Giggle The Gloom Away

Laugh your way to better health and well-being with this appealing physical therapy

- BY Jude Araim

MERV NEAL WAS well known for his ability to make others laugh. It was what first attracted his wife to him when they were 17 and still in high school. Laughter and being the 'fun guy' helped to stand out among his friends and colleagues.

So, when at the age of 45, he was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a blood disorder that occurs when the body's bone marrow can't produce enough blood cells, the IT entrepreneur from Melbourne reacted the only way he knew how—he laughed. The fatigue, bleeding gums, nosebleeds and bruising he'd brushed off now made sense. His condition was so serious that the diagnosis caused him to reassess everything.

Unbeknownst to Neal, the condition had also been working away at his brain, causing mini-strokes and small bleeds that had, over time, led him to develop uncontrollable laughter.

One week went by, then another, until seven months after he was diagnosed, Neal’s specialist reported the good news that his brain scans and blood biopsies were all clear. His medical team viewed the uncontrollable laughter not just as a symptom of the aplastic anaemia, but also a powerful antidote.

Now a grandfather, Neal turned his personal experience and citizen science insights into a career by founding Laughter Yoga Australia, based on the work of Indian scientists and a growing school of thought on the benefits of laughter therapy in complementing the treatment of mental and emotional stress.

Laughter yoga combines physical exercises like stretching and breathing with laughter-evoking exercises to stimulate a response to the immune system. It’s not about sharing jokes, rather the therapy involves laughter exercises, often in a group setting, that induce a positive physical response.

LAUGHTER YOGA