Have you laughed today?

The age old idiom that laughter is the best medicine still holds true. Researchers have found that it helps you feel better and puts that spring back in your step.

They have also found that a good sense of humor, positive attitude, and the support of friends and family play a role in keeping one healthy

Laughter Therapy: What Happens When We Laugh?

We change physiologically when we laugh. We stretch muscles in our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues.

And laughter appears to burn calories, too. Maciej Buchowski, a researcher from Vanderbilt University, conducted a small study in which he measured the amount of calories expended in laughing. It turned out that 10-15 minutes of laughter burned 50 calories.

Effects of laughter on the body

Immune response: Some studies have shown that the ability to use humor may raise the level of infection-fighting antibodies in the body and boost the levels of immune cells, as well.

Blood sugar levels. One study of 19 people with diabetes looked at the effects of laughter on blood sugar levels. After eating, the group attended a tedious lecture. On the next day, the group ate the same meal and then watched a comedy. After the comedy, the group had lower blood sugar levels than they did after the lecture.

Relaxation and sleep:  

The focus on the benefits of laughter really began with Norman Cousin's memoir, Anatomy of an Illness. Cousins, who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful spine condition, found that a diet of comedies, like Marx Brothers films and episodes of Candid Camera, helped him feel better. He said that ten minutes of laughter allowed him two hours of pain-free sleep.

So no matter how much stress, remember to your laughter pills & laugh your way to good health :)

Serving Kerala’s tribal health needs

Following the launch of the first Mobile Medical Clinic (MMC) in Urukkunu tribal colony in Kollam on December 4, 2013, ZHL’s MMC programme in Kerala has been conducting medical camps throughout the tribal areas of Kollam.

Launched by Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited and Scheduled Tribe Development Department, our programme has conducted twenty-four medical camps in the district and served 764 patients till date.

The recent camp in Kulathupuzha, Kollam, on January 4, 2014, was able to serve 59 patients through a mobile clinic that provides medical check-ups, ECG, investigative and post-natal services, etc. The medical camp team was led by Dr. Rejeesh, auxiliary nurse-midwife Suma, lab tech Nazia, pilot Santhosh and coordinator Venugopal.

What do you get with 50 paise today?

Remember as a child every single paise had value; when your favourite candy used to be light on the wallet but the best taste in the world; when you had to choose between 50 paise candies and life and death depended on making the right choice?

Now, after so many years, that favourite candy might cost a lot more than 50 paise but those 50 paise haven’t lost their power to change lives.

Every time you witness an accident, all it takes is 50 paise to call for an ambulance, thanks to the extreme competition in the Indian mobile market.

Yet, we choose not to call an ambulance.

Over 12,00,000 people died in road accidents in 2012 alone.

Yet, we choose not to call an ambulance

A victim who can be reached within an hour of an accident can be saved.

Yet. we choose not to call an ambulance.

Even today, the 50 paise can help you make a life changing decision. Question is--are you ready for it?

How bad was your day today?

Today, time is a precious commodity & we are out to make the most if it. We try to do our best in a limited amount of time within the day. Some times we succeed, many times we don’t.

If the day goes well, we are too stressed thinking about the other challenges that come up with the success.

But if things don’t go our way, the impending sense of doom takes over, along with the frustration & self doubt that comes with it.

Either way, the best time we get to think about this is our commute time. Yes, that time when we feel everyone else exists simply to block our way on the road as we makes our plans or cope with your failure and try to find a way ahead.

And we also learn to ignore all the horns blasting around us & concentrate on our destination. In that noise, the wails of life also get lost. In the midst of our self-centred thoughts. we rarely hear the desperate siren of an ambulance trying to find a way through.

In our defence, nobody knows our troubles or what we have been through that day. Not giving way to an ambulance--we may say it was a momentary lapse of judgement because of all the noise going on in our own head. But always remember: those lying in the ambulance would much rather be you after your worst day at work than be transported to hospital.

Time truly is a precious commodity. You will have another shot at work; the one in the ambulance might not.

Give way to ambulances! Always!