Doctors found that they could potentially cut the risk of people suffering a heart attack by encouraging them to watch comedy programmes. Patients prescribed the "mirthful laughter" went on to increase the amount of good cholesterol, which protects against heart disease, in their blood stream. The researchers say that the findings could point to laughter as a useful treatment for a number of conditions. Dr Lee Berk, from Loma Linda University, California, who led the study, said: "The best clinicians understand that there is an intrinsic physiological intervention brought about by positive emotions such as mirthful laughter, optimism and hope. "Lifestyle choices have a significant impact on health and disease," he added. Using laughter as a form of medicine has been suggested for decades, however there has been little hard evidence of its health effects on patients. For the latest study, patients were asked to select whichever comedy programmes or films that they found the funniest. There were then asked to watch them for at least half an hour a day over the course of 12 months. The findings, presented at the Experimental Biology conference in New Orleans, show that after one year the group prescribed laughter saw a 26 per cent rise in their good cholesterol. Patients who took the medication without any extra laughter had just a 3 per cent rise. The group watching comedy programmes also saw a drop of 66 per cent in the amount of harmful C-reactive proteins, which increase the risk of heart disease, in their bodies. While the control group also saw a fall in the amount of the proteins, it was much smaller at 26 per cent over the course of the year. The study looked at 20 patients with diabetes, a condition which increases the risk of heart problems, who were also suffering from high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. The researchers say that the findings show that laughter therapy can also lower stress levels in patients. They called for more research into the use of comedy as a potential treatment for those at risk of developing heart problems. More than two million people in Britain currently suffer from diabetes, although that number is predicted to increase dramatically in coming decades, in part because of the growing obesity crisis.Laughter really could be best form of medicine
Laughter really could be the best form of medicine - because it is good for the heart, a new study shows.
Friday, 17 April 2009
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