Does Laughter Create Healthy Blood Vessels
What have researchers at the traditional schools of medicine discovered about laughter? Laughter it seems has a tendency to expand the lining of the blood vessels, thereby increasing blood flow and contributing to healthier functioning of those blood vessels. What else does this study say to modern medicine? The stress levels of modern man actually do work to constrict the flow of blood through those same blood vessels. If laughter increases their size, stress has the opposite effect, right? Absolutely. The endothelium, the inner lining of a blood vessel has a great effect when it comes to regulating blood flow.
The purpose of the endothelium is to regulate the thickening of the blood and secrete certain chemicals in response to wounds, infection, cuts, or irritations. The endothelium is the first place doctors look when evaluating a condition of the hardening of the arteries. As a result of this study, could it be possible to tie laughter to the healthy functioning of the endothelium, and therefore to healthier blood vessels? Many members of the medical field are admitting that it is a distinct possibility. Laughter seems to offset the harmful effects of stress, which are also harmful to the endothelium. A group of men and women, equally divided with an average age of 33 participated in a study to try and prove or disprove this theory.
They were all non-smokers with relatively few other medical conditions, and had received average results for blood pressure checks, cholesterol checks, and glucose levels. The subjects were asked to watch two movies: one that produced laughter, and one that produced mental stress. The movies were shown 48 hours apart, and the subjects were monitored for blood flow changes such as blood pressure, blood flow levels, and vessel relaxation. What happened? The subjects’ bodies behaved as though they had partaken in physical activity, without the usual pain of exercise. Now, the medical field is not recommending that you skip exercise and just laugh; they say a combination of the two is good for the vascular system. As you can see, researchers have gone to great lengths to check this out. The results of the test measurements, which were performed under medical observation, make a great case for laughter and cardiovascular health. Once again we can see where laughter plays a very important role in our health and happiness.
Laughter is a very important cardiac conditioning for those who cannot do physical exercise. Laughter may also affect many other organs and tissues within the body, that when working as they should, can have a direct impact on the cardiovascular system. When you add up all the benefits that laughing seems to bring to the health of an individual, it's no wonder that we should ponder: Does laughter create healthy blood vessels?
What about the way that blood flow impacts the rest of our body? While we are busy determining the benefit of laughter for the blood stream, let's pause to look at the laughter benefit derived from better muscle function, better brain functioning, and the advantages derived from a "sunny disposition"; do all these factors contribute to the health of our blood vessels, or do our healthy blood vessels contribute to the health of the rest of our body? Well, this is a catch-22; they are interdependent upon each other. When one system functions better, they all seem to function better, and then they seem to simply feed off each other.
So, not only is exercise of the physical body necessary, so too is exercise of the humor and associated emotions. Anger and stress have the same affect as setting on the couch does versus exercise. Humor is good, anger and stress are bad. We must learn to utilize all means of staying healthy; even it is means we laugh our way there.
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