No joke: Laughter may well be the best
medicine
OSAKA, Japan - It's been said laughter is the best medicine, but no
one has yet to prove it. Now a Japanese scientist is unlocking the
secrets of the funny bone, which he believes can cheer up people's
genes.
Geneticist Kazuo Murakami has teamed up on the study with an
unlikely research partner: stand-up comedians, who he hopes -- no
joke -- can turn their one-liners into efficient, low-cost medical
treatment.
Genes are usually regarded as immutable, but in reality more than
90 percent of them are dormant or less active in producing protein,
so some types of stimulation can wake them up.
Murakami's tentative theory is that laughter is one such stimulant,
which can trigger energy inside a person's DNA potentially helping
cure disease.
"If we prove people can switch genes on and off by an emotion like
laughter, it may be the finding of the century which should be
worth the Nobel Prize or even go beyond that," said Murakami, 70,
director of Japan's Foundation for Advancement of International
Science.
Three years ago, Murakami and Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. Ltd., a leading
entertainment company, jointly carried out their first experiment
to let diabetics laugh at a comedy show performed by the firm's top
stand-up comedians after listening to a monotonous college
lecture.
The two-day experiment showed that their blood glucose levels -- a
key gauge for development of diabetes -- became lower after they
laughed compared with after listening to the yawning lecture.
His latest experiment with the entertainment firm spotted at least
23 genes that can be activated. Eighteen of them are designed to
work for immune response, signal transduction and cell cycle, while
functions of the remaining five others are still unknown.
The findings, which Murakami says are the first of their kind, are
scheduled to be published in January by Psychotherapy and
Psychosomatics, a US academic journal.
"A laughing therapy has no side-effect, meaning it is an
epoch-making treatment for clinical medicine," he said. "One day it
won't be a joke to see patients receive a prescription for a comedy
video at a pharmacy for medical treatment."
Having a good laugh has long been thought of as therapeutic.
Laughter has been taught by yoga masters in India, home to a
growing number of "laughing clubs" whose members get together just
to enjoy a chuckle.
Expectations from Murakami's research are particularly high in
Japan, where medicare costs are increasing year after year as the
country rapidly ages.
Even with the research still in its early stages, a Japanese
medical publisher, under the editorial guidance of Murakami's
research team, began selling DVDs last year instructing patients
with diabetes on how to laugh.
The ministry of economy, trade and industry believes that laughter
therapy could be put to good use in a project as demand grows for
preventive medical care.
"If the relation between laughter and health is proved
scientifically, it may have a big impact on ways to improve
health," said Hikaru Horiguchi, an official of the ministry.
"We also hope that a new type of industry will be created by
linking the two different fields -- laughter and medical
treatment," Horiguchi said.
With the ministry's financial support, Osaka Sangyo University in
western Japan formed a joint venture with researchers, firms and
doctors in 2004 to provide elderly people with a complete medical
care program combining physical training and laughter
therapy.
"It was the nation's first attempt to launch a medicare business
with laughter in collaboration with the government, industry and
academe," said Mitsutoshi Nishikawa, a university official in
charge of the "Daito Dynamic Project" based in Daito city in
Osaka.
Nishikawa said Osaka was an ideal location to launch the project as
the city is famous for its humour culture, with residents here said
to be less hesitant to laugh in public than more taciturn
Tokyo.
"We believe there is a big business chance here," Nishikawa
said.
"With the project, we can expect a reduction in medicare and
nursing costs," he said. "Moreover, it is important for elderly
people to live long with good health."
In the programme, participants receive a medical check-up and
gymnastic exercises while enjoying a comedy show performed by
professional comedians. It also offers them cooking classes on
making healthy foods.
"I used to laugh a lot when I was young, but I realized that I had
not laughed much since getting older," said Kiyomi Yamanaka, a
61-year-old housewife participating in the programme.
"But after attending the event, my blood flow has become smooth and
I can now get down on my knees, which I couldn't do before."
According to project officials, the 92 participants polled said
their combined annual medicare costs fell 23 percent to 2.26
million yen (19,800 dollars) after they joined the programme.
Nishikawa said: "In the future, we want to make medical treatment
something not gloomy but fun. That's our goal." - AFP/ir
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