Comedy And Cancer: Using Laughter As A Medicine
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is no laughing matter. Finding out that you are battling cancer can change many aspects of your daily life. Each decision you make must be carefully thought out to ensure you don't hinder your treatment.
While the type of entertainment you choose to participate in might not seem like it would make a difference, opting to watch a comedian can actually aid you in your fight against cancer. Here are two ways that laughter can help you fight cancer in the future.
1. Laughter can help reduce your stress levels.
Going through cancer treatment can be stressful. Not only must you worry about the effectiveness of the treatment, but you also spend a significant amount of time worrying about how your treatment will affect your friends and family members.
Chronic stress can take a toll on your body, making it more difficult for you to remain healthy throughout your cancer treatment. Making the choice to watch a comedian perform gives you the chance to relieve your stress through laughter.
According to researcher Hans Selye, laughter encourages the release of the chemicals adrenaline and noradrenaline. This chemical release encourages the two-step action of stimulation and relaxation, which can effectively reduce chronic stress levels.
Regularly laughing at a comedian while going through cancer treatment can help you prevent chronic stress from negatively affecting your recovery.
2. Laughter can boost your immune system.
The threat of contracting an infection while battling cancer is very real. Many cancer treatments weaken the immune system, so finding natural ways to help bolster immune system activity can be beneficial.
Many researchers have documented the positive effects of laughter on the body's immune system. Norman Cousins found that laughter can help ward off disease. Researchers at Canada's University of Waterloo proved that laughter increased levels of immunoglobulins IgA and IgG, which can help your body more effectively fight off infection as you go through cancer treatment.
Seeing a comedian perform is one easy way to promote laughter, so making comedy shows a regular part of your life after receiving a cancer diagnosis can help you take advantage of the support laughter can provide to your immune system as you endure cancer treatment in the future.
Making comedians part of your cancer-fighting team might not seem like an obvious decision, but the health benefits laughter can provide make comedy shows a critical part of your cancer treatment. If you're interested in seeing a comedian perform, click here for more info.
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