Mel Brooks just turned 100—and his No. 1 habit for longevity is not what you think

 Of course your fuckingly incompetent doctor has ignored laughter for well over a decade! And you haven't gotten her/him fired for incompetence yet? How hard is it to get a few comedy DVDs and play them for stroke patients? Anyone with two neurons to rub together can figure that out, but your doctor can't!

• laughter (13 posts to September 2011)

Mel Brooks just turned 100—and his No. 1 habit for longevity is not what you think

A massive 15-year study reveals the unexpected daily habit that lowers mortality risk by up to 83 percent.

If you’re ever having a bad day and feeling down on the world, I have a suggestion for you. Find an 8-year-old and watch Mel Brooks’s Star Wars spoof Space Balls together. I have many happy memories of my daughter’s early years. But one of the most uproariously joyful is her doubled over in hysterics at the antics of Dark Helmet, Princess Vespa, and Yogurt. 

The hilarity was great for the family mood, of course. But according to Brooks, the creative force behind a string of goofball classics including The Producers and Blazing Saddles, laughter does more than entertain us and lift our spirits. 

Reflecting on his life ahead of his 100th birthday this week, the comedy legend credited his long life to so much laughter. 

“I think laughing keeps you healthy and happy,” he told People. It’s a heart-warming sentiment. But science shows it is also a medical fact. Studies link more laughter to more years alive—and business leaders should pay attention. 

50,000 Norwegians can’t be wrong 

The classic study on the connection between laughter and longevity came out a decade ago, and the researchers took the assignment of investigating the health effects of humor seriously. The team of scientists followed more than 50,000 Norwegians for 15 years to see if a sense of humor actually adds years to your life. 

 Related video: Mel Brooks' secret for living to 100 is a guaranteed smile (Health Digest)

 

Women who scored high on a scientifically validated measure of sense of humor (that’s not a joke—it really exists) had a 48 percent lower risk of death from any cause over the course of the study and a 73 percent lower risk of death from heart disease. Funny men benefited in a different way: They had an 83 percent lower risk of dying from an infection. 

Why does humor seem to help us delay the inevitable? A well-developed sense of humor “may influence the way individuals attribute meaning to everyday experiences,” a study co-author suggested to Scientific American. “In this way, it may buffer against conflict in social interactions and overall stress, preventing the escalation of stress hormones” like cortisol that have been shown to suppress our immune system. 

You probably didn’t need 15 years’ worth of data to tell you that cracking jokes is an effective way to keep perspective and blow off steam. But now you know one has confirmed your intuition and the intuition of centenarian Mel Brooks. Laughter really does seem to help keep you young … as well as happy. 

The business case for having a sense of humor

Which is a charming tribute to both the power of everyday humor and the good work of comedians like Brooks. But this is a business publication. Entrepreneurs want to live as long as possible just like everyone else, but is there a business-specific case for more laughter? 

Turns out there is. Laughter won’t just help you live longer, it will help you succeed professionally, too. A pair of Stanford professors wrote a whole book, Humor, Seriously, to round up this evidence and convince skeptical leaders to crack a few more jokes. 

They point to research that shows bosses with a sense of humor are 27 percent more motivating and their employees are 15 percent more engaged. In another study, adding a single bad dad joke to a sales pitch increased customers’ willingness to pay by 18 percent. (Though women might want to be cautious. An annoying line of research shows people respond to people’s jokes differently depending on their gender.) 

An ability to laugh at yourself can be especially powerful. In Psychology Today, psychotherapist Charles Harper Webb explained that self-deprecating humor “is especially good at shrinking the shoulder chip many of us lug around. Counterintuitive as it may seem, laughing at oneself can increase self-confidence, too. People who present themselves to the world, weaknesses and all, with no apology, show strength that perceptive others notice and respect.”  

Psychologist and best-selling author Adam Grant was more blunt on LinkedIn: “A sign of emotional intelligence is the ability to laugh at yourself.” 

Take Mel Brooks’s advice 

So, yes, you’re a serious professional with a serious job to do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a juvenile Mel Brooks-style joke about light sabers or “combing the desert.” In fact, you should probably try to make as much space for humor of all kinds in your life as possible. 

Both Brooks and 50,000 or so Norwegians show cracking up more just might help you live longer and get ahead at work, too. And even if it doesn’t, it will certainly help you enjoy however many years you do get. 

This post originally appeared at inc.com.

Simple habit lowers stress and boosts key brain chemicals, according to experts

 Will your competent? doctor get you recovered enough to play and be able to laugh again? With your massive stress because your doctor is a complete failure at getting you 100% recovered, how the hell are you going to laugh and play again?

Simple habit lowers stress and boosts key brain chemicals, according to experts

Laughter and play are fundamental to healthy brain growth, emotional well-being and social bonding, according to Jacqueline Harding, Ph.D., an early childhood expert at Middlesex University in London. 

7 George Carlin quotes that do more than make you laugh

 These go along with my Hunter S. Thompson and Anthony Bourdain quotes making sure that the whole point of my life is to have fun. And doing useless physical therapy that has no realistic way of getting me more recovery will not occur because fun things are more fun to do!

I'll get to 100 assuming I'm not too careless, having loads of fun along the way.

Part of my Hunter S. Thompson journey; Life is short, have to accomplish a lot while still relatively young and healthy.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

"Your body is not a temple: It's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride." Anthony Bourdain

The latest here:

7 George Carlin quotes that do more than make you laugh

1. "That’s all your house is, a place to keep your stuff, while you go out and get more stuff. Sometimes you gotta move, you gotta get a bigger house. Why? Too much stuff."

Carlin on Campus: A Place For My Stuff, April 19, 1984

During our working years, we spend decades amassing everything from designer clothes to high-end gadgets. Often, these purchases sit idle and collect dust. In this part of his routine, Carlin argues we don't actually need any of it — a perspective retirees contemplating downsizing should consider.

After all, if a big house full of things becomes cluttered or hard to navigate, is it still worth it? It’s okay to downsize and let go of the "stuff" that prevents you from living your best life. If you're on the fence about whether to move or stay put, this guide can help.

2. “I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It's so f...in' heroic.”

Last Words, November 10, 2009

For some, retirement may seem like the end of the line. After all, you may not have an important job to go to, or a busy schedule to fill your days, but that doesn't mean you can't find beauty and joy in the little things.

When we retire, we trade a busy, hectic life for a slower pace where we really have time to stop and smell the roses. Instead of focusing on retirement being the last chapter, Carlin wants you to embrace those little everyday moments.

Find the meaning and purpose in small, quiet moments and remember that your own personal growth is just as important as the job you once had.

3. “People who see life as anything more than pure entertainment are missing the point."

When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, October 12, 2004

While you are working, life can be serious. You have a mortgage to pay, children to care for and put through college, and a host of obligations to tend to. But once you are in retirement, Carlin wants you to relax and not take life so seriously. It's your time to enjoy your newfound freedom, find yourself and get lost in your hobbies or whatever keeps you entertained.While retirement brings its hurdles — health, finances and loss — you've already spent a lifetime building the skills to handle them. Now is the time to lean into this new phase of life and not sweat the small stuff.

Carlin's comments may have been more cynical — referring to the decay of humility, politics and civilization. But retirees can also take his words as marching orders to go have fun.

4. "The status quo s*. It’s a very comfortable place for people who don't want to think."

HBO Special: Life is Worth Losing, November 5, 2005

Don't climb that mountain, don't go back to college and don't try to find love — these are the kinds of things retirees are often told. The world expects you to act your age and spend your time quietly with the grandkids or playing shuffleboard.

But Carlin says forget that. In retirement, he doesn't want you to settle for the status quo. Instead, follow your dreams and passions, no matter what they are.

There are countless stories of retirees who have defied expectations and accomplished the unimaginable, from starting new businesses to running marathons in their 80s.

5."People spending money on things they don't need; money they don't have on things they don't need so they can max out their credit cards and spend the rest of their lives paying 18% interest on something that cost $12.50… and they didn't like it when they got it home anyway."

HBO Special: Life is Worth Losing, November 5, 2005

Carlin was famous for his hatred of mindless consumerism, and this routine serves as a blunt reminder that you don't have to spend your retirement years chasing things. This is particularly true when you are transitioning to a fixed income or managing a finite amount of resources.

It is far more important to use your money wisely by investing in time with family and friends or exploring the hobbies you actually enjoy. If you drain your retirement accounts chasing the next new gadget, you could be forced to downsize prematurely, return to the workforce, or significantly curtail the lifestyle you worked so hard to achieve.

6. "Don't get sidetracked with some foolish plan."

Brain Droppings, May 1997

Finding purpose in retirement can be difficult, especially for those without a predefined plan for their time. But Carlin suggests it’s okay to retire without a specific checklist or plan.

This mindset is incredibly liberating. Instead of feeling pressured to find a new grand purpose, Carlin’s philosophy helps you avoid getting bogged down in a plan that may not work. Yes, you should know how you'll spend your money in retirement and what you plan to pursue, but it's ok if your plan veers off course.

7. "In your forties, you know, but you don't know you know, so you may still be a little tentative. But then, as you pass fifty, if you've been paying attention, you know, and you know you know. Time for some fun."

Brain Droppings, May 1997

For many of us, we spend a lot of time second-guessing our choices, wondering whether we made the right decisions about our careers, parenting, and finances. But Carlin suggests that by the time you reach retirement age, self-doubt should be a thing of the past.

You've navigated the world for decades and acquired the knowledge and expertise you need. You no longer need validation because you can finally trust your own judgment.

View the world like George did

Carlin may have had a cynical view of the world, but through his biting humor, he provided a surprisingly clear roadmap for a better retirement. From letting go of "stuff" that weighs you down to ignoring the status quo, retirement is your chapter to pursue your dreams and find beauty in the quiet moments, just like that tuft of grass growing through the concrete.

Editor's note: This article is part of an ongoing series featuring the best retirement quotes and wisdom from top financial experts, leaders, and public figures. Other articles feature Warren Buffett, Michael Jordan, Mark Cuban, Jimmy Buffett, Dr. Seuss, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Vince Lombardi, Dolly Parton, Ozzy Osbourne and Stevie Nicks.

Here’s why laughter is the best medicine—besides actual medicine

A highly effective stroke prevention tool. Is this too difficult for your doctor to understand?  Or too expensive to buy a few comedy DVDs and some DVD players?

Here’s why laughter is the best medicine—besides actual medicine

John Murphy, MDLinx | December 13, 2018

As the old saying goes, laughter is the best medicine—but for what? Can laughter cure cancer or defeat the common cold? Can laughing fix erectile dysfunction? Hmm, probably not.

Advertisement

Laughter really is good (if not the best) medicine for a range of ailments, from chronic pain to improved cardiovascular function.

We know that laughing has the intangible ability to make us feel better—it reduces tension and helps us cope. But laughter has also shown measurable clinical effects in the body: It releases endogenous opioids and endorphins in the brain, increases the activity of natural killer cells to strengthen the immune system, and lowers cortisol levels in blood circulation for stress reduction. Moreover, laughter is known to increase tolerance to pain and improve vascular function.
All in all, that’s pretty good medicine. Here are a few more examples of how laughter can be effective (if not the best) medicine.

Improv improves ADLs in Parkinson’s patients

There’s nothing funny about Parkinson’s disease—but maybe there should be.
After performing in an improv comedy course, people with Parkinson’s disease showed significant improvement in activities of daily living, reported researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, in Parkinsonism & Related Disorders.
For this study, the researchers recruited patients with Parkinson’s disease to participate in a 12-week course operated by The Second City^®, an improvisational comedy group known for launching the careers of professional funny people like John Belushi, Bill Murray, Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, and many others. At the end of the course—in which all but one participant attended at least 80% of the once-weekly classes—patients showed significantly improved scores on a ratings scale of activities of daily living (ADLs).
For people with Parkinson’s disease, “as mobility becomes limited, spontaneity of thought and action also becomes impaired,” the researchers wrote. “Because the success of an improv scene requires an element of risk-taking, playfulness, and support, the personal development benefits of practicing may include a greater ability to ‘live in the moment’ and focus.”

• See Also: Can you spot a suicide in the making?

A laugh a day keeps the cardiologist away

Can laughter prevent cardiovascular disease? Researchers in Japan have found that people who said they never or almost never laugh had 1.21 times higher prevalence of heart disease compared with people who reported laughing every day, even after adjustment for confounding risk factors. The prevalence ratio for stroke was even greater: 1.60 times higher among never-laughers compared with daily laughers, the researchers reported in the Journal of Epidemiology.
For this study, the researchers analyzed cross-sectional data of 20,934 men and women aged 65 years or older from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. After adjusting for hyperlipidemia, hypertension, depression, body mass index, and other risk factors, the researchers determined that daily laughter is associated with lower prevalence of cardiovascular diseases.
“Although our study could not clearly show any preventive effect of laughter on cardiovascular diseases due to its cross-sectional nature, the present findings are consistent with such an effect, since those who reported having been diagnosed with stroke or heart disease were found not to laugh as often as those who did not have a history of stroke or heart disease,” the amusing authors hilariously concluded.
They acknowledged that their study did have limitations. For one, they couldn’t rule out “reverse causality”—meaning that people with serious illnesses, such as stroke and heart disease, may have less frequent occasions to feel cheerful. Another limitation: Laughter itself may be a sign of having a physically and/or mentally positive lifestyle.
“People who have a more positive outlook on life may be more motivated to engage in healthy behaviors, such as exercise, healthy diet, and moderation in alcohol consumption,” the authors wrote. “Although we controlled for many of these behaviors, the possibility of residual confounding cannot be ruled out.”

• See Also: What happens when you write Rx’s for relatives

Laughter lightens chronic pain in seniors

“Humor therapy” is an effective nonpharmacological intervention for chronic pain in nursing home residents, according to researchers in a study published in the Journal of Aging Research.
Because many older people simply accept pain as a part of aging, they don’t seek help until their pain becomes severe and unbearable. To add insult to injury, chronic pain not only impairs functional mobility and increases health-care costs, but also often results in social isolation, loneliness, and depression in older folks, the researchers observed.
To that end, they recruited two groups of similar residents in similar nursing homes to find out if humor therapy could reduce chronic pain and loneliness, and improve happiness. In one nursing home, 36 residents participated in an 8-week humor program, while 34 residents in another nursing home were evaluated but not offered the program. About two-thirds of all residents reported chronic pain.
During the humor program, participants made a “happy” scrapbook, heard and told jokes, had laughing exercises, and participated in other funny activities and games. Researchers found that at the end of the program, participants had significant reductions in pain scores and loneliness measures, as well as significant increases in happiness and life satisfaction scores. Sadly, those in the control group had no such improvements. (But don’t worry—the team visited these folks after the study and provided humor activities for them, too.)
The researchers concluded that humor therapy is an effective—and appealing—intervention for reducing pain and loneliness, and increasing happiness and life satisfaction.
“Nurses and other healthcare professionals can incorporate humor in caring for their patients. Telling a joke and encouraging clients to tell a funny story may have a therapeutic effect,” the authors suggested. “Regardless of their physical condition, patients need to allow themselves to be happy, to let humor play a greater role in their lives, and to enjoy life.”

Laughter Can Chase Away Anxiety

Is your incompetent? doctor prescribing laughter to counteract the anxiety you have about recovery since your doctor doesn't know ONE DAMN THING about getting you 100% recovered? 

Laughter Can Chase Away Anxiety

Anxiety isn’t funny. It is, instead, rather humorless. When my head pounds and spins, when my chest constricts and spasms in a fit of coughing, when I feel worried and afraid for reasons too vague to wrap my mind around and simultaneously too specific to pull my mind out of, the last thing I feel like doing is laughing. Nothing seems remotely funny. Finding humor can be difficult when we live with anxiety; however, if we can begin to look for our laughter, we can find that humor can be a great coping skill. 
Researchers are discovering that laughter has many benefits. Among the ways laughter lifts us is by increasing our overall well-being and boosting our mental health.

Laughter Can Reduce Anxiety

When we live with anxiety day in and day out or are in the throes of a panic attack, our stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine, pulse through us. As a result, we remain tense, coiled for action, and anxious.

Although there are no quick fixes for anything in life, remarkably, a good laugh can instantly begin to reduce these nasty stress hormones that are intertwined with anxiety. Laughter gets to work immediately, and a regular “diet” of laughter continues to decrease anxiety over time.
How is it that laughter can reduce anxiety when anxiety is no laughing matter? The act of laughing is similar to deep breathing in its ability to increase the oxygen in our bodies. Coupled with reducing stress hormones, the increased oxygen in the body helps lead to muscle relaxation. All of this helps reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety.

With Laughter Comes a Different, Less Anxious, Outlook

Laughing feels good. It’s addictive; we keep wanting more. When we laugh regularly, our anxiety begins to decrease.
When we embrace humor and give ourselves a chance to be a little bit lighter for even a short while each day, we shift our focus. Rather than seeing the world within and without as a worrisome place, we start to see it as a good, safe, perhaps even fun, place. We start to see beyond the anxiety. Sure, the anxiety lingers for a while, but every time we can laugh we loosen its stronghold.
Introducing intentional laughter into our lives decreases stress hormones. Breathing deeply during the act of laughing relaxes muscles. Thinking about something funny shifts our focus to new things. Embracing humor regularly helps our outlook become more positive. Humor and laughter diminish anxiety.
The difficulty with this lies not so much in believing what researchers are reporting but in applying it. “How can I possibly laugh when my anxiety is so strong all the time?” is a common question. I invite you to tune into the video for a few suggestions to get you started.

School of Medicine Study Shows Laughter Helps Blood Vessels Function Better

Known for 11 years, has your doctor prescribed ANY funny movies or comedians? Are they that fucking far behind the times? 

School of Medicine Study Shows Laughter Helps Blood Vessels Function Better

For immediate release: March 07, 2005

Contact:

Bill Seiler

bseiler@umm.edu | 410-328-8919

Volunteers were shown funny and disturbing movies to test the effect of emotions on blood vessels

Using laughter-provoking movies to gauge the effect of emotions on cardiovascular health, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have shown for the first time that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.
When the same group of study volunteers was shown a movie that produced mental stress, their blood vessel lining developed a potentially unhealthy response called vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow. That finding confirms previous studies, which suggested there was a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels.
The results of the study, conducted at the University of Maryland Medical Center, were presented at the Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology on March 7, 2005, in Orlando, Florida.
The endothelium has a powerful effect on blood vessel tone and regulates blood flow, adjusts coagulation and blood thickening, and secretes chemicals and other substances in response to wounds, infections or irritation. It also plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease.
“The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, so, given the results of our study, it is conceivable that laughing may be important to maintain a healthy endothelium, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” says principal investigator Michael Miller, M.D., director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “At the very least, laughter offsets the impact of mental stress, which is harmful to the endothelium.”
The study included a group of 20 non-smoking, healthy volunteers, equally divided between men and women, whose average age was 33. The participants had normal blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Each volunteer was shown part of two movies at the extreme ends of the emotional spectrum. They were randomized to first watch either a movie that would cause mental stress, such as the opening scene of “Saving Private Ryan” (DreamWorks, 1998), or a segment of a movie that would cause laughter, such as “King Pin” (MGM, 1996). A minimum of 48 hours later, they were shown a movie intended to produce the opposite emotional extreme.
Prior to seeing a movie, the volunteers fasted overnight and were given a baseline blood vessel reactivity test to measure what is known as flow-mediated vasodilation. For that test, blood flow in the brachial artery in the arm was restricted by a blood pressure cuff and released. An ultrasound device then measured how well the blood vessel responded to the sudden increase in flow.
Volunteers watched a 15-minute segment of the movie while lying down in a temperature-controlled room. After the movie was shown, the brachial artery was constricted for five minutes and then released. Again, ultrasound images were acquired. Changes in blood vessel reactivity after the volunteers watched a movie lasted for at least 30 to 45 minutes. A total of 160 blood vessel measurements were performed before and after the laughter and mental stress phases of the study.
There were no differences in the baseline measurements of blood vessel dilation in either the mental stress or laughter phases. But there were striking contrasts after the movies were seen. Brachial artery flow was reduced in 14 of the 20 volunteers following the movie clips that caused mental stress. In contrast, beneficial blood vessel relaxation or vasodilation was increased in 19 of the 20 volunteers after they watched the movie segments that generated laughter. Overall, average blood flow increased 22 percent during laughter, and decreased 35 percent during mental stress.
Several volunteers had already seen “Saving Private Ryan,” says Dr. Miller, but even so, some of them were among the 14 with reduced blood flow.
“The magnitude of change we saw in the endothelium is similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic activity, but without the aches, pains and muscle tension associated with exercise,” says Dr. Miller. “We don't recommend that you laugh and not exercise, but we do recommend that you try to laugh on a regular basis. Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system.”
Dr. Miller says this study was not able to determine the source of laughter's benefit. “Does it come from the movement of the diaphragm muscles as you chuckle or guffaw, or does it come from a chemical release triggered by laughter, such as endorphins?” he asks. Dr. Miller says a compound called nitric oxide is known to play a role in the dilation of the endothelium. “Perhaps mental stress leads to a breakdown in nitric oxide or inhibits a stimulus to produce nitric oxide that results in vasoconstriction,” says Dr. Miller.
The current study builds on earlier research Dr. Miller conducted on the potential benefits of laughter, reported in 2000, which suggested that laughter may be good for the heart. In that study, answers to questionnaires helped determine whether people were prone to laughter and ascertain their levels of hostility and anger. Three hundred volunteers participated in the study. Half of them had suffered a heart attack or had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery; the other half did not have heart disease. People with heart disease responded with less humor to everyday life situations than those with a normal cardiovascular system.
Dr. Miller says certain factors in the earlier study may have affected the results. For example, he says it may be that people who have already had a coronary event are not as laughter-prone as those who do not have heart disease.
He says the current study sought to eliminate that uncertainty by using volunteers whose cardiovascular system was healthy. The results of the brachial artery blood flow measurements, which are precise and objective, appear to make the connection between laughter and cardiovascular health even stronger, according to Dr. Miller.
Other researchers in the study included Charles Mangano, R.D.M.S; Young Park, M.D.; Radha Goel, M.D.; Gary Plotnick, M.D. and Robert A. Vogel, M.D., all from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health and a Veterans Affairs Merit award to Dr. Miller.

Study Reveals Yet Another Reason Red Wine Is Good For Your Health

Not that I need a reason other than my new social connections and laughter. Don't follow me, nothing I do is clinically proven, except I'm having the time of my life. You can have your doctor criticize the study because it approves of alcohol. 

Study Reveals Yet Another Reason Red Wine Is Good For Your Health

A glass of red wine a day might indeed keep the doctor away — at least that could be the case for those suffering from type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. It suggests red wine in moderation helps patients manage cholesterol and improves cardiac health.
READ: Here's What's REALLY Causing Your Wine Headaches
Researchers set out to discover the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on people with well-controlled type 2 diabetes, who generally have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and lower levels of HDL cholesterol, which is good for the heart, reports Time. The 224 alcohol-abstaining participants with a low risk for alcohol abuse, aged 40 to 75, were then assigned a beverage — mineral water, dry white wine or dry red wine — and told to drink 5 ounces with a meal each night for two years, while also following a Mediterranean diet.
At the end of the study, there were no major differences in blood pressure and liver function among the three groups, reports Medical News Today. However, red wine drinkers were the only ones to see decreased cardiometabolic risks. They also saw a significant boost in HDL cholesterol and lower cholesterol overall, while all wine drinkers reported improved sleep, reports CBS News.
Though the alcohol appeared to aid glycemic control in white wine drinkers, the differences between the red wine and white wine groups suggest alcohol wasn't responsible for all the benefits. The red wine had seven times higher levels of total phenols than the white wine, and "it's the phenols, it's the resveratrol, it's the tannins" in the red wine that effect these benefits, says an expert.
READ: An Understandable Guide to Common Wine Terms
Genetic differences also affected glycemic control, meaning certain people are more likely to benefit from drinking wine. (Just watch out for arsenic.)

Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Malbec, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, Syrah,Tempranillo, Zinfandel

These are the nine bottles of wine that were tasted last night. Seven of us got together to blind taste 1 oz. each of these red wines and determine which wine we just tasted and then rate it.  We argued with each other for two hours while going thru two rounds of each wine, ate our potluck dinner and then had each wine revealed to us with even more arguing. Six of us managed to guess one wine out of nine correctly. We learned that we have a lot more wine drinking to do yet to become proficient. Around midnight there was only myself and the host and fiancée left and we retired to the hot tub with more wine. Spent 4 hours talking, laughing and simultaneously doing left arm exercises against the tub jets. 4 hours and the f*cking left arm spasticity still had not lessened. I wish someone would go up to Dr. William M. Landaus' face and demand to know what will cure spasticity. He may believe spasticity is useful post-stroke but spasticity is what is preventing my recovery.

Spasticity After Stroke: Why Bother?

He really needs to relook at whatever research he is citing and talk to some intelligent survivors instead.

Alcohol intake, wine consumption and the development of depression: the PREDIMED study

With our high rate of depression post-stroke, how long will it take before your doctor starts prescribing wine?  Don't follow me, I prescribe myself wine on at least a weekly basis, accompanied by lots of social contact and laughter. 

Alcohol intake, wine consumption and the development of depression: the PREDIMED study

Gea A¹, Beunza JJ, Estruch R, Sánchez-Villegas A, Salas-Salvadó J, Buil-Cosiales P, Gómez-Gracia E, Covas MI, Corella D, Fiol M, Arós F, Lapetra J, Lamuela-Raventós RM, Wärnberg J, Pintó X, Serra-Majem L, Martínez-González MA; PREDIMED GROUP.

Collaborators (186)

Author information

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Alcoholic beverages are widely consumed. Depression, the most prevalent mental disorder worldwide, has been related to alcohol intake. We aimed to prospectively assess the association between alcohol intake and incident depression using repeated measurements of alcohol intake.

METHODS:

We followed-up 5,505 high-risk men and women (55 to 80 y) of the PREDIMED Trial for up to seven years. Participants were initially free of depression or a history of depression, and did not have any history of alcohol-related problems. A 137-item validated food frequency questionnaire administered by a dietician was repeated annually to assess alcohol intake. Participants were classified as incident cases of depression when they reported a new clinical diagnosis of depression, and/or initiated the use of antidepressant drugs. Cox regression analyses were fitted over 23,655 person-years.

RESULTS:

Moderate alcohol intake within the range of 5 to 15 g/day was significantly associated with lower risk of incident depression (hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.72 (0.53 to 0.98) versus abstainers). Specifically, wine consumption in the range of two to seven drinks/week was significantly associated with lower rates of depression (HR (95% CI) = 0.68 (0.47 to 0.98)).

CONCLUSIONS:

Moderate consumption of wine may reduce the incidence of depression, while heavy drinkers seem to be at higher risk.

Is laughter the best medicine? Cartoons could help patients cope with their chronic conditions

How many cartoons and humorous movies does your hospital stock for stroke patients? It must be too unproven and expensive for your hospital.
What's the downside? 

Is laughter the best medicine? Cartoons could help patients cope with their chronic conditions

Researchers from the University of Southampton have shown that cartoons could be a beneficial way of educating patients and empowering them to cope better with their long term conditions.

"Humour is frequently and naturally used by people with chronic illnesses to help them adjust and understand what is happening to them," explains Associate Professor Dr Anne Kennedy, who led the study. "Our study has shown that cartoons could provide clarity to patients and be a way to engage with them. It is an untapped resource and could be a potential approach to support self-management."

Cartoons are already used in patient information but the content is sourced from health professionals rather than directly from patient experience, a unique aspect of the Southampton study.

Published in the Health Services Research journal, the study was carried out under the auspices of National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (NIHR CLAHRC) Wessex and Greater Manchester. Researchers used patient feedback to create a series of cartoons which demonstrated common experiences, problems and anxieties. The cartoons were incorporated into a guidebook given to patients who have chronic kidney disease. These patients were asked their opinion on the use of cartoons and humour in regular patient information and then asked to evaluate the cartoons drawn for the guidebook.

Results showed a range of feelings towards the cartoons including amusement, recognition, hostility and incentives to action. Overall patients found the cartoons useful in lightening the tone of information and gave patients insight and understanding they had not had before.

Dr Kennedy says health professionals could use the cartoon approach to help their patients engage more in the management of their own conditions.

She says: "Cartoons can be challenging and the difficult emotional responses some pictures evoke could be used to help people adjust to their situation, but they can also be used to dispel misconceptions. The word chronic is often misinterpreted as meaning terminal - reaction to the particular cartoon that demonstrated 'chronic' did prove a bit shocking to some patients but it allowed the word to be talked through and it was a tipping point for patients to better understand what their condition was."

Professor Anne Rogers, NIHR CLAHRC Wessex Research Director, who also worked on the study, adds: "Cartoons, drawn with patient input, have potential to help communicate important advice and help patients self-manage their conditions while boosting moral. More work needs to done in this area to build on our findings and we hope that this knowledge will be used to develop cartoons that reflect patients, experiences and get them thinking about where they can get support to suit their needs."

Attached files

Cartoon courtesy of Fran Orford - double click to read the caption.
And I love this one that Peter Levine pointed out. Of course it would be too creepy if it was a guy saying that.

Drinking alcohol several times a week increases the risk of stroke mortality

 Really? Are you sure you did your study correctly? I really don't care, there are too many beneficial effects, not least is the social connections and laughter.

1.  Red Wine: Heart-Healthy? 

2. Acute effects of beer on endothelial function and hemodynamics: A single-blind, crossover study in healthy volunteers 

3. Dark beer is good for you, in moderation

4. Smarter People Tend To Drink More Alcohol

5.  Can alcohol make men smarter? Study suggests yes 

6.  The Buffalo Theory of Neurons.

7.  Drunk Rats Could Overturn Neurological Orthodoxy

8. Cardiac Benefits of Red Wine Not From the Alcohol

9. Can alcohol make men smarter? Study suggests yes  Sorry about the duplicate but important to remember.

10. Two Drinks a Day Reduce Mortality in Male Heart Attack Victims

11. Alcohol’s Impact On Heart And Stroke Risk May Differ For Men, Women

12. Alcohol intake in the elderly affects risk of cognitive decline and dementia

The negative research here;

Drinking alcohol several times a week increases the risk of stroke mortality

Demand your doctor analyze all this and come up with a specific answer for your alcohol consumption.
I look at alcohol consumption as a great way to increase your difficulty level of walking and balance needs. Why isn't your therapist recommending that?
 Don't follow me because I will probably never listen to another doctor in my life.
I'm going to go out screaming drunk and laughing my head off.

Laughter Is OK Medicine, Unless It Kills You

Laughter is good for you most of the time.

Anger, job stress bad for the heart, but a little laughter and therapy could go a long way

But  this writeup on Inkfish  by Elizabeth Preston is entertaining;

Laughter Is OK Medicine, Unless It Kills You 

based on this abstract;

Laughter and MIRTH (Methodical Investigation of Risibility, Therapeutic and Harmful)

Laughter and MIRTH (Methodical Investigation of Risibility, Therapeutic and Harmful): - See more at: http://inkfish.fieldofscience.com/2013/12/laughter-is-ok-medicine-unless-it-kills.html?#sthash.HKumpIKm.dpuf

Laughter Is OK Medicine, Unless It Kills You

Laughter Is OK Medicine, Unless It Kills You

By Elizabeth Preston

By Elizabeth Preston

No proof found that depression is 'contagious'

Well make sure you stay away from those other depressed stroke patients. And stay away from the depressing statements from your doctor.
Instead stay next to those laughing patients. Your doctor should be prescribing this.

Why is Laughter Contagious?

No proof found that depression is 'contagious'

'Can you catch depression?', the Mail Online website asks on the strength of new US research into the concept of 'cognitive vulnerability'.
Cognitive vulnerability is where unhelpful patterns of thinking can increase the risk of a person developing conditions such as depression. The researchers in this study were interested in the idea that cognitive vulnerability may be 'contagious'.
The study followed roughly 100 pairs of roommates at a US university for the first six months of their freshman (first) year. They wanted to see if one student's cognitive vulnerability might influence the cognitive vulnerability of their new roommate.
They found that students who shared a room with a person with higher cognitive vulnerability (theoretically more susceptible to depression) were more likely to show an increase in their own cognitive vulnerability three and six months later.
However, this short-term study does not prove that depression can be 'spread' – only one measure of cognitive vulnerability found that a roommate can influence another's mental health in a negative way.
The study did find that students who showed increases in cognitive vulnerability at three months were more likely to experience increased symptoms of depression at six months. But importantly, if one roommate became more depressed, the other roommate showed no change in their depressive symptoms. 

Anger, job stress bad for the heart, but a little laughter and therapy could go a long way

This was the closest I could get on laughter and stroke although I want to know about rehab and laughter. 

Anger, job stress bad for the heart, but a little laughter and therapy could go a long way

A series of studies presented this week here at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2011 Congress highlight the role of laughter, positive thinking, anger, and job stress on developing cardiovascular events. Presenting results during a press conference entitled "Don't worry, be happy," the research had a serious side to it, stressing that anger and job stress are linked to higher cardiovascular event rates, while laughter and cognitive behavior therapy can lower the risk.

Dr Michael Miller (University of Maryland Medical School, Baltimore), the lead investigator of a study examining the link between endothelial function and laughter, said the purpose of his study was to examine the link between positive emotional health achieved through laughter and the subsequent effect on the vasculature.

"We want to maintain good vascular health, and we do that by maintaining a good diet and good regular physical activity, but it turns out that emotions also play an important role here," Miller told the media during a morning press conference. "What we've done in our study is to really promote laughter by showing movies, or segments from Saturday Night Live and other things, to really make people laugh. We appreciate that when we get a good sustained belly laugh, we feel good. That's the point of this—if we feel good, and not just go, 'ha ha,' but get a good belly laugh, does this translate into changes in vascular function?"

In their study, the researchers tested the effects of humorous and stressful movies on endothelial function. Subjects were shown the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, an intense 15-minute segment that takes place June 6, 1944 and shows Allied forces storming the beach of Normandy. Researchers were also shown segments of There's Something about Mary, Shallow Hal, and Kingpin, all comedies.

After each movie, endothelial function was measured. After watching the scene from Saving Private Ryan, blood vessels constricted by as much as 30% to 50%, whereas vasodilation occurred when investigators measured vascular function in subjects watching the comedies. They also observed that vasoconstriction and vasodilation can occur quickly, with the funny movies reversing blood-vessel contraction that occurred after watching the stressful D-Day scene.

Miller said the vasoconstrictive and vasodilative effects lasted for about an hour, although other researchers have seen the benefits of laughter on vascular function extended to 24 hours. He added that the magnitude of change in the blood vessel is similar to the effects observed with statins and physical activity. "We think the effect is fairly long lasting, considering you're only laughing for about 10 or 15 minutes," said Miller.

Anger, job stress, and depression

Two other studies presented at the ESC meeting this week showed the adverse effects of anger and stress. In the first, Dr Tea Lallukka (University of Helsinki, Finland) observed that public-sector individuals who work more than three hours overtime per day were at an increased risk of coronary heart disease compared with those who worked no overtime.

In the second study, Dr Franco Bonaguidi (Institute of Clinical Physiology in Pisa, Italy) recruited 228 patients with MI, 200 of whom were men, and assessed the long-term effects of anger on recurrent cardiovascular outcomes. Over the course of 10 years, 78.5% of patients without an angry-personality profile were free from a recurrent infarction compared with 57.4% of patients with angry personalities assessed by psychological inventory testing (p=0.0025).

In multivariable analyses, only anger and stress-related disturbances were significant predictors of cardiac events, with patients with high scores on the anger and stress-related disturbances scale approximately two times more likely to have a recurrent event compared with less angry MI patients. To the media, Bonaguidi said that anger is useful only to a certain extent, and once past a certain threshold it might trigger unfavorable hemodynamic, neural, and endocrine changes through excessive sympathetic activation. It can also lead to lifestyles that worsen cardiovascular health, such as eating too much to curb stress or alcoholism.

In positive news, Dr Barbara Murphy (Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia) presented data from the "Beating heart problems" program in Australia, showing that an eight-session intervention that focuses on cognitive behavior therapy and motivational interviewing can reduce depression in acute-MI patients who previously had undergone CABG surgery or PCI. At four months, cognitive therapy reduced depression and reduced waist girth, increased HDL cholesterol levels and physical activity (trend toward improvement), and patients were better at managing their anger and anxiety. At one year, the reduction in depression was maintained, and there were significant improvements in self-rated health.

"Anxiety and depression are associated with higher morbidity and mortality after a cardiac event, similar to anger, and depressed patients particularly need lots of help with making behavior changes and managing their mood after a cardiac event," said Murphy. "Depressed individuals tend not to do so well after an event; they don't take their medication, they don't do their physical activity, and they often smoke and have poor lifestyle behaviors."

I wonder if there should be a difference in use between ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes.

So can we have our doctor prescribe a funny movie every day rather than statins?