Laugh out loud and pass it on

Laughter is the best medicine.

My roommates and I live by an E.E. Cummings quote that… Laughter is the best medicine.

My roommates and I live by an E.E. Cummings quote that states, “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”

I’ve always had to laugh at certain aspects of my life. You know, those aspects that would otherwise drive you absolutely insane unless you found the humor in them.

For example, my parents accidentally forgot me at church when I was about six. How do you forget your last born at church? They even remembered my grandmother, for crying out loud.

They were about 10 minutes away when someone finally noticed that I wasn’t sitting in the middle of the backseat, clutching my customary motion-sickness puke bag.

By the time they came back for me, the congregation had basically pulled straws to see who would be forced to take me home. It’s no wonder that for years afterwards I would dissolve into near hysterics anytime I lost sight of my family at church.

But now I can just look back and laugh. But of course I do, unless I want to suffer severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

The benefits of laughter are boundless. Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California have conducted research that has proven that laughter lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells and disease-fighting proteins which in turn produce disease-destroying antibodies.

Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being. Now that’s what I call a good recreational drug.

And while some might consider laughter a way of not dealing with unpleasant situations, I would argue that it is an efficient way of coping. It may not completely heal sick people, but it changes perspective and boosts morale.

The real-life Patch Adams, a doctor who brought bright smiles to the faces of many who were sick or terminally ill, created the Gesundheit Institute that ran as a free community hospital for 12 years. Now, it is being rebuilt even bigger and better in West Virginia. Adams strives to combine traditional medical practice along with recreation, laughter and fun to hopefully begin a revolution in the approach to healthcare.

Why shouldn’t patients who are constantly forced to realize the grimness of their physical states get to brighten their spirits with a touch of lightheartedness? Laughter may be difficult to find in mourning, but a smile is the first step toward healing a heart. The death of a close friend last school year really made me realize this.

Last year, when I came home from class to find that my goldfish’s bowl had been cleaned, I was ecstatic. Then I looked at the gallon of distilled water specifically for the fishbowl and realized that none was missing. You see, tap water has too much chlorine and kills fish.

I frantically asked my two roommates if they had changed the water, but both denied the act. I determined that my third roommate, who was at class, had been the culprit. Despite emergency life-saving efforts of changing the poison-water and filling the bowl with distilled water, I knew it was inevitable.

The following morning, Fishmaster Flex was floating in his watery grave.

I left him there until all roommates were present for a proper burial that evening. The fish-murdering roommate was forced to scoop him out with a plastic spoon and carry him to the toilet while we all hummed “Amazing Grace.”

We couldn’t help but giggle when Flex plopped into the toilet, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t still miss him. The remainder of last year we kept his cleaned fishbowl on the coffee table with a hot pink post-it note amidst his multicolored pebbles and castle that read: “Here rests the soul of Fishmaster Flex. Soon to be replaced.”

We never did find a proper replacement for Flex, and we still laugh about the times we shared with him. But I’m thinking it’s time to move on.

I’ve asked for two fire-bellied newts for Christmas. Partly so I can hold them and love them, but mostly so I can name them Sir Isaac Newton and Strawberry Fig Newton.

But I digress. Here’s my advice – get the giggles and pass it on. Like Patch Adams says: “Enjoy your day – be a joy germ.”

Jessica is interested in all of the other Newtons she could possibly name her newts after. E-mail Jessica at jrp32@pitt.edu.