Cancer Patients Benefit From Laughter
By guest contributor Jillian McKee
Stumble into a laughter yoga class and you might feel awkward or uncomfortable. After all, a group willing participants that is lead by an instructor through a series of rhythmic clapping, chanting, breathing and laughing is not considered normal.
Laughter yoga creator, Dr. Madan Kataria, gets to the heart of your discomfort, "I told them this is not a laughing matter. It is a very serious thing that we've forgotten to laugh." And so it was created to restore the balance, and positive health effects that come with laughter.
“Fake it until you make it,” is a common phrase touted by instructors. Your body does not feel the difference between fake and genuine laughter, but enviably you become happy and start really laughing. Possibly that is how it has spread from India across the world.
In fact, laughter yoga is being used as a supplemental treatment for cancer patients and people who experience depression or anxiety. Patients who have been diagnosed and are going through cancer treatments carry an incredible amount of stress put on in their lives. Perhaps they are trying to grasp mesothelioma life expectancy, or perhaps they are just trying to get through a routine procedure, but the chronic stress compounds into detrimental physical and emotional effects.
Laughter yoga has a laundry list of benefits. Physically, students get an abdominal workout and increase their oxygen intake through the breathing exercises. Overall, evidence shows that it strengthens the immune system, which is critical in the fight against cancer or other sickness. It also relieves stress by lowering blood pressure.
But maybe the real magic is that cancer patients actually end up experiencing joy and laughter. In the midst of their trauma they form positive bonds with other students, and because it is a class, it is a built into their weekly schedule to return again and again for an emotional boost. Laughter yoga practitioners have been shown to better tolerate chemotherapy treatment compared to non-practitioners. And it increases positive attitudes acting as an inoculation which aides in recovery over the long term. In fact, follow the link to watch a class and hear testimonials from cancer patients.
If you or a loved one suffers from various cancers such as breast cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma, or any other debilitating cancer, go to a laughter yoga class and invite your loved ones too. Multiply your laughs-per-day average and increase health and ability to carry on with renewed strength.
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