Laughter is the Best Medicine

I believe we can all use a bit more laughter in our lives today.  Do you agree?

(Thanks to Darren Jacklin for sharing the three thoughts below with me today.)

1. The average pre-schooler laughs or smiles 400 times a day. That number drops to only 15 times a day by the time people reach age 35.
2. People smile only 35 percent as much as they think they do.
3. Laughter releases endorphins, a chemical 10 times more powerful than the pain-relieving drug morphine, into the body with the same exhilarating effect as doing strenuous exercise.

What Is Laughter?

­First of all, laughter is not the same as humor. Laughter is the physiological respo­nse to humor. Laughter consists of two parts -- a set of gestures and the production of a sound. When we laugh, the brain pressures us to conduct both those activities simultaneously. When we laugh heartily, changes occur in many parts of the body, even the arm, leg and trunk muscles.

Laughter and Health

­We've ­long known that the ability to laugh is helpful to those coping with major illness and the stress of life's problems. But researchers are now saying laughter can do a lot more -- it can basically bring balance to all the components of the immune system, which helps us fight off diseases. (See How the Immune System Works.)
As we mentioned earlier, laughter reduces levels of certain stress hormones. In doing this, laughter provides a safety valve that shuts off the flow of stress hormones and the fight-or-flight compounds that swing into action in our bodies when we experience stress, anger or hostility. These stress hormones suppress the immune system, increase the number of blood platelets (which can cause obstructions in arteries) and raise blood pressure. When we're laughing, natural killer cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase, as do Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells, which are a major part of the immune response, and B-cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies.
Laughter may lead to hiccuping and coughing, which clears the respiratory tract by dislodging mucous plugs. Laughter also increases the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends against infectious organisms entering through the respiratory tract.
What may surprise you even more is the fact that researchers estimate that laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing can be a total body workout! Blood pressure is lowered, and there is an increase in vascular blood flow and in oxygenation of the blood, which further assists healing. Laughter also gives your diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles a workout. That's why you often feel exhausted after a long bout of laughter -- you've just had an aerobic workout!
The psychological benefits of humor are quite amazing, according to doctors and nurses who are members of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor. People often store negative emotions, such as anger, sadness and fear, rather than expressing them. Laughter provides a way for these emotions to be harmlessly released. Laughter is cathartic. That's why some people who are upset or stressed out go to a funny movie or a comedy club, so they can laugh the negative emotions away (these negative emotions, when held inside, can cause biochemical changes that can affect our bodies).
Increasingly, mental health professionals are suggesting "laughter therapy," which teaches people how to laugh -- openly -- at things that aren't usually funny and to cope in difficult situations by using humor. Following the lead of real-life funny-doc Patch Adams (portrayed by Robin Williams in a movie by the same name), doctors and psychiatrists are becoming more aware of the therapeutic benefits of laughter and humor.

Many people have chose to join a group of people in Laughter Clubs.

What is a Laughter Club?

A Laughter Club is a group of people who gather together to do Laughter Yoga exercises for approximately one hour. Depending on the venue, the Laughter Yoga session might also include laughter meditation, as well as guided imagery. It provides a rich social network of caring and sharing relationships. Although clubs are generally facilitated by a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader or Teacher, that is not mandatory. Social laughter clubs can also be started by people trained informally by certified leaders or teachers.

Laughter Clubs are non-political, non-religious, and are run under the auspices of Laughter Yoga International. The ultimate objective is to bring good health, joy and world peace through laughter. In India, clubs meet every morning in public parks. Many club members proudly say that they have not missed a single day in years, because it makes them happy, healthy and energized – it has, in fact, changed their lives as it can yours!

Check out this Laughter Yoga video from New Orleans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV7DLq1wN0A&feature=player_embedded

Locally, Gilda's Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan hosted a Laughter Club during LaughFest 2012.

Sue Ansori led classes for the event. During that time somewhere between 500-600 people, ranging in age from 12 months to 90 years, laughed with her. This was a free community event with no restrictions of any sort for any class; consequently, the diversity was amazing.  Her classes were a mix of pre-teen kids, along with groups of developmentally disabled young people, teenagers in substance abuse programs, deaf and blind elderly adults, men whose wives had dragged them in, college students, lots of yoga students and practitioners, plus a multitude of middle-aged females seeking joy. . . which they found! Even the most reticent willingly participated and ended the session heartily laughing.  Here's her link for the Laughter Yoga Michigan site:
http://www.laughteryoga-michigan.com

I am not part of a Laughter Club (yet!) but they certainly look fun AND healthy to me!

So how do you feel about your laughter I.Q.?

LAUGHTER IQ TEST
Points

____5 pts. if you ever laughed till you wet your pants.
____5 pts. if you spit out food laughing. 8 pts. if you spit it across the table.
           10 pts. if you spit it across the room.
____1 pt. if you laugh once/day. 5 pts. if you laugh 5x/day. 10 pts. if you laugh 10x/day.               
        5 pts. if you have friends who laugh. You belong to a gaggle of gigglers.
____5 pts. for being playful at least once/day. "Life can be the toy in your own happy meal."
____10 pts. if you have laughed about a serious issue at least once.
          If you haven't had a serious issue in your life, you get 15 points for your amazing luck.
____10 pts. if you laugh at work whenever possible. Laughing at those work woes will help you relax.
____ 5 pts. if you enjoy laughing about life. It's just a play, you know.
____15 pts if you avoid laughing in ridicule. "No downloading."
____10 pts. if you find the humor in your everyday life at least once/day. Of course, it may find you first.
____10 pts. if you have no rules about laughing. What a shocking loss of control!
____5 pts. if you enjoy a bit of silliness. It's cool to be silly at times.
____5 pts. if you wear a funny hat now and then. Let laughter go to your head.
       _5 pts. if you have personal toys. 8 pts. if you play with them. 10 pts. if you play with others.
____10 pts. if you laugh in public without concern others will think you're crazy.
____5 pts. if you laugh in public so others will think you're crazy.
____5 pts. if you enjoy the absurd. 10 pts. if you enjoy acting absurd.
____5 pts. if you can laugh at will. 10 pts. if you laugh right now.
____10 pts. if you laugh during sex. Sex doesn't need to be serious.
____5 pts. if you enjoy your laugh lines, both facial as well as verbal.
____5 pts. if you like shaking like a bowl full of jelly inside and out.
____5 pts. if everyone's laugh gives you pleasure. Feelin' good!!!

Now total up your points.

136-165 pts. You are a laughing genius.

75-135 pts. You are an honors laugher.

40-75 pts. You are an average laugher.

0-39 pts. You are in danger of contracting laughter lockjaw. Rx- A spoonful of laughter at least 3x daily until the pain goes away. Note: You will need to be on this medicine for the rest of an interesting life. Abruptly stopping the medication will lead to severe withdrawal and your entire body will rigidify.

©1999, Enda Junkins, 3200 N. MacArthur Blvd., Ste. 106, Irving, Tx 75062 (972) 255-5233 (LAFF)

Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ~Victor Borge

Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails. What puts man in a higher state of evolution is that he has got his laugh on the right end. ~Max Eastman
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. ~Victor Hugo

Have you laughed out loud today?


 


Resources:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/human-biology/laughter1.htm
http://www.laughteryoga-michigan.com
http://www.laughtertherapy.com
http://www.quotegarden.com/laughter.html

Do Synthetic Vitamins Really Build Health?

Sometimes a picture can really tell the truth!

Ten Key Steps About The Shaklee Difference

There is so much information today about vitamins, supplements and drugs found in so many places that I want to take a minute to tell you why I believe that Shaklee supplements are the best in the marketplace today. Please check out the Ten Key Steps from Dr Jamie McManus below that was recently shared with Shaklee Distributors.  I believe these are critical when looking at supplementing your diet and making your home healthier for you and your loved ones.
~Cheryl.


Ten Key Steps that are taken to ensure that Shaklee supplements are the best in the marketplace:
1. Shaklee conducts over 100,000 tests annually to ensure the safety and efficacy of our products.
2. Each and every lot of Shaklee Products is 100% tested to ensure and guarantee that each and every ingredient that is part of our label claims is present in the appropriate amounts.
3. All ingredients in Shaklee products are qualified under the incredibly stringent Shaklee protocol, unique in the industry, which tests for up to 350 chemical contaminants, including pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, solvent residues, etc.
4. Our Shaklee Scientists create formulations so that the key active ingredients are included at clinically efficacious levels, often significantly higher than many companies in the market.
5. Each product is formulated with nutritional ingredients that have been extensively studied to confirm safety and efficacy. Our products do not follow "fads," but incorporate scientific and/or epidemiologic evidence of need and benefit.
6. Shaklee employs advanced delivery systems to enhance bioavailability - and these systems are tested to confirm their nutrient delivery advantages.
7. All ingredients must be acceptable from the standpoint of the Shaklee philosophy, as well as detailed scrutiny as to their safety. We do not simply accept the Certificate of Analysis that many other companies accept, but rather retest for contaminants to confirm the Certificate of Analysis is accurate.
8. Shaklee has an unwavering commitment to avoid the use of artificial flavors, sweeteners, and added preservatives. We use only non-genetically modified soy protein.
9. Shaklee developed many of the standards and protocols for manufacturing that are now referred to as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
10. Ongoing proof of our product performance is demonstrated by:

• Over 100 scientific publications, 90-plus in peer-reviewed journals
• The Landmark Study, the only study of its kind, which showed that people who took Shaklee supplements over a period of 20 years had markedly better health than both single-multivitamin and nonsupplement users
• Shaklee products powering athletes to win 125 medals
• Shaklee products fueling world explorers, 7 of Time-Life's "Greatest Adventures of All Time," and NASA Shuttle astronauts with a special rehydration product (called Astro-Ade)

Add to this list our accomplishments and awards in the area of environmental leadership and responsibility, and you will see why I am truly proud to be part of this company, where integrity, quality and social responsibility are our standards, and where making people and the planet healthier is our mission.
Shaklee is all about helping people take control of their future health by virtue of their choices today. My 16 years as a practicing family physician led me to believe even more strongly that prevention is where the future of medicine must go. Research confirms that nutrition, weight control, and wise supplementation can powerfully impact your vitality today and your health in the future, and I believe that we can redefine wellness in the coming years. Thank you for all that you are doing to share Shaklee products and the Shaklee Difference with so many. Together we are making a BIG difference in the health of the world!

Be well!

Dr. Jamie McManus, MD, FAAFP
Chair of Medical Affairs, Health Sciences and Education for Shaklee Corporation

*************************************

 

CHANGING BRANDS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE! 
Check the flyer out at:

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/shaklee/changingbrands/index.php#/0

Great Infographic on How Long Does Food Last?

[Source: Daily Savings from All You]

St Patty's Day

St Patrick's Day is coming very soon! This Dutch gal (me!) hasn't really paid a lot of attention to "St Patty's Day" in the past since it is mostly an "Irish thing"--other than wearing green to help celebrate the occasion. In researching this post, I found some interesting history and recipes.
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, the saint's religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast--on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

St Patrick's Day Symbols and Traditions

The Shamrock

The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

Another resource says the reason that the Shamrock is the National Flower of Ireland is... that St. Patrick used it to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans.

Irish Music

Music is often associated with St. Patrick's Day—and Irish culture in general. From ancient days of the Celts, music has always been an important part of Irish life. The Celts had an oral culture, where religion, legend and history were passed from one generation to the next by way of stories and songs. After being conquered by the English, and forbidden to speak their own language, the Irish, like other oppressed peoples, turned to music to help them remember important events and hold on to their heritage and history. As it often stirred emotion and helped to galvanize people, music was outlawed by the English. During her reign, Queen Elizabeth I even decreed that all artists and pipers were to be arrested and hanged on the spot.
Today, traditional Irish bands like The Chieftains, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem are gaining worldwide popularity. Their music is produced with instruments that have been used for centuries, including the fiddle, the uilleann pipes (a sort of elaborate bagpipe), the tin whistle (a sort of flute that is actually made of nickel-silver, brass or aluminum) and the bodhran (an ancient type of framedrum that was traditionally used in warfare rather than music).

The Snake

It has long been recounted that, during his mission in Ireland, St. Patrick once stood on a hilltop (which is now called Croagh Patrick), and with only a wooden staff by his side, banished all the snakes from Ireland.
In fact, the island nation was never home to any snakes. The "banishing of the snakes" was really a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology from Ireland and the triumph of Christianity. Within 200 years of Patrick's arrival, Ireland was completely Christianized.

Corned Beef

Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick's Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage.
Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century.
Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.

The Leprechaun

The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow."
Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure.
Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, a Catholic holy day. In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.


How are you going to celebrate this St. Patty’s Day?

Click here for St Patrick's Day CRAFT PROJECTS for your kids

Start your day with GOOD HEALTH...

Cinch Shamrock Shake!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (handful) of green chard(yes, that’s right we said chard!)
• 1/4 cup frozen or ½ C fresh strawberries
• ½ (Half )medium banana
• 12 oz cold water*
• 2 scoops Shaklee Vanilla Cinch Shake Mix

Directions
...Blend all ingredients until creamy.
...Garnish with a fresh strawberry and drink up!

Nutrition Information

• Makes 1 serving
• Calories: 263
• Carbohydrate: 43.5 g
• Protein: 18 g
• Fat: 3 g

Recipe Courtesy of Shaklee Director Rose Baca from Santa Fe, New Mexico


I'd love to see more recipes! Please share in the comments section.

Okay... one "St Patty's Day" joke here for ya! ... 
Q: How can you tell if an Irishman is having a good time?
A: He's Dublin over with laughter!
NOW GO HAVE A FUN DAY!!

RESOURCES:
http://www.st-patricks-day.com/about_saintpatrick.html
http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day-symbols-and-traditions
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/stpatrick/

Great Stretches for Computer Users Necks, Shoulders and Backs

For those who spend a lot of time sitting at their computers.
Sitting at a computer for long periods often causes neck and
shoulder stiffness and occasionally lower back pain. Do these
stretches every hour or so throughout the day, or whenever you
feel stiff. Photocopy this and keep it in a drawer. Also, be sure
to get up and walk around the office whenever you think of it.
You’ll feel better!

If you are unable to view the image properly, download it
(right click and choose SaveAs) and have a look.

 

 

[Original post found on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/someamazingfacts in photos]

 

 

What is your favorite stretching technique?