Smiles and Laughter in the Hospital
You don’t see many smiles in the Hospital. And that’s a shame for smiles and laughter are just what we all need. An organization, The Smiling Hospital Foundation has made its purpose to remedy this situation and bring smiles and laughter to the antiseptic halls of medicine. (1)
Laughter is contagious ! We have all heard this before and know that it is true. Experiencing a good ole belly-laugh that brings tears to your eyes can do you a world of good. In these days of bird, swine and H1N1 viruses and the fears of the next global pandemic, it is the kind of contagion I want to be involved in spreading.
My new life in China (the past 7 years living in Shanghai) has been focused on the joy I can bring to my life and others. So I didn’t hesitate when my friend, Jay Rothstein came to me to assist him with introducing the Smiling Hospital program to China.
I have long known of the therapeutic value of laughter, ever since reading Norman Cousins’ account of how he laughed himself well from a diagnosed terminal illness. (2) Now the beneficial effects of laughter are well understood after decades of research. (3)
So apart from the obvious joy that it will bring me, I was glad to accept the chance to spread the happy contagions of smiles and laughter with the Smiling Hospital.
It was set; a dog and pony show of three; Jay, Chris and I were to go to the Rui Jin Hospital on Monday, September, 7, 2009. Joseph and Jing Jing were waiting for us when we arrived and soon Milly, the coordinating nurse met and ushered us up to Children’s Ward on the 10th floor. We weren’t at all sure what to expect and how far we could go.
We could count on Chris, a very talented mime who prides himself on his special brand of cheesy humor, to keep the ball rolling with his clowning and spontaneity. I had carefully selected some of my most visual magic tricks and was looking forward to seeing the wide-eyed expressions on the kid’s face. And Jay, well he is just funny to look at – he wouldn’t have to do anything.
I strapped my I-pod and portable speakers to my waist, donned a Groucho Marx mustache, big nose and eyeglasses and beret; Chris became a little Napoleon with his tunic and Grenadier hat. A red clown nose and top hat did it for Jay. And we were off.
We went from room to room each with eight occupied beds. Most of the children had attending family members and we, not surprisingly, were drawing quite a crowd from the wards staff.
Chris immediately activated the room with his antics. I went to each bedside doing a jumping rubber band trick here and a magic rope trick there. Then filling a blank coloring book with pictures and then colors or producing change from an empty bag. Jay’s daughter, Vali assisted as another pair of hands and helped us communicate with the children.
For the grand finale, I took my mobile phone and inserted it into a half litter water bottle to the astonishment of all.
I also never missed a chance to direct attention to the groups of nursing staff that gathered outside the rooms to look in. These tireless angels attending to these sick children need their spirits lifted too.
I do believe that great fun was had by all. I could feel the beneficial effects of the endorphins flowing through me. I was hoping that everybody was sharing the exhilaration as well.
I personally can’t wait to do it again and now we know better what to do next time.
David Sutton
http://web.me.com/suttonantaeus
Notes
(1) ↩ The stated goal of The Smiling Hospital Foundation is to lift the souls of sick children by sponsoring live artistic performances (music, magic, tale-telling, doll playing and handicrafts) in children’s hospitals and in the children’s wards of general hospitals throughout the world. The foundation is registered by the Court of Justice in Budapest, Hungry. and it has programs in a number of other countries.
For more information please see our website: www.smilinghospital.com.
Please contact Dr. A. Royaards (royaards@mosolygokorhaz.hu) if you are interested or would like to have more information.
(2) ↩ Norman Cousins published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1976. Later, in 1979, this article became the first chapter of his book, “Anatomy of an Illness.” In it he explained how he was diagnosed in 1964 with ankylosing spondylitis . His case was so severe that he was given a one in five hundred chance of recovery and a few months to live.
He decided that he was going to take control of his own illness and treatment. He left the hospital and checked into a hotel where he took mega doses of vitamin C and watched humorous movies and shows, including ‘Candid Camera’ and the Marx Brothers. He found that ten minutes of boisterous laughter resulted in at least two hours of pain-free sleep. He continued his routine until he recovered. Thus, he proved that laughter is the best medicine, and pointed the way to mind-body medicine.
In 1989, his pioneering efforts were finally acknowledged in the Journal of the American Medical Association that laughter therapy could help improve the quality of life for patients with chronic illness and that laughter has an immediate symptom relieving effect.
(3) ↩ Health Benefits of Laughter: Laughing has been found to lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, increase muscle relaxation, and boost immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies. It also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being.
Laughter is infectious. Hospitals around the country are incorporating formal and informal laughter therapy programs into their therapeutic regimens. In countries such as India, laughing clubs — in which participants gather in the early morning for the sole purpose of laughing — are becoming as popular as Rotary Clubs in the United States.
Humor is a universal language. It’s a contagious emotion and a natural diversion. It brings other people in and breaks down barriers. Best of all it is free and has no known side reactions.
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