, the risks of being |
| medical institutions worldwide. | | | | stressed and burned-out are minimized. |
| Now, medical institutions are using humorous and fun | | | | Aside from these benefits, therapeutic humour is also |
| activities to excite and give their patients excitement. | | | | easy to practice. A comic book, a puzzle, or watching |
| Clowns, story-telling, puppet shows, and other fun | | | | a funny show is enough to give patients a good time. |
| activities are regularly presented in hospitals' kiddie | | | | Simply having a good laugh over nonsense qualifies a |
| wards. These activities cheer up the sick children and | | | | humour therapy. If these are not enough, there are |
| -- since they usually contain subliminal messages -- | | | | joke sites in the internet that offer funny stuff. But |
| encourage them to take medications. Humour carts | | | | remember that laughter cannot cure diseases by |
| also circulate in some hospitals. These carts have | | | | itself. It is just a complement to a traditional medical |
| supplies of joke books, humorous stories, and other | | | | treatment. |
| funny materials for the adult patients. Nurse training | | | | |