5 Ways To Raise Your Vibration Right Now

By Steven Bancarz

In spirituality, our “vibration” essentially refers to our energetic state.  Our dominant thoughts, our physical health, our emotions, and our beliefs all collectively contribute to the vibrational state of our energy field.  The contribute to our “vibes” if you will.  When you can feel “vibes” coming from another person, you are literally tapping in to the energy field of that person.

Nobody wants to feel anything other than peace and happiness.  There is a long list of things you can incorporate in your lifestyle that will raise your vibration over the course of time, and even immediately.  Getting sunlight, loving yourself, eating a healthy diet, spending time with friends, and being out in nature are just some of the more obvious ways.

There are some things, however, that you can do right now regardless of where you are that will help raise your vibrational state.  In other words, they will help cultivate more peace of mind, more happiness, more clarity, and more overall wellness immediately.  Here are 5 things you can do right away to raise your vibration:

1) Meditation

We all knew this one would be on the list.  And we all know about the overwhelming amount of physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits that come with mediation.  Yet for some reason, we all kind of resist meditation.  I feel resistance arise sometimes before meditation or even during it, even though I know it is fundamental to my evolution.  The key is to stop thinking of meditation as a task, or as something you have to do.  You don’t have to prepare or do anything fancy.

Just sit right where you are, close your eyes, and just be.  Take a break from your life situation.  Drop all intention of going somewhere or needing to do anything, and give yourself full permission to completely relax, even if it’s just for 60 seconds.  You can do this at the office when your boss isn’t looking, in the bathroom, during commercials on your favourite show, or whenever you would like.  The key is to stay relaxed, yet alert without thinking.  Just be, as the consciousness that you are.  You will always notice an immediate shift in your energetic state, even if you only practice this for 30 seconds.  Your body and mind begin to rest, and your brainwaves will actually alter as well.  Meditation is not a chore! It’s a vacation.  Treat yourself every now and then, and I promise you will see changes in your life.

2) Conscious Breathing

Take 3 conscious breaths right now.  No for real.  Do it.  Take a deep inhale, and be there with the breath the entire way in, and be there with it on the way out.   We give so much attention to the redundant thoughts in our heads and so little time to the breath which is constantly giving us life and sustaining our being.  Every time you choose to stop what you are doing, turn your attention away from the compulsive thought stream and invest it into the flow of the breath, you are literally making the choice to evolve faster.  Every time you take a deep breath, you are cultivating more peace, happiness, stillness, and clarity right away.

I challenge you to take as many conscious breaths as you can throughout the day.  At least every 30 minutes, remind yourself to inhale deeply and be present with the flow of your breathing.  You are literally taking in more Life Energy when you do this.  You will notice that as you begin to get into the habit of doing this on a regular basis, and undercurrent of peace will begin to arise on its own.  More energy, more spiritual awareness, right now.  Take 3 more before you continue on to the next point.

3) Practice Gratitude

You are not starving to death somewhere.   You have clean water to drink.  You have a roof to sleep under.  But on top of the endless list of things you could be grateful for, here is something to think about.  You are on a massive rock whirling around a ball of fire at a speed of 108,000 kph. The sun itself is whizzing along the outskirts of the galactic arm at a rate of 792,000 km/h,  and our Milky Way galaxy itself is moving at almost 1 million kph.  Nobody knows what caused the universe, why it is here, why/how subjectivity or consciousness exists, or how life formed out of dead inert matter in the first place.  I personally believe there is an Intelligence behind it all, but whatever your beliefs may be, here is the most amazing fact of all:

13.6 billion years of star formation and destruction, of chemical evolution, of biological evolution, of countless miraculous events that led to the formation of plants, moons, and ultimately to conscious beings took place so that YOU could experience this moment.  Right now.  The universe went through all of this so it could experience itself through your perspective.  YOU are a f**king miracle.  Life is so amazing.  Look outside.  Here the birds.  Feel the wind.   You are on a planet in outer space, and nobody knows how or why anything exists at all.  Take a look at your friends, your loved ones, and just sit with the internal realization that everything around you is literally a miracle.  We so often forget how lucky we are to experience anything at all.  Taking a moment to remember the preciousness of life is something that always brings your energetic state to a completely new level.

4) Laughter

“A day without laughter is a day wasted” Charlie Chaplin once said.  There is nothing like a good laugh to improve your mood and raise your energetic state. Osho once said, “Life as such has to be taken as cosmic joke – and then suddenly you relax because there is nothing to be tense about. And in that very relaxation something starts changing in you.”

Watch your favourite comedian.  Watch a funny movie.  Tell a pun or two.  Lightheartedness is the best way to approach almost all dilemmas in your life.  When you are in a fight or an argument with someone, try to administer a little bit of humour to the situation.  Once you can crack a smile out of them, the whole energy field of the room changes and you both realize from this new place of lightheartedness that your connection to each other as people is more important than anything.  If you are in a negative circle of thinking, refer back to something that made you laugh in the past.  It’s never worth it to not be at peace.

Here is a list of spiritual jokes and puns.

5) Understanding That Life Is Temporary

One of the most humbling realizations is that impermanence is an unchanging truth.  You will never get to experience this moment every again.  Everything around you will pass with time.  The trees, the buildings, relationships, accomplishments.  The only things that will remain are memories.  Life is so so temporary.  We all know how fast time seems to fly by.  Whether you believe you have a soul or not, here is a truth that has literally changed the way I see life:

There will be a time in this life where you will be old and near passing.  You will be reflecting on your past experiences, on how you spent your time, on all of the great times you had, and maybe even on how often you took life for granted.  There will come a time in your life where you would give ANYTHING to be in this position right now.  Alive, youthful, healthy.   You would give your arm and a leg if you could just experience life as a 20 or 30 or 50-year-old again.  Imagine yourself being on your deathbed and wishing you could go back for just 30 seconds to extract more experience from life and to fully appreciate how amazing it is.  Consider this moment, right now, being your wish granted. What are you going to do with this moment?

It helps me personally to live with the realization that life is a fleeting experience.  It helps cultivate grace, lightness, and love.  The key to to raising your vibration won’t be found in a chakra chart or by clutching on to crystals.  It lies within the way you choose to interact with this present moment.  You can choose mediate, breathe deep, have a laugh, and realize that life is an absolute gift, or you can choose to allow your vibration to be determined by the world around you.

The power is in your hands!  It always has been, and it always will be.  The more we can own up to our power and improve our energetic state at will, the more peace we will have individually.  The more peace we have individually, the more peace we have collectively.  World peace literally starts with you and your energy field, and it doesn’t take any longer than 30 seconds sitting in a chair somewhere to completely uplift your vibration.

- See more at: http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/5-ways-to-raise-your-vibration/#sthash.YmBIGzF8.dpuf

Happiness and Laughter Are Natural Immune Boosters

By Dr. Mercola

There are many studies supporting the belief that people with an upbeat and positive perspective tend to be healthier and enjoy longer lives. For example, in one study,1 the tendency to always expect the worst was linked to a 25 percent higher risk of dying before the age of 65.

Perhaps one of the most well-known forerunners of “the science of happiness” was Norman Cousins, who in 1964 was diagnosed with a life-threatening autoimmune disease. After being given a one in 500 chance of recovery, Cousins created his own laughter therapy program, which he claims was the key to his ultimate recovery.

Cousins went on to establish the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology2 in Los Angeles, California, and his book, Anatomy of an Illness, was made into a TV movie in 1984 that you can see in the video above. It's an old grainy movie. However, you can watch it if you are in a tough spot and feel you would benefit from some happy support.

Still, conventional medicine is reluctant to admit that your emotional state might have any major impact on your overall health and longevity. Perhaps this is understandable, as “happiness” is not something that can be bottled and sold at your local pharmacy.

The featured article in Scientific American3 discusses some of the latest advancements in the field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), conducted by researchers at the Cousins Center and elsewhere.

Fortunately, despite being ridiculed and rejected by mainstream science, there are still a brave few who are willing to stick their necks out to investigate how and why emotions, such as happiness, affect your physical health. As stated by Stephen Smale, an immunologist at the University of California:

“If you talk to any high-quality neurobiologist or immunologist about PNI, it will invariably generate a little snicker. But this doesn't mean the topic should be ignored forever. Someday we need to confront it and try to understand how the immune system and nervous system interact.”

Your Brain Is Wired to Your Immune System

According to the featured article, studies done in the 1980s and early 1990s revealed that your immune system and brain are actually wired together:

“[P]ortions of the nervous system connect with immune-related organs such as the thymus and bone marrow, and immune cells have receptors for neurotransmitters, suggesting that there is crosstalk.”

In some ways, this discovery can be likened to the revelation that your gut has far broader impact on your health than previously imagined—including your psychological health, as your gut and brain are actually made from the same tissue. In a very real sense, you have TWO brains; one inside your skull, and one in your intestines.

When you get down to it, why wouldn’t your emotions and mental state affect your health? It’s already well-known that stress can take a tremendous toll on your health, for example. Yet conventional scientists frown on the idea that emotions such as “happiness” or “joy” would make any difference. As reported in the featured article:

It has proved difficult to explain how this happens at the molecular level — how subjective moods connect with the vastly complex physiology of the nervous and immune systems. The field that searches for these explanations, known as psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), is often criticized as lacking rigour.

[Cousins Center professor, Steve] Cole's stated aim is to fix that, and his tool of choice is genome-wide transcriptional analysis: looking at broad patterns of gene expression in cells. ‘My job is to be a hard-core tracker,’ he says. ‘How do these mental states get out into the rest of the body?’”

Stress Takes a Toll on Your Immune System

Cole and his colleagues have published a number of studies investigating the genetic effects of various mental states. Not surprisingly, they’ve discovered that different emotional states tend to alter gene expression in different ways. 

For example, they found that chronic loneliness tends to result in certain types of genes being either up- or downregulated.4 Genes involved in the regulation of inflammatory response were upregulated, while genes involved with antiviral control were downregulated. The end result? Decreased immune function. According to the featured article:

“In sociable people, the reverse was true. It was a small study, but one of the first to link a psychological risk factor with a broad underlying change in gene expression.”

Through the years, studies have also been able to show the effects of stress on various biological functions. Such effects include:

Reduced activity of virus-fighting immune cells
Increased levels of antibodies for common viruses such as Epstein-Barr, suggesting that stress can reactivate otherwise latent viruses in your body
Related research presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Miami, Florida, found that ruminating on a stressful incident can increase your levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in your body.5 It was the first study to directly measure this effect.

To do so, they asked 34 healthy young women to give a speech about her candidacy for a job in front of two stone-faced interviewers wearing white lab coats. Afterward, half the group was asked to contemplate their performance while the other half were asked to think about neutral things like going to the grocery store. Blood samples were drawn from each participant, showing that the C-reactive protein levels were significantly higher in those who kept ruminating on their speech. According to Medical News Today:6

“For these participants, the levels of the inflammatory marker continued to rise for at least one hour after the speech. During the same time period, the marker returned to starting levels in the subjects who had been asked to focus on other thoughts.

The C-reactive protein is primarily produced by the liver as part of the immune system's initial inflammatory response. It rises in response to traumas, injuries or infections in the body, [lead author, Peggy] Zoccola explained. C-reative protein is widely used as a clinical marker to determine if a patient has an infection, but also if he or she may be at risk for disease later in life. ‘More and more, chronic inflammation is being associated with various disorders and conditions,’ Zoccola said. ‘The immune system plays an important role in various cardiovascular disorders such as heart disease, as well as cancer, dementia and autoimmune diseases.’"

What Happens in Your Body When You’re Happy?

In one of Professor Cole’s happiness studies, participants answered questions about the frequency of certain emotional states, covering two different categories or types of happiness known to psychologists as:

Hedonic well-being (characterized by happiness gleaned from pleasurable experiences, such as sex)
Eudaimonic well-being (originating with Aristotle, this form of happiness comes from activities that bring you a greater sense of purpose, life meaning, or self-actualization )
Interestingly, while both are positive emotional states associated with happiness, the gene expressions they produced were not identical. Those whose sense of happiness was rooted in the eudaimonic camp were found to have favorable gene-expression profiles, while hedonic well-being produced gene profiles similar to those seen in people experiencing stress due to adversity. According to the featured article:7

“One interpretation is that eudaimonic well-being benefits immune function directly. But Cole prefers to explain it in terms of response to stress. If someone is driven purely by hollow consumption, he argues, all of their happiness depends on their personal circumstances. If they run into adversity, they may become very stressed.

But if they care about things beyond themselves — community, politics, art — then everyday stresses will perhaps be of less concern. Eudaimonia, in other words, may help to buffer our sense of threat or uncertainty, potentially improving our health. ‘It's fine to invest in yourself,’ says Cole, ‘as long as you invest in lots of other things as well.’”

Stress-relieving strategies have also been shown to have direct, beneficial health effects. Meditation, for example, has been shown to promote antiviral gene activity and reduce inflammatory gene expression. Laughter yoga is also becoming increasingly popular around the world.

What Comes First—Health or Happiness?

For many, happiness can be a poorly defined, elusive goal. One way to think about happiness is to define it as “whatever gets you excited.” Once you’ve identified that activity, whatever it is, you can start focusing your mind around that so you can integrate more of it into your day to day life. If you feel stuck and don’t know where or how to start, I suggest reviewing my previous article “13 Tips for Living Happy, Wild, and Free.”

I also believe that factors such as diet and exercise can play a significant role. It’s tough to feel exuberant when you’re not feeling well physically. As mentioned earlier, the state of your gut can have profound implications for your mental well-being, and is an oft-overlooked aspect of depression and other psychological problems. The following lifestyle strategies can help you create a firm foundation of good health, which will support your psychological and emotional being as well.

Eat a healthy diet focused on fresh, whole foods (ideally organic and/or locally grown). Eat a large portion of your food raw. You want to pay careful attention to keeping your insulin levels down, which means avoiding sugars and grains of all kinds, and replacing the lost carbs with healthful fats. Also be mindful of your protein sources, making sure they’re of high quality (ideally organically-raised and pasture-fed). A high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet is likely to improve the health of most people. My optimized Nutritional Plan can guide you, whether you’re at a beginner’s or advanced level.

Consume healthy fat.
 The science is loud and clear on this point: omega-3 fats are essential for optimal health. Other healthy fats include coconut oil, avocados, olives, olive oil, butter, and macadamia nuts. All these fats are low in protein and carbs and will not impair your insulin or leptin.
Make clean, pure water your primary beverage, and steer clear of all sweetened and/or flavored beverages, including those that contain artificial sweeteners.
Manage your stress.

Exercise regularly.
 Ideally, you want a comprehensive fitness regimen that includes stretching, high intensity interval training, core strengthening exercises, and strength training.
Get plenty of appropriate sun exposure to optimize your vitamin D levels naturally. UV exposure also has additional health benefits beyond vitamin D production.

Get grounded.
 Grounding or Earthing is defined as placing one's bare feet on the ground whether it be dirt, grass, sand, or concrete (especially when humid or wet). When you ground to the electron-enriched Earth, an improved balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system occurs. Studies have shown that grounding improves blood viscosity, heart rate variability, inflammation, cortisol dynamics, sleep, autonomic nervous system (ANS) balance, and reduces effects of stress. Earthing also decreases the effect of potentially disruptive electromagnetic fields.

Limit your exposure to toxins of all kinds. 
The number of toxic chemicals and their sources is so large, addressing them all could easily require an entire library, but I believe you can help you keep your toxic load as low as possible by becoming an informed and vigilant consumer. This includes tossing out your toxic household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides, and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives.

Get plenty of quality sleep.
 Scientists have discovered that your circadian rhythms regulate the energy levels in your cells. In addition, the proteins involved with your circadian rhythm and metabolism are intrinsically linked and dependent upon each other. Therefore, when your circadian rhythm is disrupted, it can have a profound influence on your health. For example, research has also linked disrupted sleep cycles to serious health problems like depression, coronary heart diseases, and even cancer. If you have any kind of sleep problem, whether you’re having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, my article “33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep” is packed with great tips to help you finally get some good rest.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/12/happiness-laughter-immune-boosters.aspx

LOL: 6 Scientific Reasons You’d Actually Live Longer If You Just Laughed More

By  LAURA ARGINTAR

Next time you’re caught watching YouTube videos of tumbling cats, just tell your boss you’re taking your daily vitamins. According to a variety research, laughter really is the best medicine.

Besides making you really fun to be around at parties, laughing offers a multitude of health benefits. It improves your mood, relieves stress and supports your heart. Now there’s a solid reason to hang out with Netflix and indulge in Seth Rogen films all day.

Working in high-pressure environments and dwelling in crowded cities make it hard to find humor in the every day. We all need that someone or something to make us laugh.

It breaks the tension, loosens things up and lightens our loads. There really are no downsides to letting it out with laughs.

Laughter lands you the girl, makes you fall for the funny guy and never look back, and improves your friendships. All this humorous quality time isn’t just for your own fun though, it’s also favorable for your body’s wellness.

It’s time we start hanging out with our funny friends more often. We can thank them for helping us live longer lives. (Or, you can just check out the Elite Daily Humor section, too. We hear it’s really good for your health…)

Here are six reasons why we all need to laugh more:

1. Strengthens memory recall

Researchers at California’s Loma Linda University found that older adults performed significantly better on short-term memory tests after watching funny videos.

Humor delivers more than just comic relief, it also greatly improves recall abilities by stimulating more gamma brain waves. Have you laughed today?

2. Prevents heart disease

It’s important that you can laugh at yourself. Having a sense humor and learning to laugh more may help guard against potential heart attacks, according to a 2009 study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

The groundbreaking study found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to let out a chuckle in everyday life situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

All those quotes about not taking life too seriously because you’re not coming out of it alive actually have some science behind them.

3. Burns calories

Good news if you don’t want to go to the gym today and instead sit on your couch viewing Amy Schumer reruns: Big-belly laughing for just 15 minutes per day burns anywhere from 10-40 calories.

According to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, laughing makes the heart beat faster, works the muscles and expends 10 to 20 percent more energy than at rest.

While that number might seem insignificant, it can result in a 1- to 4-pound weight loss per year — just by having a good time.

4. Relieves pain

This is no joke, laughter can ease pain by encouraging the body to produce natural endogenous painkillers. The Mayo Clinic suggests that the laughing also breaks pain-spasm cycles common to muscle disorders. Whether you’re in physical or mental pain, laughing helps you to cope.

Hmm, maybe this explains why we love watching “Sex and the City” after an awful date or traumatic breakup.

5. Releases endorphins

The physical act of laughing triggers an increase in endorphins. Muscle movements involved in producing the familiar “ha, ha, ha” cause your brain to release these feel-good chemicals, which is why we enjoy laughing until it hurts.

Like Elle Woods knows, endorphins make you happy, plus laughter makes you happy — you’re just one big ball of fun.

6. Eases stress

By stimulating oxygen to your organs and enhancing muscle relaxation, laughter has a very welcoming way of relieving everyday stressors.

A booming laugh aids in your circulation and increases your heart rate and blood pressure, which, in turn, helps you to loosen up and shake it out, Florence + The Machines not necessary. No wonder why watching the Housewives makes us feel so good about ourselves…

http://elitedaily.com/life/reasons-need-laugh-more/780899/

Negotiating with a Dentist? LOL

HOW LAUGHTER IMPROVES YOUR MEMORY

Dr. Victor Marchione MD

You don’t need a doctor to tell you that a giggle session is good for the soul, but new research shows that it can also be good for your brain.

A recent study of people with diabetes (rising numbers in North America) found that laughter could reduce age-related memory loss.

I’m all for it! Life is short, after all, and if can’t have a bring-you-to-tears laughter session now and again, well, what’s it all for?

COULD YOU PASS A MEMORY TEST (WITH FLYING COLORS)?

The study, presented at San Diego’s Experimental Biology meeting, involved 20 healthy individuals aged 66 to 72. Researchers at Loma Linda University in California had one group of test subjects sit quietly in a room and had the other, which included both people with diabetes and those without, watch a short comedy video.

Immediately after, they tested the patients’ memory and found that those who had watched the funny video performed better on all of its measures – memory recall, learning ability and visual recognition. The researchers found that memory recall and learning ability were up by about 40 percent in the group that watched the funny video, compared to 20 percent for the group that watched nothing.

The study subjects also showed lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone known to negatively impact brain neurons, after watching the video. Measured at the start and end of the test via saliva samples, the cortisol levels decreased in the humor group for those both with and without diabetes, but stayed constant in the control group.

The subject group with diabetes showed both the greatest improvements in the memory test and the greatest reductions in cortisol levels after watching the comedy video. So watching those crazy YouTube videos your friends and family email you might do you and your brain a world of good.

STRESS CAN HARM YOUR BODY AND YOUR BRAIN

Too much stress is hard on your body, we all know that. But recent research has shown that stressful emotions could make the brain more susceptible to mental illness and previous studies have shown that stress increases cortisol production. This lends credit to the idea that stress can damage memory and the ability to learn in older people.

The recent California study shows that a person’s memory performance should improve as they encounter less stress, co-author Dr. Lee Burk told Medical News Today. “Humor reduces detrimental stress hormones like cortisol that decrease memory hippocampal neurons, lowers your blood pressure, and increases blood flow and your mood state,” Burk explained. All good!

Laughter causes your body to release more endorphins and dopamine to the brain, which makes us feel good and improves memory by increasing gamma wave band frequency, he said.

The research could be used to improve rehabilitation and wellness programs for the elderly. Cognitive abilities like learning and memory recall get more difficult as we age, but are essential for our quality of life. Burk says, “Although older adults have age-related memory deficits, complementary, enjoyable and beneficial humor therapies need to be implemented for these individuals.”

ABC News recently reported that laughter also has the potential to improve immune function and change brain wave activity toward the “gamma frequency” that improves memory and recall. However, the study group was small, which limits the degree to which the results can be applied to the population as a whole.

Regardless, it is always a good idea to make a point out of having a good laugh every day, but the added bonus of improved memory might sell the idea to you even more!

http://www.the-open-mind.com/how-laughter-improves-your-memory/

Kissing Prank

Laughter is the best medicine.

OMG Girls kissing monkeys so hilarious! so Funny! Must See! One girl kiss and tongue the monkey!

http://youtu.be/n5Kxxbd9gyk

Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

There's some scientific evidence that "Take two jokes and call me in the morning" is a worthwhile prescription. But not much.

By Susan Brink

We all want to believe that laughter is good for what ails us, but the science backing that up is thin. Most studies have been small and have relied on self-reported assessments.

Still, a rollicking good guffaw can't hurt. Or can it? There are rare instances of laughter prompting an asthma attack and even rarer instances of it triggering a stroke. And though this hasn't been part of a formal study, one researcher speculates that if you're surrounded by people laughing inappropriately—finding, say, a cockfight hilarious—it increases stress.

However, a few studies relying on laboratory testing do show some benefits.

"A good belly laugh leads to the release of endorphins from the brain," says Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

That release sets off a cascade of heart-healthy biological events. Endorphins, pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters, activate receptors on the surface of the endothelium, the layer of flat cells lining blood vessels. That leads to the release of nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels—increasing blood flow, lessening inflammation, inhibiting platelet clumping, and reducing the formation of cholesterol plaque.

A 2005 study by Miller measured the blood flow of 20 volunteers before and after watching a funny movie and a sad movie. After the sad movie, blood flow was more restricted in 14 of the 20 viewers. But after the movie that made them laugh, average blood flow increased by 22 percent.

"The best laugh is one that brings tears to our eyes," says Miller, author of Heal Your Heart: The Positive Emotions Prescription to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, scheduled for publication by Rodale Press in September. His prescription: at least 30 minutes of exercise at least three times a week—and 15 minutes of daily laughter.

You Have to Laugh Out Loud

Funding for laughter and humor research is low—so low that when Mary Bennett, director of the Western Kentucky University School of Nursing, wanted to look into the effect of laughter on the immune system, she found herself scrounging, asking other researchers for vials and other equipment from their labs. "It's really hard to get taken seriously when you say you study laughter," she says.

But her study of 33 healthy women, published in 2003, showed that those who laughed at a humorous movie had higher levels of natural killer cell activity, which increased their ability to fight off disease. However, the effect was seen only in the subjects who laughed out loud, not in those who quietly watched the comedy.

A study in Japan that also used laboratory findings found that laughter could improve anti-inflammatory factors in the blood of people who have rheumatoid arthritis.

But the bulk of the research on laughter and health depends on subjective studies and not on evidence-based science. And some studies are contradictory. One study of 70 depressed elderly women found that laughter yoga was just as effective as exercise therapy in improving mood, as measured by self-satisfaction reports by subjects. Humor and laughter may improve muscle tone, though only when someone is laughing, and some studies do show that a good laugh can help reduce stress hormones. But other studies show that laughter doesn't affect those hormones, according to a review of the literature published by Bennett.

No doubt, a New Yorker cartoon, a good joke, or an hour spent with the Marx Brothers can feel therapeutic. But when Bennett, who has spent much of her career studying laughter and poring over the research literature, is asked whether laughter cures or prevents any disease, her quick answer is a simple "No."

Still, she adds, "I think it's a useful adjunct of real medicine. If you're going through something like chemotherapy, anything you can do to help you stay sane through something that nasty will help."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140606-laughter-jokes-medicine-health-science-laughing-yoga/

Laughing Makes Your Brain Work Better, New Study Finds

By SARAH FIGALORA

Ever have trouble remembering where you just left your keys? Just laugh it off. New research suggests that humor can improve short-term memory in older adults.

In a recent small study conducted at Loma Linda University in Southern California, 20 normal, healthy, older adults watched a funny video distraction-free for 20 minutes, while a control group sat calmly with no video. Afterwards, they performed memory tests and had saliva samples analyzed for stress hormones.

You guessed it; those who got to laugh the 20 minutes away with the funny video scored better on short-term memory tests, researchers said. And salivary levels of the stress hormone cortisol -- a memory enemy of sorts -- were significantly decreased in the humor group.

"Learning ability and delayed recall become more challenging as we age," said study author Dr. Gurinder S. Bains, a Ph.D. candidate in Rehabilitation Sciences. "Laughing with friends or even watching 20 minutes of humor on TV, as I do daily, helps me cope with my daily stressors."

The less stress you have, researchers said, the better your memory. It works like this: humor reduces stress hormones, lowers your blood pressure, and increases your mood state, according to Dr. Lee Berk, a co-author of the study and associate professor of Allied Heath.

The act of laughter -- or simply enjoying some humor -- increases endorphins, sending dopamine to the brain to provide a sense of pleasure and reward, Berk said.

That, in turn, makes the immune system work better and changes brain wave activity towards what's called a "gamma frequency," amping up memory and recall.

Want to lower your stress levels?

"Begin by laughing more daily," Bains said. "It will improve your quality of life."

So, maybe you don't have to feel bad about all that time you spend watching funny videos at work?

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/laughing-makes-brain-work-study-finds/story?id=23393053

11 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

11 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy
by Dan Cassidy

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. But luckily it is preventable. So put down the cheeseburger, order a funny movie from Netflix, and read these 11 ways to keep your heart healthy for many years to come.



1. Eat Healthy
This should be a no brainer…the foods you put in your body will affect how it runs. Just think, if you were to put low-grade gasoline in a high-performing car, do you think that engine is going to run as well as it can? You’re right, it won’t. So your “high-performance gasoline” should include a heart-healthy diet full of fruits & vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats like the kind in olive oil, salmon, and nuts. Steer clear of foods high in saturated fats; this means you’ll need to say “no” to Ronald, the King and all the other fast foods you pass on your daily commute!

2. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of heart disease. If you’re not sure whether you’re in either of these risk categories, go to your doctor and get measured to find out…and then take action to drop the extra pounds.

3. Get Moving!
Regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight while lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. The Surgeon General recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise daily. Don’t have time? Try these 4 ways to sneak in a workout while you’re on your way to work.

4. Check your Blood Pressure
Unless you’re monitoring your blood pressure, it could be super-high and you may not know it. And since heart-attacks can happen at any time, you’ll want to minimize your risk factors and make sure your blood pressure is within a healthy range.

5. Don’t Smoke
Along with all the ugly stuff smoking does; stain your teeth, give you bad breath, and pull your hard-earned money out of your pocket, smoking is proven to cause cancer, stroke, emphysema, and that’s right…heart disease. Learn how to drop this bad habit on your way to reclaiming your health.

6. Limit Alcohol Use
Drinking alcohol in excess can raise your blood pressure. That means men should have no more than 2 glasses of alcohol daily, and no more than one for women. See a few tips on how you can drink less alcohol here.

7. Check your Cholesterol
Get your cholesterol levels checked at least once every 5 years. It’s a simple blood test and could show early indications that you’re at elevated risk of heart disease.

8. Manage your Diabetes
If you have diabetes it’s important you monitor your blood sugar levels closely.

9. Take your Medicine
If your doctor has prescribed medication for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, make sure you take it as prescribed and talk to your doctor if you have questions.

10. Laugh!
The old saying that laughter is the best medicine actually has some truth in it. According to a study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center, laughing may actually reduce your risk of heart disease.

11. Relax…
High-stress levels can increase your risk of heart disease. So if you’re stressed, what can you do? Tons! Try meditation, acupuncture, measuring your stress levels (yup, that works), or mini-meditations and affirmations to help you relax.

The Takeaway
If you’re at risk for heart disease, follow these ways to keep your heart healthy so you can be around for your friends, family, and most important, yourself! And if you’re in great health already, share these tips with someone who can use a nudge in the right direction.

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