Well-known humorist Larry Wilde declared April as National Humor Month in 1976 – it starts with All Fools’ Day, and mid-month is April 15^th, Tax Day, which for most people is no laughing matter, and all the more reason to yuk it up while you have the chance!

Using humor to relieve stress is simple — the benefits are simply wonderful. Follow these easy steps and you’ll be on your way to defusing anxiety and frustration.

1. TAKE A HUMOR BREAK.
Keep a book of jokes or cartoons handy. If it makes good sense to keep a first-aid kit for medical emergencies, why not a mirth-kit to deal with stressful situations?

Ten minutes before a meeting or potentially stressful situation read some funny stories. A smile or chuckle will relax you and better prepare you for a confrontation. A good laugh makes you feel good and allows you to think more clearly and quickly. Humor makes you more efficient — it allows you to function better.

2. LAUGH AT YOURSELF.
Dr. Meyer Friedman in his book, Treating Type A Behavior and Your Heart, points out that being able to laugh at yourself is healthy.

Dr. Friedman’s research in heart disease leads him to conclude: “The person most effectively protecting himself against the continued progress of coronary artery disease is the person willing to see himself and his affairs as ludicrously unimportant in the planetary scheme of things.”

When you make fun of yourself it takes the sting out of what other people say.

It is not necessary to constantly put yourself down in the workplace, but self-deprecating humor shows that you’re human. It reveals that you are so self-assured, you can readily poke fun at yourself. And guess what? People like you more! Humor keeps you from taking yourself too seriously and makes dealing with others easier.

3. CREATE A FUNNY FILE ALL YOUR OWN.
Find out what makes you laugh and nurture it. Each of us has an individual sense of humor. There are many life experiences we can look back on and laugh about uproariously. Childhood incidents, school situations, even marriage mishaps.

Remember the embarrassing moments that were so painful when they happened but are funny now when you think about them.

The next step in developing your funny file is to put together a humor library. Gather up your favorite cartoons, comedy records, joke books, funny video films — anything that will bring a smile to your lips. Bookmark your favorite humorous websites.

Marsha Sinetar, organizational psychologist and author of Do What You Love, mentions an executive who has a file folder reserved for cartoons, jokes and other humorous anecdotes.

“I call this my mental health file,” he explains. “When I’m down in the dumps, bored, uninspired, I flip through this folder. I’m always amazed at how a few laughs pick me up and change my perspective. It’s interesting how a humor file can reach your inner spirit and remind you that the world’s not such a bad place after all.” Keeping your own humor collection provides comic relief when you need it most.

Science has made us aware that there is now another way to cope with stress that does not require drugs or toxic agents of any kind. People who may need a cure for one of the most depressing and debilitating maladies of our times can now access the newest and best prescription: Humor.

We see it on the news and on the internet constantly – another drug being taken off the market because of unwanted, unexpected and dangerous side effects. We read it in the papers and hear it on the radio, so frequently that we may become desensitized to it, but make no mistake —  while some drugs are necessary and do help people, too often drugs are used as a crutch instead of accepting responsibility to make lifestyle changes that would work better and last longer. And they can be very harmful at times, so it’s up to you to be smart about what you put in your body.

For example, some people need high blood pressure medication to keep their blood pressure under control. Yet, they may be able to control their blood pressure with diet, by reducing salt, or by increasing foods that help the body to balance fluids better.

Examples of foods that help you regulate the water balance in your body are cranberries, celery, parsley, asparagus, artichoke, melon, watercress, and apple cider vinegar. Sometimes, you can get off medication by selecting a natural remedy instead.

Many people rely on pain relievers, yet these can be some of the most toxic substances, with harsh side effects that can be worse than the original pain. Quite a few of these have been taken off the market, but fortunately, there is an alternative – safe and gentle chiropractic care, which uses the natural healing ability of the body to relieve pain. The pain usually isn’t the problem, it’s the signal that tells you there is a problem. Chiropractic aims to find and correct the cause, and that’s why so many people feel better and are healthier through chiropractic care.

If you can avoid taking unnecessary drugs and instead make good lifestyle decisions, you’ll find that the natural way is most often the best way. Be smart about what you put in your body – that’s what works best.

If you’ve visited your chiropractor recently, you probably received an adjustment, the primary service most chiropractors offer. Adjustments are intended to restore and/or enhance normal function by reducing or eliminating any stress or interference in your body’s control system, the nerve system. Spinal bones (vertebrae) can lose their proper position and disturb nerve function, and adjustments are designed to relieve that nerve pressure and allow the body to heal and function the way it was meant to.

The art of chiropractic is unique to each practitioner – some adjustments are very light, some are more firm. Some are done by hand, while others may use an instrument of some kind. Some adjustments make noise, and some are silent. There are dozens of ways chiropractors correct nerve interference, and no one way is necessarily better than the others – they all have their place, and they all do good for people. It’s up to the individual chiropractor to choose which methods are a good fit for each patient’s needs.

Chiropractors study for years in chiropractic college to become expert at adjusting, and most take post-doctoral courses in specialized techniques to improve and master their art. You may even notice that on different visits, your doctor adjust different areas or uses a different approach – that’s because each patient is unique, and each adjustment requires the doctor of chiropractic to evaluate and decide where the nerve interference may be, and what to do to correct it. This may only take a few moments, but it is custom-tailored to your body, and is one of the reasons chiropractors get such great results in helping people get well and stay well – the chiropractor gives the body what it wants and needs to heal itself.

Every year, we get a little older and hopefully a little wiser – but how many of us realize how important it is to do the little things that keep us healthy? When the winter draws to a close and the buds start popping out, we know it’s time to do some spring cleaning in our homes – but how many of us do the same for our bodies?

Smart and well-informed people know that developing healthy lifestyle habits is a critical key to a happy, healthy life. Eating well, sleeping enough, observing the basic rules of hygiene and including the right amount of the right kind of exercise builds a foundation most people can grow on – you can take the opportunity now to check yourself on these and other essential lifestyle choices, and do some “spring cleaning” inside your body.

You may want to knock off a few pounds of winter weight by eating lighter and increasing your activity levels. You may want to choose some nutritional supplements to give your body some extra building blocks to work with. You may want to reduce or eliminate your intake of sweets, or increase the fruits and vegetables in your diet.

All of these options are fairly well-known, but there are other things you can do to streamline the efficiency of your body and get it working at peak performance, not the least of which is to remember the role your spine and nerve system play, and take proper care of them by visiting your chiropractor. Those adjustments you receive are a way to improve your body’s function, clearing any interference in the way your brain tells your body parts what to do, so that your body works the best it can.

All of your body’s functions, from growth and repair to detoxification, are influenced by nerve system control, and that’s why it’s so important to make chiropractic care part of your regular health habits – it helps your body work the way it’s supposed to, naturally.

One more tip – when you clean anything, you usually use water, and your body is no different – drinking plenty of water, as much as eight or ten glasses a day or more, is one of the best ways you can keep yourself clean on the inside, not just in the springtime, but all year round.

Poets, authors and philosophers have recorded their ideas about the beauty and excitement of this time of year – enjoy some lovely and entertaining thoughts about the month of March.

 It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.
– Charles Dickens

 “A light exists in Spring
Not present in the year
at any other period
When March is scarcely here.”
– Emily Dickinson

 “Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty.”
– William Shakespeare

 “The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.

When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here.”
– Author Unknown

 “Springtime is the land awakening.  
The March winds are the morning yawn.”  
– Lewis Grizzard

 “March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes and a laugh in her voice.”
–  Hal Borland

 One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of March thaw, is the Spring.
– Aldo Leopold

 Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”
– Robin Williams

Whether you are a parent, a grandparent, a future parent or a child, there are some simple guidelines you can follow to increase your chances of having the healthiest life possible. By applying some simple common sense ideas, you’ll improve your quality of life and probably extend your life while you’re doing it.

 Starting in the Sixties and for over thirty years, a study was conducted in California called the Alameda County Study, which identified seven habits people who lived long healthy lives tended to develop. They observed seven key indicators for longevity and quality of life by following Alameda County residents 60-94 years of age and recording trends among those with optimal results. They are obvious once you see them – they are easy to adopt into your life, and will more likely than not reduce the amount of time and money you have to spend on doctors over your lifetime and your family’s lifetime.

 As you have probably already guessed, these seven lifestyle choices are nothing extreme – rather they are normal daily habits which many of you already do or sometimes do. You’ll be amazed to discover how making a few changes can improve your chances of a long healthy life. And if you share these distinctions with your family, you can approach these lifestyle choices together and share in the benefits.

The Alameda Seven

1) Sleep seven or eight hours each night. The importance of sleep cannot be overemphasized. Rest and rejuvenation are critical components of a healthy metabolism, and sleeping long enough and restfully enough give your body the healing and regeneration time it needs to perform as you wish during the day. Allow sufficient time to sleep.

 Also check your sleep equipment – is your mattress comfortable, is it the right size and shape for your needs, does it support you the way you need when you are sleeping? You’ll spend between a quarter and a third of your life in your bed – make sure you have invested in the best sleep gear available. And you should be able to sleep comfortably on your pillow, not too low and not too high.

Finally, you’re better off sleeping face up or on your side, not face down, since sleeping on your stomach keeps your neck turned all night, which can lead to misalignment and pain. Get into the habit of sleeping in healthy positions.

 2) Eat breakfast. Beginning your day with a healthful, nutritious meal kick-starts your machinery and replenishes your energy storage after your night’s fast – that where the word “breakfast” comes from, breaking your fast after sleeping. Coffee and a donut are not the kind of fuel you may choose to put into your finely tuned physiology – pick breakfast foods that have less sugar and artificial ingredients, and more balanced whole foods in moderate quantities. Some people do well with fruit, some with cereals, some with eggs, but select foods in combinations that your body
processes well.

 And drink water – your body needs it after having none for seven or eight hours. Don’t make the assumption that coffee and juice are as good as water — your body treats them more like food. Drink water, and your body will thank you for it.

 3) Exercise. Scientists have an assortment of theories on exercise, many of which have merit, but the simplest exercise is just deciding to move around more as part of your lifestyle. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park on the other side of the parking lot and walk a hundred yards to your office. Walk around the block before or after dinner. Use part of your lunch hour to ride a bicycle, stretch, or do some yoga.

Some exercise experts recommend short bursts of high intensity exercise, while others say that working physical movement and activity into your daily routines is better – in fact, why not do both, and you’ll be astounded how quickly your body gets stronger, more flexible and less cranky.

4) Maintain a desirable weight for your height. There is obviously a wide range of acceptability for this, but the product of sleeping enough, eating well and exercising, the first three habits mentioned, should get you into the ball park.

 A word to the wise — don’t try to be something you’re not. Some people have slimmer body types, others have thicker body types, and regardless of your natural gifts, you have to aim at the right proportions for someone of your particular body type. Be reasonable, and if you need feedback you can easily consult height and weight charts to get an idea if you are within the desired boundaries.

 5) No smoking. If you’ve never smoked, even better. Most research shows that your body starts to repair itself once you stop smoking, and depending on the amount of damage, you’ll come all the way or part of the way back to optimal. At the very least, notice the relationship between serious chronic illness and smoking, and do everything possible to reduce or eliminate smoking in your life and your family’s life.

 Smoking is a major contributing factor to the majority of the preventable disease our society is burdened by, so it cannot be overemphasized to quit or avoid smoking and campaign for others you care about to do the same.

 6) Drink less than five drinks at one sitting. Alcohol is a matter of personal taste and conviction, but there is a correlation between health problems and excessive drinking. Where is the line for you? No one really knows for sure, but this study demonstrated that those who drank fewer than five drinks at a sitting were measurably healthier than those who drank five drinks at a sitting or more.

 Give or take the right amount for any particular person, observing moderation with alcohol is consistent with good health, quality of life and longevity.

 7) Avoid snacks. Sugary bursts confound and irritate your body’s regulatory mechanisms, and daily coffee, soda pop, and donuts are both a poor start to a day’s nutrition and a lousy snack along the way. It pumps the body’s energy systems, and exhausts your resources, making you crash and crave more sugar. And diet sodas have recently been linked to heart attacks and stroke, so they aren’t much better for you.

 Some diet and nutrition experts believe that several smaller meals are easier on your body, while others subscribe to the more traditional three squares – but snacking on empty calories or non-nutritious foods seems to lead to worse health and shorter life.

 There are other positive habits you can adopt to make your health and wellness even better. You can take appropriate nutritional supplements in addition to your clean, wholesome, balanced diet. You can meditate, get massage or do yoga to relieve stress. And you and your family can enjoy the miraculous healing benefits chiropractic is famous for with periodic chiropractic examinations and adjustments when necessary.

You only get one body – take good care of it and it will take good care of you. Good health is not an accident – it’s the product of good luck and good lifestyle decisions. You may not be able to control your luck, but you can improve your chances with good lifestyle decisions, so keep moving toward your ideal, and you and your family will have the best likelihood of good health.