For years, the use of humor has been used in medicine. Surgeons used humor to distract patients from pain as early as the 13th century. Later, in the 20th century, came the scientific study of the effect of humor on physical wellness. Many credit this to Norman Cousins. After years of prolonged pain from a serious illness, Cousins describes how watching comedy movies helped him recover. For people living with cancer, it may seem strange to find humor when facing such serious issues. Yet, laughter can be helpful in ways you might not have realized or imagined. Laughter can help you feel better about yourself and the world around you. Laughter can be a natural diversion. When you laugh, no other thought comes to mind. Laughing can also induce physical changes in the body. After laughing for only a few minutes, you may feel better for hours. When used in addition to conventional cancer treatments, laughter therapy may help in the overall healing process. At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), they fight cancer using an integrative approach. They use  laughter therapy on their patients as they receive conventional cancer treatments. Laughter Club is based not on humor or jokes, but rather on laughter as a physical exercise. One group laughter exercise involves patients standing in a circle, with the leader in the middle. Patients put their fingertips on their cheekbones, chest or lower abdomen and make “ha ha” or “hee hee” sounds until they felt vibrations through their bodies. Dr. Puckett says during these exercises, it is hard for people not to join in because laughter is so contagious.

 

"I didn't even think about cancer during Laughter Club"- Cancer Patient

"That felt great! Things have been so hard that we hadn't laughed in months."

" The patients afterwards find themselves more optimistic about treatment, the laughter causes great physical and emotional effects."- Joseph Phillip M.D.