Laughter is the Best Medicine

• Stimulating many organs - Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles, and increases the endorphins released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response - A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. 
• Soothe tension -  Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.
• Relieve pain - Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its natural painkillers. Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
• Improve your mood - Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier.* 

Now, all that being said, let's share some laughs!!! On October 29, Hiking for Healing met at the Sugarlands Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains for a "Halloween on the Trail" hike on the Gatlinburg Trail. What a day of fun and laughter our hike produced! Everyone was dressed in various costumes, and even Jasmine, a precious little dog, wore her finest costume!

Yes, laughter is strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. ** I look forward to seeing you out on a trail laughing with us very soon!

*    Mayo Clinic Staff  -  Healthy Lifestyle entitled Stress Management. 
**   Helpguide.org - Laughter is the Best Medicine