What is laughter therapy?

Yes. A practice called laughter yoga temporarily relieves the chronic pain of conditions like fibromyalgia and arthritis. It incorporates relaxation, meditation and stretching techniques with breathing exercises and playful laughter.

Can a laugh a day keep the doctor away? Maybe, according to many researchers. Think about it--while the finding is disheartening, it may come as no surprise that the average adult only laughs about l7 times a day, while a six-year-old laughs as many as 300 times. Laughter helps to relieve anxiety, decreases stress-producing hormones, and increases immune system activity. In fact, many doctors are now prescribing “humor therapy” for chronically ill patients.