I bought a box of animal crackers and it said on it “Do not eat if seal is broken.” So I opened up the box, and sure enough…

I failed my driver’s test. The guy asked me “What do you do at a red light?” I said, “I don’t know… look around, listen to the radio …”

A guy with a huge orange head goes in to see a doctor. The doctor says, “How did you get such a huge orange head?” The guy says, “Well, one day I was walking down the beach when I tripped over an old lantern. A genie came out and said, I’ll grant you three wishes, whatever you desire…what is your first wish?” I said, “I’d like all the money I could ever spend.” The genie went ‘Poof!’, and there it was, all the money I could ever spend. Then he said, ‘What is your second wish?’ I said, ‘I’d like a beautiful woman to love me, someone I could enjoy this money with.’ The genie went ‘Poof!’, and there she was, a gorgeous girl who immediately loved me. Then the genie said, ‘And what is your third wish?’…and I think this is where I went wrong…I said, ‘I’d like a huge orange head.'”

If any of those jokes made you laugh, you may have just improved your diabetes and several other health conditions. In fact, studies have shown that laughter can:

• Improve your diabetes
• Boost your immune system
• Reduce your risk of heart disease
• Lower your level of stress hormones
• Reduce inflammation

The healthful effects of laughter have been proven over and over again.

For example, as an adjunct therapy for diabetes, studies show laughter may be more helpful than drugs.

One study followed 20 high-risk diabetic patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia (abnormally high blood fats). At the beginning of the study they were all the patients were started on standard medications for diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. They were then divided into two groups, but one group was also prescribed laughter – 30 minutes a day. The participants were monitored for a year.

Within two months, the laughter group started showing improvement. At the end of the year, their HDL (good) cholesterol has risen by 26%, compared to 3% in the group only taking drugs, and the markers for inflammation and cardiovascular disease had decreased by 66%, compared to the drug group’s 26%.

In fact, some studies show that even anticipating a good laugh can help a number of health conditions.

In one study, researchers told people they were going to watch a funny video. The anticipation alone raised their beta-endorphins – which elevate mood – and human growth hormone, which optimizes the immune system. Their beta endorphins increased by 27%; HGH increase by 87%. The control group, which was not told they were going to watch a funny video, had no such change.

Another study showed that anticipating laughter reduces the levels of dopas, cortisol, and epinephrine (adrenalin) – three detrimental stress hormones. Dopac was reduced by 38%, cortisol by 39%, and epinephrine by a whopping 70%.

There are many natural supplements that have been shown to help diabetes and other health conditions – some are even recommended by doctors. If you’re coping with diabetes or other health problems, add a little laughter to your life. It may be just what the doctor ordered.

Oh, by the way, did you hear the one about ….?

Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Wellness Truth Network and a clickable link back to this page. Wellness Truth Network was founded to protect your right to natural health remedies as well as enlighten readers on FTC and FDA censorship.