December 7, 2001, Newsletter Issue #67: Ho-Ho-Ho-ing Your Way To Better Health

Tip of the Week

The connection of laughter and positive healing results is not exactly a new concept and one particularly impressive story involves Norman Cousins, the former editor for *Saturday Review.* Back in 1964, Cousins was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a progressive degenerative disease of the collagen tissue. Physicians were less than encouraging about conquering his illness and they told him they also believed that heavy-metal poisoning may have been a major contributing factor to his condition. Cousins had endured extensive exposure to diesel exhaust fumes while visiting Russia and he also felt he had developed adrenal exhaustion, which weakened his body`s ability to tolerate toxic exposure.

Cousins remembered reading a book by an author named Hans Selye, which gave impressive backing to the belief that negative emotions could create chemical changes that would result in adrenal exhaustion. Cousins wondered if focusing instead on positive emotions, such as faith, hope confidence and joy, would reverse the chemical changes and lend support to enhancing his immune system to a stronger state to support healing his body. He stocked up on amusing films and it wasn`t long before he saw a definite connection between his decreasing need for pain medication, most pointedly *after* he had enjoyed a funny movie. Chemical testing also showed a decrease in his sedimentation rate, which indicated a reversal of his body`s inflammatory response. The wonderful news is Cousins did, indeed, rebound and recover from his painful and dismal state of health to become an adjunct professor at U.C.L.A. Medical School, where he founded and established a Humor Task Force to coordinate and support clinical research on how laughter and positive thinking can redirect the body`s own healing system despite the dire predictions handed down by doctors.

Want to know what happens to your body when you`re in a good mood instead of a bad mood? Click the tip link below to see why negative attitudes can be dangerous to your health!

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