Laughter is often referred to for it's medicinal qualities. There are so many quotes about laughter and many of them refer to it being a medicine, as you can see from the examples I have shared below. I also had to share Maya's quote as it resonated with me so much!

“I don't trust anyone who doesn't laugh.” | Maya Angelou 

“Laughter is the best medicine...smiling is second” | Ian Somerhalder

“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine”. | Lord Byron

One of the reasons I have named my lymphatic toolkit programme: Lymph-Laugh-Love is because laughter is a great way to support your lymphatic system. In this blog post I will explain why a good laugh really is one of the best kinds of medicine. 

We know that when we laugh we feel better. This is thanks to the boost of endorphins it creates! Laughter can really change our mental state and ‘cheer us up’. But did you know that laughter supports your lymphatic system and therefore supports your body in detoxing?

Laughter is medicinal

Take a pause and join me in having a good laugh!

Here is a quick introduction to the wonder of the lymphatic system for those of you new to my world. 

Your lymphatic system is part of your immune system and it is responsible for detoxification: removing all waste and toxins from the body and helping the blood to get nutrients to where they need to be. Lymph flows all through your body, similar to your blood flow. A healthy lymphatic system needs to flow freely so it can help get waste out and nutrients in. 

It is such a powerful system when it comes to supporting the body in reducing inflammation, stress and pain. Therefore anything that helps it to flow more is a really great medicine. However sadly the lymphatic system is hugely neglected in our western medical culture, and as a result many of us have stagnant lymph, resulting in a variety of symptoms and diseases. The video below is taken from my Lymph-Laugh-Love: Your Lymphatic Toolkit programme and explains more about the role and importance of the lymphatic system.  

The remainder of the first module of the programme is available to watch for free. You can access this and find out more about the whole programme via the button below.

So why is laughter so good for the lymphatic system?

Laughter make our body/nervous systems feel safe by activating our Vagus Nerve.
As already mentioned, the act of laughter makes us feel good as it releases endorphins. Laughter tells our bodies and our nervous system that we are SAFE! And feeling safe is essential for good health and wellbeing. In fact feeling safe is the foundation for creating health in the body. When the body feels safe we enter into the parasympathetic nervous system, this is also known as ‘rest and digest’ nervous system response. When we are in this state all of the systems in our bodies are able to function much better. Ideally we want to be living in this state the majority of our lives.

The sympathetic nervous system, also known as the 'fight or flight' nervous system response is where our body tends to go when we are feeling stressed or ‘unsafe’. For some of us our lifestyles tend to hold us ‘subconsciously’ in this sympathetic nervous system response, due to stress and overstimulation. Think deadlines, endless phone notifications and traffic jams making you late!

The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve. It starts in the brain (behind the ear) and travels through the body via the throat, lungs, heart and into most of the gut. Its name is actually derived from the Latin 'vagary' – meaning wandering and it sometimes referred to as the wandering nerve. When the vagus nerve is activated it switches the nervous system into the parasympathetic/rest and digest response. Laughter (along with smiling) is one of the ways you can activate the vagus nerve. The activation of the vagus nerve is also responsible for the release of the endorphins that make you feel good. These endorphins also help to reduce the sensation of pain: because a relaxed and safe body will feel less pain than a body that is in the 'fight or flight'/sympathetic nervous system response.

In a nutshell: Laughter, activate the vagus nerve that releases the endorphins, that switch the nervous system response to 'rest & digest', increasing feelings of calmness and happiness and decreasing feelings of pain and stress.

So having the gift of laughter to place us back into ‘rest and digest’ is a bonus for not only the lymphatic system but also the whole body!

Laughter Pumps The Lymphatic System:

The Lymphatic system needs movement to be able to flow freely. Unlike our cardiovascular system that has its own pump -the heart, the lymphatic system relies on movement and (diaphragmatic) breathing to pump the lymph around the system.

The diaphragm is a muscle that helps you to breath, so there is a hint to how important it is! As we know the value of breath in keeping us alive right? The diaphragm separates the chest cavity from the abdomen and actively covers/contacts some of the organs in the abdominal vascular including the liver, stomach, spleen and gallbladder. Check her out in the image below, the green in this image is the lymphatic system.

When we laugh we create movement in our body, particularly the diaphragm, as it contracts up and down as we laugh. The movement of the diaphragm allows for more oxygen to enter the body and also for movement to occur within the vascular organs. Movement of our internal organs is important to ensure that lymph and blood flow can get around them to do there jobs. Laughter manually pumps the lymphatic system, increasing flow and therefore increasing its detoxification function.

So you see laughter is indeed medicinal as it supports both the lymphatic system and the nervous system. One of the many things I love about teaching others how to support their lymphatic system is how it is fun, simple to do and also super cost effective. Laughter is a great example of this!

Here are some idea of how you can welcome more laughter into your life.

• Watch a good comedy: a film, TV series, stand up routine!

• Read a funny book

• Listen to a funny book or podcast

• Spend time with children and animals

• Get together with your friends

• Be playful with your partner / friends. It's okay to be immature

• Just laugh 🤣

• Explore Laughing Yoga on YouTube

I hope that this blog has given you some value and that you are going to make more of a conscious effort to bring joy through laughter into your life.

I will finish by reminding you of Maya Angelou's quote/advice: “I don't trust anyone who doesn't laugh.”