Let the surgeon take care to regulate the whole regimen of the patient's life for joy and happiness, allowing his relatives and special friends to cheer him and by having someone tell him jokes. In the 1930s U.S. hospitals began to bring in clowns to cheer children hospitalized with polio. In 1972, the Gesundheit Institute (of Patch Adams fame) was founded to bring fun, friendship, and the joy of service back into health care. Norman Cousins calls laughter internal jogging. Cousins had been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, an experience that had led him to question Western medicine. Cousins found the treatments suggested by his doctors to be totally lacking, so he checked himself out of the hospital and checked into a hotel. From here on, he literally laughed himself back to health. He immersed himself in only funny movies and television shows. He enjoyed every one of the Charlie Chaplin movies, and watched Candid Camera episodes until his sides hurt, laughing. His illness disappeared. From this experience, he wrote an enlightening book, Anatomy of an Illness. Even the Bible suggests that we keep a happy heart: A cheerful heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit makes one sick. Proverbs 17:22 Solid scientific research demonstrates that laughter offers the following benefits: Lowering blood pressure Strengthening cardiovascular functions Reducing stress hormones Improving circulation Increasing muscle flexion Oxygenating the body by boosting the respiratory system Boosting immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T- cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gammainterferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies. Triggering the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers Producing a general sense of well-being. Even anticipating laughter can enhance our biochemistry. In a novel experiment conducted at Loma Linda University, researchers studied a group of 16 healthy male volunteers. The participants were assigned to two groups. Blood was drawn from both groups four times during the event and three times afterward. The experiment group was told that they would be watching a humorous video. The control group was not. The findings were astounding. The experiment group showed not only a decrease in stress hormones (cortisol, epinephrine, and dopac,) but also an increase in beta-endorphins (chemicals that alleviate depression) and human growth hormone (which boosts immunity.) Dr. Lee Berk, the team's lead researcher, sums up the study: Our findings lead us to believe that by seeking out positive experiences that make us laugh we can do a lot with our physiology to stay well. In an earlier study conducted by Dr. Berk and her team, the experimental group watched a humorous video. Blood samples were measured on both the experimental group (that watched the humorous video) and a control group (that did not watch the video.) The results were similar to the above experiment showing positive biochemical changes by those who watched the funny video. In addition, this study also demonstrated the positive physiological changes that occur after a session of laughter. Dr. Berk states: The physiological effects of a single one-hour session viewing a humorous video appear to last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours in different individuals. Interestingly, one can exercise both mind and body is a class called laughter yoga. This trend has been active in India and China for years and is now part of a growing trend in the United States. The students are re-learning something children already know instinctively