In the year 2007, I'm 61 years young, and I've been in the humor business for over 50 years, and I never get tired of putting a smile on somebody's face. Humor is not just a bunch of jokes gathered up from around the Internet...humor is much more than that!

From: The Association For Applied and Therapeutic Humor

What is therapeutic humor? Therapeutic humor is any intervention that promotes health and wellness by stimulating a playful discovery, expression, or appreciation of the absurdity of life's situations.

From: Pioneer Thinking.com

Humor is very healing in many aspects of our lives. Comedy helps our psyche and well being, and many studies show that scientifically, it does even more than that. According to recent studies, laughter produces endorphins which lesson pain, increases T-Cells, interferon and immune proteins called globulins and even significantly lowers cortisal levels, and returns the body to a more relaxed state.

From: Chiropractic Research. org

Several recent studies show that laughter is actually very healthy and promotes healing from within. One study reported in the Journal of the Medical Association, from research done at the Unitika Central Hospital in Japan. In this study, the Japanese found that skin welts shrank in allergy patients who watched Charlie Chaplin's comedic classic, "Modern Times," but not in the patients who watched a video on weather.

From: Neurological Illness.com

It's important to stay in tough with your sense of humor when dealing with a neurogical illness. Whether patient or caretaker, stress and depression can take over and outshine the positive aspect of our lives. Although having a neurological disorder is difficult, it can often be lightened by humor. There are many accessible ways to tickle your funny bone!

From: Nurse.com

The goal of this program is to provide information for nurses on how to use the healing power of humor in caring for themselves and their patients. 1) How the body responds to humor. 2) How humor helps nurses cope with work place stress. 3) How humor is used to help patients.

From: Relax Intuit.com

Stress is no laughing matter (or IS it?). It's now widely understood that right up there with a brisk walk, or loving touch, one of the surest and easiest ways to send a "feel good," message to release stress...is laughter!

From: Pub Med.gov

In the past three decades, the medical world has begun to a more serious notice of the healing power of humor, and the positive emotions associated with it. Humor and laughter are currently being employed by psychotherapists and other caregivers as tools to promote and maintain health, as well as intervention and rehabilitation tools for a host of maladies and illnesses related to stress and life-style. Although this empirical medical approach is relatively new, the study of humor has revealed a complex psychological phenomenon.

Laughter has many clinical benefits, promoting beneficial psychological changes and an over-all sense of well-being. Humor even has long-term effects that strengthen the effectiveness of the immune system. In healthcare, humor therapy can help relieve stress associated with disease and illness. It serves as a diversionary tactic, a therapeutic tool for disorders such as depression and a coping mechanism.

From: Healing Tides.net (Psychoneuroimmunlogy)

The health-promoting and healing power of humor was given its biggest boost by Norman Cousins' book, "Anatomy of an Illness," published in 1979. He came down with a serious illness called ankylosing spondlitis, and was given a 1 in 500 chance of surviving. Cousins was aware of the evidence from psycosomatic research showing that negative emotions were harmful to one's health, so he reasoned that the opposite must also be true. That positive emotions should promote health and healing. Cousins beat the odds and survived.

From: Self-Growth.com

What are the differences between laughter and humor? Laughter is innate, and you are born with your giggles. You have unique sounds of laughter. Your laughter may sound similar to another's laughter, but your sound is brilliantly yours! Laughter exists on its own merit. You do not have to "get the joke," hear a story, or decipher a code in order to laugh.

From: Jest Healthy.com (Humor and the effect on the spirit)

When the spirit is depleted, nurse's can experience what is know as "compassion fatigue," feeling that they have very little left to give. Finding humor in our work and life, can be one way to life the spirits energy level and replenish ourselves from compassion fatigue.

* * *

Over the years, I have gotten hundreds of emails from all over the world with respect to my website and my work. And, I got the following email from a fellow I do not know named Wayne, and he writes:

"Greeting, Jer: I wish to thank you for brightening my day a bit. Your site was just what I needed in this time in my life. You see, my mother past away in July of this year, and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Being the 4th of July, we all gathered at her place for a big bang and celebration. Thanks for the laughs I had today...Wayne."

You can see from this email why I've been in the humor business for so long.

* * * Additional information on the healing power of humor can be obtained at the following:

* The World Laugher Tour: http://www.worldlaughtertour.com

* The Association For Therapeutic Humor; http://aath.org

* Laughing Matters.com - http://laughingmatters.com

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people...Victor Borge

Are we looking for some corny humor?

Two peanuts were walking down the street when they were assaulted!

Did you know that 5 out of 4 people have trouble with fractions?

Prescription: Take a large dose of vitamin H...jest for the health of it.