During all these years, I have never gotten tired of putting a smile on somebody's face. Humor has been my calling for most of my entire life! (See: How I Got Started in Humor) Humor is much more than going out on the Internet and gathering up a bunch of jokes.

From: The Association For Applied Therapeutic Humor. 
What is therapeutic humor? Therapeutic humor is any intervention that promotes health and wellness by stimulating a playful discovery, expression, or appreciation of the absurdity of life's situations.

"Humor is by far the most significant activity of the human brain."  Edward DeBono

From: Chiropractic Research.org
Several recent studies show that laughter is actually very healthy and promotes healing from within. One study reported in the Journal of the Medical Association from research done at the Unitika Central Hospital in Japan. In this study, the Japanese found that skin welts shrank in allergy patients who watched the Charlie Chaplin comedic classic, "Modern Times," but not in the patients who watched a video on the weather.

From: Pioneer Thinking.com; 
Humor is very healing in many aspects in our lives. Comedy helps our psyche and well being, and many studies show that scientifically, it does even more that that. According to recent studies, laughter produces endorphins which may lesson pain, increases T-Cells, interferon and immune proteins called globolins and even significantly lowers cortisal levels, and return the body to a more relaxed state.

From: Neurological Illness.com; 
It's important to stay in touch with your sense of humor when dealing with a neurogical illness. Whether patient or caretaker, stress and depression can take over and outshine the positive aspect of our lives. Although having a neurological disorder is difficult, it can often be lightened by humor. There are many accessible ways to tickly your funny bone!

From: Nurse.com
The goal of this program is to provide information for nurses on how to use the healing power of humor in caring for themselves and their patients. 1) How the body responds to humor. 2) How humor helps nurses cope with work place stress. 3) How humor is used to help patients.

From: Relax Intuit.com; 
Stress is no laughing matter (or IS it?) It's widely understood that right up there with a brisk walk, or loving touch, one of the surest and easiest ways to send a "feel good," message to release stress...is laughter!

"If there is one thing I know...God loves a good joke."  Hugh Elliot

From: Pub Med.gov; 
In the past three decades, the medical world has begun to notice a more seriousness of the healing power of humor, and the positive emotions associated with it.

Humor and laughter are currently being employed by psychotherapists and other caregivers as tools to promote and maintain health, as well as intervention and rehabilitation tools for a host of maladies and illness related to stress and lifestyle. Although this empirical medical approach is reletively new, the study of humor has revealed a complex psychological phenomenon.

Laughter has many clinical benefits, promoting beneficial psychological changes and an over-all sense of well-being. Humor even has long-term effects that strengthen the effectness of the immune system. In healthcare, humor therapy can help relieve stress associated with disease and illness. It serves as a diverionary tactic, a therapeutic tool for disorders such as depression as a coping mechanism.

From: Healing Tides.net (Psychonevroimmunlogy) The health-promoting and healing power of humor was given its biggest boost by Norman Cousins' book, "Anatomy of an Illness," published in 1979. He came down with a serious illness called ankylosing spondlitis, and was given a 1 in 500 chance of surviving.

Cousins was aware of the evidence from psycosomatic research showing that negative emotions were harmful to one's health, so he resoned that the opposite must also be true . That positive emotions should promote health and healing. Cousins beat the odds and survived!

From: Self-Growth.com; 
What are the difference between laughter and humor? Laughter is innate, and you are born with your giggles. You have unique sounds of laughter. Your laughter may sound similar to another's laughter, but your sound is brilliantly yours. Laughter exists on its own merit. You do not have to "get the joke," hear a story, or decipher a code in order to laugh, etc.

From: Jest Health.com;
When the spirit is depleted, nurse's can experience what is known as "compassion fatigue," feeling that they have very little left to give. Finding humor in our work and life, can be one way to lift the spirits energy level and replenish ourselves from compassion fatigue."

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

I have provided a few resources, where you'll find hundreds of websites on the positive and healing power of humor.

* The World Laughter Tour:
  http://www.worldlaughtertour.com

* The Association For Applied Therapuetic
  Humor: http://aath.org

* Laughing Matters.com:
  http://laughingmatters.com

Since I've been online, I have received hundreds of emails from all over the world with respect to my website and my work. Sitting at the top of the list in importance, is the following email I received from a fellow named Wayne, who I do not know. He writes:

"Greetings, Jer...I wish to thank you for brightening my day a bit. Your site was just what I needed in this time in my life. You see, my mother past away in July of this year, and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Being the 4th of July, we all gathered at her place for a big bang and celebration. Thanks for the laughs I had today...Wayne"

The reader can see why I've been in the humor business for such a long time!

"Comedy is just a funny way of being serious."  Peter Ustinov

*                 *                 *

Are we looking for a little corny humor? Two peanuts were walking in the neighborhood...when they were assaulted!

Did you know that 5 out of 4 people have trouble with fractions?

Prescription: Take a large dose of vitamin H...jest for the health of it!

SITEMAP; 350+ Links For Your Convenience;
Copyright; 2008; Jerry Aragon/The Humor Doctor
Website name; humordoctormd