We've all known for many years that cancer patients who have a positive attitude and retain a good sense of humor have an increased chance of survival. Well, cancer isn't the only disease weakened by a good laugh.
Norman Cousins, publisher and editor of the Saturday Evening Post, probably wasn't the first to recognize this phenomenon, but he was the first to write a best seller about it. In 1964 he had just finished a stressful trip to the Soviet Union when he was hospitalized in London in extreme pain. The diagnosis? Ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammation of the spine.
Instead of remaining in the hospital for treatment, Cousins checked into a hotel. There he treated himself with large doses of Vitamin C and a steady diet of funny movies. He did so well, in fact, that he became an advocate of humor as medical treatment, and of the mind-body connection. His book, Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient, is still in print.
That he was taken seriously by the medical community is proven by the fact that he joined the faculty of the UCLA Medical School in the 1980s. Since that time, popular author/lecturer Bernie S. Siegel, M.D. has also written a book called Humor and Healing, and others have published on the subject as well.
I know, I know - when you have an excruciating headache, nothing seems very funny. What I'm advocating is simply using humor every day to deal with the stresses in your life which contribute so much to your chronic headaches.
You don't have to make time to watch funny movies every day. Just try to nourish your sense of humor and look for the amusing side of everyday events. I mean ... you can work yourself into a high state of anxiety about pregnant chads or you can choose to see how ridiculous the whole Florida election process became - and no, I'm not a fan of our new president.
I remember when I was a teenager and as uptight about my appearance as most teens are, my mother would lecture me about the way I frowned as I walked down the street. She'd tell me to smile. "Your smile is your best feature," she'd say. "It lights up your whole face."
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