Everyone likes a good laugh Humor Therapy What is it Humor therapy is the use of humor for the relief of physical or emotional pain and stress It is used as a complementary method to promote health and cope with illness ID: 328938
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Humor Therapy
Everyone likes a good laughSlide2
Humor Therapy: What is it?
Humor therapy is the use of humor for the relief of physical or emotional pain and stress. It is used as a complementary method to promote health and cope with illness. Humor therapy is often used in cancer patients to promote well being.
Slide3
What does it involve?
The physical effects of laughter on the body include:Increased breathing
Increased oxygen use
Short-term changes in hormones and certain neurotransmitters
Increased heart rate. Slide4
Many hospitals and treatment centers have set up special rooms with humorous materials for the purpose of making people laugh, such as:
Movies Audio recordingsBooksGames
Puzzles.
Many hospitals use volunteers who visit patients for the purpose of making them laugh.
Some cancer treatment centers offer humor therapy in addition to standard treatments.
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What is Humor Therapy used for?
Anyone can use humor therapy.
People commonly use it to help in the treatment of chronic diseases, especially those that are made worse by stress (such as heart disease and Asthma).
Chronic diseases have a negative effect on mood and attitude, which can make the disease worse.
Humor therapy helps reduce the negative effects of feeling unhealthy, afraid, or helpless. These problems are often seen in those with cancer or other chronic diseases.
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How was it formed?
The History of Humor Therapy
For years, the use of humor has been used in medicine.
Surgeons used humor to distract patients from pain as early as the 13th century.
Later, in the 20th century, came the scientific study of the effect of humor on physical wellness.
Many credit this to Norman Cousins.
After years of prolonged pain from a serious illness, Cousins claims to have cured himself with a self-invented regimen of laughter and vitamins. In his 1979 book
Anatomy of an Illness,
Cousins describes how watching comedic movies helped him recover.Slide7
Norman Cousins
Diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis
, a collagen illness that attacks the connective tissues of the body
Read of the theory that negative emotions be harmful to the body
Hired a nurse who would read him humorous stories, and play for him Marx Brothers movies.
Received with much criticism
acknowledged in the Journal of the American Medical Association Slide8
How is it promoted for use?
Humor therapy is generally used to:
Improve quality of life
Provide pain relief
Encourage relaxation
Reduce stress.
Researchers have described different types of humor. Slide9
Types of Humor Therapy
Passive Humor:Results from seeing prepared material, such as watching a funny movie or stand-up comedy or reading an amusing book.
Spontaneous
Humor:
Also known as unplanned humor, involves finding humor in everyday situations. Slide10
Laughter Therapy
Laughter Therapy is a form of Humor Therapy. It is the idea of constant laughter.
This can take place in:
Laughter Yoga, Laughter Therapy sessions, or Laughter Clubs.Slide11
According to some studies, laughter therapy may provide physical benefits, such as helping to:
Boost the immune system and circulatory system
Enhance oxygen intake
Stimulate the heart and lungs
Relax muscles throughout the body
Trigger the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers)
Ease digestion/soothes stomach aches
Relieve pain
Balance blood pressure
Improve mental functions (i.e., alertness, memory, creativity)Slide12
Laughter therapy may also help to:
Improve overall attitudeReduce stress/tensionPromote relaxation
Improve sleep
Enhance quality of life
Strengthen social bonds and relationships
Produce a general sense of well-beingSlide13
What is the evidence?
Available scientific evidence does not support humor as an effective treatment for cancer or any other disease;
However, laughter has many benefits:
Positive physical changes
Overall sense of well-being
One study found the use of humor led to an increase in pain tolerance
Laughter can release neurotransmitters called endorphins that can help regulate pain.
Another study found that
neuroendocrine
and stress-related hormones decreased during episodes of laughter.
These findings provide support for the claim that humor can relieve stress. Slide14
Problems or complications
Humor therapy is considered safe when used with conventional medical therapy.
It can be harmful if used to avoid difficult or delicate issues that are important to you or your family.
Laughter can also cause temporary pain after some types of surgery. This improves as the body heals and causes no lasting harm.
Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences. Slide15
Is Humor Therapy Safe?
Humor therapy is completely safe. Your doctor is likely to approve of any efforts you make to use humor therapy.
It is inexpensive, risk-free, and readily available.
It
may not be safe to forgo your conventional medical treatment and rely only on an alternative therapy.Slide16
Physiological effect of Laughter
“Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert
. With
so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health
.” (Health Guide)Slide17
And Remember…
A good laugh a day keeps the doctor away!Slide18
Works Cited
"Humor Therapy." WebMD. N.p
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www.webmd.com/balance/tc/humor
-therapy-topic-overview>.
"Humor Therapy."
American Cancer Society.
N.p
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http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/MindBodyandSpirit/humor-therapy
>.
"Humor Therapy, Laughter Therapy."
Holistic Online.
N.p
., 01 Jan 2004. Web. 20 Feb 2011. <http://
www.holisticonline.com/Humor_Therapy/humor_therapy.htm
"Laughter Therapy."
Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
N.p
., 12 Nov 2010. Web. 15 Feb 2011. <
http://www.cancercenter.com/complementary-alternative-medicine/laughter-therapy.cfm
>.
Chew, Jackie. "A laugh a day keeps the doctor away."
Serendip
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N.p
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Smith, M. (2010). Laughter is the Best Medicine.
Help guide. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from http://
www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm