It's almost here! Mark your calendar for Sunday, May 4^th. That's when World Laughter Day is celebrated. It began in Mumbai, India in 1998 and was founded by Dr. Madan Kataria who joined with 12,000 others on that day for one big laugh fest.

What's all the hype about laughter? It's in response to laughter therapy research findings which are increasingly showing the health benefits of a good chuckle and even suggesting that maybe laughter IS the best medicine.

What these studies are discovering is that not only are there emotional health benefits from laughing, but there are physical benefits of laughter, as well. Here is a sampling of what these laughter studies have found.

Immune response: Elevated stress decreases our immune capability. Through humor the number of immune cells may be increased.

Blood circulation: When tense, blood vessels constrict reducing blood flow, whereas lower tension levels allow blood flow to remain constant.

Physical workout: A good laugh exercises the diaphragm, heart and stomach muscles and relaxes the muscles in our neck, shoulder and arms.

Weight loss: Laughter tends to reduce the four main causes of weight gain: stress, boredom, depression and loneliness.

Stress and Pain reduction: Laughter acts as a distraction from negative feelings such as anger, fear and pain.

Socially beneficial: Laughter uniquely connects us with others making even tense situations more friendly.

If we learn how to laugh more often we can all benefit. How do you do that? For starters...

• Become more lighthearted
• Increase sense of humor
• Laugh at yourself
• Become more social

And if you still need help learning how to laugh, there are dozens of laughter therapy clinics opening up worldwide where you can go for a good chuckle.

I have more on laughter therapy and other pain relieving exercises on my new website, please come by and visit: back-exercise-and-pain-relief.com