Give Dad the Gift of Laughter this Father’s Day
Dads across America are looking for a little R&R this Father’s Day. A day of peace and fun away from the stresses of the workplace where they toil each day to support their families. Instead of another necktie or aftershave, why not give Dad the gift of laughter? Laughter has been proven to help reduce stress which is the impetus behind the "Laugh It Off" CD which plays 60 minutes of contagious laughter.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) June 1, 2005 -- Dads across America are looking for a
little R&R this Father’s Day. A day of peace and fun away from the stresses
of the workplace where they toil each day to support their
families.
Instead of another necktie or aftershave, why not give Dad the
gift of laughter? Laughter has been proven to help reduce stress which is the
impetus behind the "Laugh It Off" CD which plays 60 minutes of contagious
laughter. The CD is available at www.heyugly.com for $10.00. Don't let the name fool you; Hey
U.G.L.Y. Inc., NFP, developed in 2001, is a 501C3 nonprofit organization whose
mission is to empower teens with self-esteem building tools, to help them
counter challenges such as eating disorders, bullying, violence, substance abuse
and suicide. UGLY is an acronym meaning unique, gifted, lovable, you and
proceeds from the CD help to support this cause.
Instructions on the
"Laugh it off" CD advise listeners to laugh continuously for at least one
minute. Every day, increase the laugh session until you can laugh for ten
minutes for a great, laughtercising workout. The CD is 60 minutes so it can be
used as a mood adjuster by playing it as background sound while at work, just
hanging out, or when you want to get a party started. It helps lighten the mood
and put a smile on your face.
"Two studies released on March 8, 2005 at
the American College of Cardiology recommend that people try to laugh on a
regular basis," noted Hey U.G.L.Y. co-founder, Betty Hoeffner. Dr. Michael
Miller of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore said,
"Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a
daily basis is probably good for the vascular system."
“When you are
stressed and have anxiety, there’s an activation of various stress areas in the
brain. This alters the concentration of various hormones in blood. These stress
hormones have a variety of impacts on health – you feel stressed, they impair
your ability to think over time, they increase cholesterol in the heart, and
they change how the immune system functions,” says Dr. Bruce Rabin, director of
the Healthy Lifestyle Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Dr. Andrew Weil his April 2005 newsletter wrote: “I think it's
(laughter) one of the most effective ways to reduce stress, and preliminary
research suggests laughter may also boost immunity, relieve pain, lower blood
sugar in people with type-2 diabetes, and help protect against heart
disease.”
Up to 80 muscles are used during a hearty laugh, the blood
pressure rises, the heart beats faster and blood oxygen levels increase. In
fact, a study released last year by German gelotologist Professor Gunther Sickl
revealed that a one-minute guffaw has the same health benefits as a 45-minute
gym workout. When the laughter stops, the blood pressure returns to normal and
stress hormones are reduced - actually strengthening the immune
system.
According to University of California, Irvine Professor Lee Berk,
"If we took what we know about the medical benefits of laughter and bottled it
up, it would require FDA approval." Laughter can lower blood pressure, trigger a
flood of endorphins - the brain chemicals that can bring on euphoria and
decrease pain, and enhances our immune systems. Gamma-interferon, a
disease-fighting protein, rises with laughter. So do B-cells, which produce
disease-destroying antibodies, and T-cells, which orchestrate our body's immune
response. Laughter lowers the flow of stress hormones, which suppress the immune
system, raise blood pressure, and increase the number of platelets, which cause
clots and potentially fatal coronary artery blockages.
According to
William F. Fry, M.D., associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Stanford
University, “…..laughing 100-200 times per day is the cardiovascular equivalent
of rowing for 10 minutes. When something strikes you as funny, you laugh. And
when you laugh, your body responds. You flex, then relax, 15 facial muscles plus
dozens of others all over your body. Your pulse and respiration increase
briefly, oxygenating your blood. And your brain experiences a decrease in pain
perception, possibly associated with the production of pain-killing,
pleasure-giving endorphins.”
According to a study by Maciej S.
Buchowski, PhD, and his colleagues, using a whole-room indirect calorimeter at
Vanderbilt University in Nashville, a daily laughter workout of 15 minutes can
burn 40 calories and melt away four pounds over the course of a year.
The
late author Norman Cousins credited laughter with helping him beat a potentially
fatal connective tissue disease. After his diagnosis, Cousins moved into a hotel
room, watched funny videos and movies, read funny books and magazines--and
staged a stunning recovery.
Editors Note: Sample product available upon
request.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb246226.htm