“I take so many pills, I rattle when I walk.”
says its important to look at humour therapy as “additional”
medicine, not alternative.
“Humour is simple and basic for the most part,” says
Radvanyi. “Rubber chickens and bubbles tend to tickle most
people’s funny bones.”
But clown doctors don’t always use humour, according to
Radvanyi.
“Sometimes the patient or resident needs to talk and get
things off their chest. Sometimes singing gentle songs can sooth
agitation or pain, to fill the gap between doses of medication.
Distracting children with bubbles may ease their nervousness
about their hospital stays.”
Clown doctors not only help banish loneliness, fear, anxiety
and boredom, they also improve morale for staff who have to
work in difficult situations every day. Using art, performance,
and magic, clown doctors can aid in support system bonding
and understanding. Radvanyi shared one anecdote of
interaction with a housekeeper.
“Dr. Fuzzy Wuzzy asked if she was going to audition for the
new reality TV show called ‘Dancing with the Mop.’ Fuzzy
taught her the cha cha and the tango, and they danced down the
hall.” Anyone can benefit from a little bit of laughter, anywhere.
Quality of life can be improved through laughter, and clown
doctors can aid in difficult transitions, like moving into a
long-term care facility.
“There is a lot of stress and sadness when a senior moves
to a long-term care facility. Some often become depressed. We
look to lift spirits through laughter, story-and-joke telling and
music. We have also trained staff members at some retirement
and nursing homes to continue the fun and laughter when we
aren’t there,” said Radvanyi.
And sometimes, even the rubber chicken is unnecessary.
Laughter Yoga stimulates the benefits of laughter without being
Click here
to see
Laughter
Yoga in
action!
dependant on humour. Recent studies have shown that fake
laughter can be just as effective as spontaneous laughter, with
all the same physiological and psychological benefits. Laughter
Yoga International continuously works with a variety of clientele,
from children with autism, patients with limited mobility,
victims of natural disasters, and hospice. You can even become
certified in Laughter Yoga, with training available to become a
certified laughter yoga leader through laughteryoga.org.
You know Kathryn Kimmins practices what she preaches
from the minute her voice mail clicks on. “This is Catherine,
from laugh Yourself Healthy. Hahahahaha!” Kimmins is a
Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher out of Hamilton Ontario. She
describes laughter yoga as a combination of what she calls
“joyful elements.”
Her email in response to my inquiry brought further smiles.
“Ha Ha Ha Hello, Angelica!” it says. She goes on to explain how
Laughter Yoga works.
“Laughter yoga is a unqiue combination of laughter
exercises, deep breathing, singing, dancing and play,” says
Kimmins. “There are no traditional yoga poses involved,” a
common misconception that may throw some off the idea of
laughter yoga.
“An hour long session of laughter yoga incorporates
everything from a warm up to a cool down, with some hearty
laughter in between. We base our exercises on everyday
experiences - remembering something Easter-related from
childhood for example,” said Kimmins.
The possibilities of laughter medicine don’t stop with the
obvious benefits of stress relief and mood improvement. Specific
studies at the University of Maryland have shown the
improvement of cardiovascular health from laughter therapy,
along with pre-emptive protection of heart health from regular
laughter.
Susan Minns
chose the
red shoes.
Click here to
find out why