Laughter is the Best Medicine

For the most part I am a happy and optimistic person. I can easily laugh with my friends at a funny joke or a funny video. Laughter is also becoming a turning point with those who have Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Laughing decreases the stress levels in the body and releases endorphins that aid in memory loss prevention. A study was done where elderly individuals who had diabetes and another who were healthy watched a 20 minute humorous video. “The groups that watched the funny video also showed greater improvement in memory recall, learning ability and sight recognition, compared with those who did not watch the video. The diabetic group demonstrated the greatest improvement in both cortisol levels and memory test scores.” So after all, laughter is the best medicine. I am still exploring my options of what I can do in my health major. Having the opportunity to work with patients who have memory troubles by getting them to laugh would be a very rewarding experience.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/276042.php