Laughing With the Head Hunters

What's so funny about Executive placement? Well, did you hear the joke about the head hunter who walked into a bar with a parrot who said....?

Last week I had the extreme pleasure of being interviewed by the wonderfully affable, competent and contagious laugher, Kathleen Kurke who, along with her many talents host a radio podcast Truth From The Trenches which, focuses on topics of everything in the Recruiting industry. Kathleen was interested in how she and her colleagues in the field of employment placement might incorporate Laughter Yoga into their practices.

One of the 'tips' that I shared with Kathleen about the use of Laughter Yoga in conducting interviews, was to ask applicants to state a skill or competency and then laugh. Repeat. Laugh. This works especially well when the interviewer senses that the applicant is nervous or not presenting their 'true' self. I also suggested that the use of laughter for both the interviewer and the applicant or job seeker in preparation for the meeting will reduce stress and induce what I like to call tickling bubbles throughout the body. There's nothing wrong and everything right preparing for an important meeting with a few minutes of laughter.

I hope that you get as much out of listening to the interview as I received by participating in it.

Laughing at AIDS

When I think of the friends that I lost to AIDS along with countless others around the world, laughter is not the first things that comes to mind. And yet, that's what Nigerian director Bolanle Ninalowo is attempting to do in his movie, "Rebirth".

As reported by the Temple News Online, (Temple University, Philadelphia) Ninalowo’s script tells the tale of a "young Nigerian man whose hedonistic lifestyle comes to a sudden halt when he discovers he may have contracted HIV. While it may seem strange for a film with such a serious topic to elicit laughter, that was the goal. By entertaining the audience, “Rebirth” lets viewers approach the sensitive issue more comfortably."

“I thought it was very funny,” said Adedun Aderemi, an Arcadia University student who attended the premiere. “It had a lot of information and talked about living with HIV, which a lot of people are really scared about.”

Not only is laughter one of the best medicines, it's also a great vehicle for teaching and sharing important, life saving knowledge. Who knew?

Laughter May Lower Heart Attack Risk in Diabetics

Those who chuckled daily had better 'good' cholesterol than those who didn't, study shows.
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Setting aside time each day for some good, hearty laughter could help diabetics improve their cholesterol levels and possibly lower their risk of heart attack, researchers report.

"Laughter may indeed be a good medicine," said study author Lee Berk, a preventive care specialist and psychoneuroimmunologist at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, Calif. "Laughter may be as valuable as the diabetes medicines you are taking."

Berk is slated to present his findings at the American Physiological Society annual meeting in New Orleans.

Berk and his colleague, Dr. Stanley Tan, an endocrinologist and diabetes specialist at Oak Crest Health Research Institute in Loma Linda, assigned 20 adults with type 2 diabetes, average age 50, to a control group or the laughter group.

All had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Both groups were taking standard diabetes medications, high blood pressure medicines and cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The laughter group was instructed to view "self-selected" humor for at least 30 minutes every day. Self-selected humor, Berk said, was "that which they found humorous or funny for themselves." That usually meant watching sitcoms or funny movies.

The laughter group members got into it, he said, and were faithful to the minimum exposure to humor time of 30 minutes daily. "Once they got into it, they really liked it," he said.

After 12 months, the researchers evaluated both groups by such tests as measuring cholesterol levels and levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation thought to be associated with heart disease.

The laughter group had an increase in "good" HDL cholesterol of 26 percent, compared to just a 3 percent increase in the good cholesterol of the control group, Berk said. Harmful C-reactive proteins declined by 66 percent in the laughter group but just 26 percent for the control group. Both differences were statistically significant, Berk noted.

What's the secret? Put very simply, Berk said, "you are decreasing the bad chemicals in the body with laughter and increasing the good chemicals, which help you stay well, may prevent disease and may well have [additional] value relative to the therapies you are taking."

The findings came as no surprise to Theresa Garnero, a nurse and diabetes educator at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, who has long employed humor in helping her patients deal with diabetes. She also has woven information about the use of humor into the books she has written on the topic.

A growing body of evidence finds value in humor when dealing with diabetes, Garnero said. She cites another study in which laughter helped to lower the increase in blood glucose that occurs after meals. Laughter, she said, "can help put things in perspective, light the fire of self-care management -- this is a self-care disease -- and help people maintain their stride."

"There is so much minutia involved in this disease," Garnero said, referring to the detailed instructions those with diabetes get from their doctor and diabetes educator to maintain a healthy diet, watch their blood sugar, and be on the alert for any symptoms of complications of the disease. "By adding a little humor, they can maintain perspective over the long haul," she said.

Sue McLaughlin, president of health care and education for the American Diabetes Association, said, "It is encouraging to know that something like laughter, which is cost-free and can be shared and promoted by many, has beneficial effects on the well-being of a chronic disease that affects 24 million Americans."

Reduction in heart disease risk is especially valuable, she said. "People with diabetes are at a two- to fourfold increased risk for cardiovascular disease, compared to their non-diabetic counterparts."

Have a laughter attack, not a heart attack

Dr. Oz Says, Laughter is The Best Medicine

Know-it-All, Dr. Oz of the Oprah Kingdom confirms that "laughter is the best medicine after speaking with comic Steve Rizzo and humorist Kurt Kilpatrick.

Steve Rizzo, author of Becoming a Humor Being said, "People need to know that there is a difference between laughing at something that's very serious and laughing off the fear that represents it," Steve says. "If you can allow yourself to laugh off the fear, and anything that might be bothering you, you're going to beat it."

That's been my experience as well. And although Steve says that "Everyone has a 'humor being,' everyone on this planet," he says. "Your humor being is of your higher self—it's the part of you that brings out the best in you when times get really tough," you don't need a sense of humor to laugh. It may help but it is not required.

Sad Spouses use Humor, Laughter, & Happiness

Humor, laughter, and happiness in the daily lives of recently bereaved spouses.
Lund DA, Utz R, Caserta MS, De Vries B. University of Utah, Salt Lake City

The positive psychology movement has created more interest in examining the potential value of experiencing positive emotions (e.g., humor, laughter, and happiness) during the course of bereavement. This study of 292 recently widowed (5-24 weeks) men (39%) and women (61%) age 50 and over examined both the perceived importance of and actual experience of having positive emotions in their daily lives and how they might impact bereavement adjustments. We found that most of the bereaved spouses rated humor and happiness as being very important in their daily lives and that they were also experiencing these emotions at higher levels than expected. Experiencing humor, laughter, and happiness was strongly associated with favorable bereavement adjustments (lower grief and depression) regardless of the extent to which the bereaved person valued having these positive emotions.

Once again, laughter proves to be the best medicine.

Yours in giggles and laughter,

Bruce

Article plumbed from: www.pubmed.gov

Laugh For No Reason?

Absolutely! You don't need a reason to laugh. Your brain can't tell the difference between 'fake' and 'real' laughter. If laughter is the "best medicine" and I believe it is, along with scientist, researcher and thousands of people who practice laughing for no reason, than why not start laughing for no reason right now?

Laughter Yoga combines playful, empowering and tension-releasing laughter with with simple yogic breathing exercises. You don't need a sense of humor, jokes or comedy to laugh using Laughter Yoga. As an exercise, Laughter Yoga is used as a tool to relax, energize and to become more confident and positive. Because laughter is contagious simulated laughter turns into 'real' laughter and in-turn joyful. The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between 'fake' and real laughter. You will experience the same physiological and psychological benefits.

Laughter Yoga has many benefits beside the joy of laughter. It strengthens the immune system, combats negative effects of stress, and is a powerful antidote to depression and anxiety. It alleviates high blood pressure and asthma and increases tolerance to pain. In addition, it improves sense of humor, self confidence and communications skills. Laugh as a way to improve health, increase well- being, and promote more peace, tranquility and understanding in the world.

Want to start stressing-less, enjoying more, get healthier and increase your level of happiness? Come laugh with me for no reason. I offer a variety of Laughter Yoga Workshops for the work-place, schools, colleges and private organizations.

I'm Laughing With You

Are you laughing at me? No, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you. 

Recently, I've been using laughter as a tool for coaching my life coaching clients who have been under extreme pressure. Many of them are so overwhelmed with stress that they are unable to see the trees that make up the forrest. When I ask what it would feel like to have all their stress relieved, their faces light up and their entire deportment relaxes. They smile, sigh and release a short chortle of a laugh. I respond in-kind and the chuckles roll into genuine laughter. The release of endorphins, the flowing of the blood the lightening of the mood, reduces their circumstances right down to its base: manageable situations.

Laughter truly is the best medicine when used properly and when you follow the prescription. I even recommend laughing before that important meeting or interview as laughter is a great stress reducer and has a wonderful way of reminding us what's truly important in life.

For laughter and stress management workshops as well as life and business coaching visit my Site and Stress-Less

Laugh with me now. It's free and anyone can do it.