"We've all heard the phrase, "Laughter is the Best Medicine," but does laughter really help in relieving not only stress, but also disease?

One of the foremost pioneers in humor therapy was Norman Cousins. In his book entitled Anatomy of an Illness (as Perceived by the Patient), he recounts his battle with a connective tissue disease, ankylosing spondylitis. While all the specialists' prognoses were poor, Mr. Cousins believed that he could, in fact, "cure himself". He used humor as both a painkiller and a substitute for chemical therapy. He found that watching old Marx Brothers movies evoked genuine belly laughter, which led to at least two hours of pain-free sleep and a significant drop in his sedimentary level. With daily doses of laughter, combined with active participation in his medical treatment, Mr. Cousins made a full recovery. Almost 20 years later, he suffered a massive heart attack. Using the same philosophy of laughter and "partnership" with his physicians, he again made a full recovery. Mr. Cousins, who was the editor of Saturday Review, became a member of the faculty of UCLA's School of Medicine in 1978, specializing in the field of biochemistry of emotions."

I believe Mr. Cousins is now dead.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13