Laughaholics!

Get Addicted to Yourself!

Ever hear of those “laughter clubs” in India where people gather in parks for half an hour every day just to laugh? There are over 400 of these clubs! More than 50 in Bombay alone, with a total membership of 25,000 laughaholics! Members and experienced gigglers meet in groups of 50, limber up with breathing exercises, and then egg each other on into extended bouts of hilarity! I read this and thought, wow, we could use this sort of thing in America!

Sales of anti-depressant drugs is around $40 billion. Insurance rates are skyrocketing. Cancer and stress related diseases are increasing. We need to be proactive to maintain our health and keep our immune systems strong…and if laughter is the best medicine…it’s also a great way to have some fun in between stops to Whole Foods or Starbucks! If we get addicted to coffee from caffeine, why not get addicted to ourselves from our endorphins!

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being. Laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies.

"A clown is like an aspirin, only he works twice as fast." - Groucho Marx

So why not “laughter spas”! I'll keep you posted!