Ph. D. Paul E. McGhee said "your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have so that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.” All of us love us an $8 pack of Advil to make our headache go away, but what we don't know is that the solution is actually free. We spend money like water on drugs like tylenol because it's the first outlet we turn to when we're feeling sick. We spend $24 billion a year on Tylenol, Advil, and all the rest, and yet chronic pain is on the rise. Not only does this tell us that we're literally throwing our money away, but these medicines aren't even working and are in fact, making us worse. 18.8 million Americans are diagnosed with depression and 4 million people consider themselves "unhappy." If they would realize that maybe a bit more laughter in their lives could be their answer, our yearly spending rate on meds would decrease dramatically. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Laughing does a lot more than just make us smile. The divorce rate in America is 50%. Psychologist John Gottman, found that for couples who stay married more than seven years, the absence of laughter predicts divorce far more consistently than the presence of outright animosity. Our relationships are only as good as our histories of laughter together. This proves that a lack of laughter was a cause of many divorce cases. Divorces are expensive and the stress caused by them makes couples spend money on stress medications to cope. And since most of these medications cause more stress, they spend even more money and it becomes a vicious cycle. Poor couples. All they needed was laughter. Happy people make happy marriages, happy marriages make a happy world.
Not only are we putting dents in our wallets, we're putting dents in our bodies. What we have yet to realize is that these meds can very well be the cause of our stress. According to the Journal of the American Medicine Association from March 11, 2009, " when given the approved daily dosage of acetaminophen – a substance present in almost all pain relievers – test subjects developed early signs of possible liver damage." The liver is very capable of regenerating itself, but its capacity to repair itself can be seriously impaired by repeated or extensive damage. Is it really worth getting rid of our headache, or our cough, or our allergies, if every other part of our bodies necessary to live is getting lethally damaged? Live. Love. Laugh. I don't think it's Live. Love. Medicate. Laughing is a crucial ingredient to our well being and without it, we might as well not exist. Sudafed, a common allergy medication contains the same ingredients as the ADHD medication, Adderal. ADHD is a disorder that requires strong medication, so what business do we have taking medicine like that for allergies? And it's not only the long term bodily effects that should convince you to stop depending on over the counter medicine and start laughing, it's side effects too. Many cough medicines stop the coughing, but make you tired, drowsy, restless and shaky.
Why are we spending so much money on medicine and why are we not reading the fine print after purchasing these meds? Blame the media. Yeah, but let's blame ourselves too. Drugs are being advertised around us constantly and unfortunately, we feed into these advertisements. We will listen to what they're saying about their products and we believe it. We get a horrible migraine and go to the pharmacy to pick up a pack of advil. Since we're in so much pain, we don't think twice about popping that pill. We take it immediately and wait for the relief to kick in. Once we feel better, that's all there is to it. This is why we spend so much money on over the counter drugs. They really do work and since we're impatient and want that immediate relief, we're willing to spend whatever amount we need to. Instead of making a cup of green tea, or taking a vitamin, or of course laughing it off, we spend. Just like spending ridiculous amounts of money for immediate relief, we act the same when it comes to our health. Because our cough can go away overnight, we forget about the long-term effects that the medicine can cause. We want a quick solution and once we get it, we don't care about the future. Drugs are harming us because we're forgetting that they are capable of doing so. They're harming us because we've grown too dependent on them and instead of taking them in moderation, we're taking 8 billion pills of Tylenol each year.
What to do about our spending. Here's the best solution. Stop going to the local cvs and buying a bottle of aspirin. Laugh, and laugh until your tummy hurts, until your mouth cramps, until you're crying. Laughing is free! We have nothing to lose when we laugh, but everything to gain. Laughter is truly the strongest medicine for the mind, body and soul. Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict and nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. Until we stop laughing, we will always be happy and healthy. Gordon W. Allport said "So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate sword other than laughter." With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a great resource for our problems, enhancing our relationships, supporting both physical and emotional health, and of course, saving us a lot of money.
Laughing is the only drug we need because of the benefits it contributes to our health and well-being. Nothing on this earth can help us the way laughter does. It makes us happier people, it relieves stress, it helps us on a bad day, and it's free. Laughter relaxes the body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. It boosts the immune system. It decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. It also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. Laughter protects the heart and improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. That's a mouth full. There are absolutely no negative affects to laughing. Laughing makes us happy and makes those around us happy as well.
No, laughter will not help the economy, but it helps ourselves and that's something we shouldn't forget. Laughter is the best medicine.
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