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"If cancer is outlawed, only outlaws will have cancer"
Scott Burton

Human Therapy
by Scott Burton ©1998 All Rights Reserved.(used with permission)

Americans have always been on the lookout for new, unique and exotic therapies to heal the body and mind. And, as of the past few years, a potent new health source has made an appearance on the horizon. It's a simple and completely natural therapy, as ancient as the dawn of civilization, that mends the body and lifts the spirit, yet can be unearthed by you alone. This wonderful healer is present in our lives everyday, many times offered casually like a stick of gum then discarded like the wrapper. Often the recipient never even realizes the awesome power that has raced through his or her body. It's mysticism transcends science and nature itself and, while most don't understand it, has opened the door for profound healing and a positive outlook.

The therapy? Laughter.

Though not exactly exotic, laughter has found a place as a "serious" medicine for personal well being. As a stand-up comic by profession and truly valuing humor, I am excited that, as of recent years, more people are experiencing the freeing gift of laughter but, as a survivor of a high grade osteo sarcoma, I am also afraid that some people are off the mark in their quest for mirth.

I suppose it all started when the medical profession, citing endorphins and case studies validated what many of us cancer survivors already knew -- that there is such a thing as humor therapy. For most of us, their scientific "revelation" had the unfantastic ring of a 3-billion dollar medical study concluding, "If you wash every day, you are generally cleaner than if you don't." From the ranks of us who embraced humor throughout our trials could be heard a collective, "Well, duh!"

In battling my cancer I was fortunate that, due to my trade, I had an inherent desire for laughter in my life. At the time, I also noticed many others in my same predicament who had no previous experience and still laughed daily -- maybe hourly. It was a natural extension of loving life. But it also seemed, about that same time, that a boom was growing. As is the case with every new concept in healing, once laughter began to be seen as a healthy direction, seminars began popping up, humor gurus were crowned and the sales of Groucho glasses shot through the roof.

In what was simply a good idea grew a new industry. Laugh-ologists, comedy doctors and self-described humor Ph.D.s began popping up to aid the stressed out American and the chronically ill -- holding seminars, empowering the funny bone and helping the average citizen tap into the comic within. (That may even be where Howie Mandel got his act). My concern grew when, instead of allowing for humor in our lives, we began to cram it in as if it were part of our daily agenda: 12:30, lunch; 1:30, return calls; 2:00, be funny. It went as far as the business world's levity gurus recommended tricks to heighten humor in the workplace such as wearing a clown nose on the job or dropping a plastic fish in the fish tank. Of course that could be viewed not as humor, but a cry for help.

Is humor meant to be simply a prop? Do we let humor bloom as a natural extension of our lives, or do we clip it to our lapels and squirt others who get too close? Many hospitals have instituted Humor Carts, laden with books or videos giving patients the opportunity to infuse a laugh into their convalescing. It is a good idea that has proven successful. Yet it is also important to know that humor is not something you can buy at a gag-gift shop and is almost never made out of rubber. Humor, like a good holistic remedy, begins in the soul.

Still, as far as a mystical gift, laughter retains a low status as quaint and/or superfluous. Maybe it's because it's not found in some exotic root or practiced by an ancient Eastern culture. Perhaps the allure is not so great when we think the very feeling that can do us immeasurable good is the same feeling we got when Milton Berle put on a dress.

But, even with 15 years in comedy, I believe laughter is only part of the ancient remedy. Laughter is good. Laughter is essential to all of our life systems. But laughter, alone, is not the key. Laughter is, instead, the pathway that leads us to the deeper, more profound and intangible healing powers. Laughter is a glimpse of the passion that exists in our lives -- the passion that makes up our lives. It is that passion, that deep love and embracing of life that we need. The bonus is, once we touch that passion and true love, we just may never stop laughing.

Healthy foods -- yes, exercise -- yes, holistic remedies -- yes, even laughter -- yes, but, in this society, passion and a complete love of existence is not something we're told to look for within our own lives. It is something that comes (we're told) via: money, power, a perfect relationship, good health, glamour, etc. Unless we have a certain combination of those things we are not encouraged to love our lives. So, for the struggling human (or patient) that love of life seems even further away.

Yet passion, recognizing and embracing existence, says "love your lives anyhow!" That is how the laughter side of it works. Laughter lets us love our lives anyhow. Part of what gives laughter credence is, when we laugh, we let ourselves go. We are not so much in control anymore. We lose ourselves. Our fears dissipate. Our excitement for living heightens and, almost without knowing it, we achieve a positive attitude.

It is that passion that we need. It is that passion that is our healing life-force, our motivation to achieve, our expression of joy and of self. And one key to find that passion, for me and countless others, is humor.

But not all people identify with laughter. For some it is reading quietly, others song, for some work, for others it's expressing love with another. For the survivor of any trial in life the need is there to find (from inside) what we love. It is the same passion we have when we express our individuality, the same passion we have when we feel for another. If it is laughter that brings you to that passion, so be it. But don't be fooled into thinking that is the only way.

But the key (as opposed to what society tells you) is in you.

We love to throw around important sounding phrases like 'quality of life.' That denotes there is something on the outside we need to enhance our lives. The healing works from the inside out. Life is quality. Recognize that and you are halfway home. As a survivor, I recognize that life is less lovable when you feel horrible. And neither laughter or deep passion alone can cure physical ailments. But for those who are suffering from a closed mind and negative outlook, there is perhaps nothing better than laughter.

But take the time to express any (every) passion. And that goes not just for those who need humor and healing in their lives. These are words for all of us. We spend so much of our time focusing on who we are, what we are, where we are and what we have. To heal ourselves and to be ourselves we need to focus deeply and truly on that we are. It is preventive medicine.

Laughter is the road (a road). It has all the healing qualities you can ask for (... and it's free). Let's not forget the other roads. There are millions of them, as individual as snowflakes, as individual as you are. It has existed since the beginning of time, written into the very fabric of the universe. It is not humor therapy, it is human therapy. Take one dose and pass it on.
 
 

Scott Burton's Cancer Resource Page. Scott is a cancer survivor and a professional comedian, need we say more. He can be booked as a motivational speaker too. http://www.sburton.com/inconnav.htm

Healing with humor. Dedicated to the belief that a little laughter goes a long way in dealing with illness. Links to more sites with the same view. http://www.saskweb.com/healinghumour/

Patrick Doyle maintains a more-or-less daily humor mailing list called Morning Smile. If you would like to subscribe to a sometimes irreverent e-mail wake-up drop him a note at: patrick.doyle@sympatico.ca

Association member and current Webmaster Marty Burke maintains a humor service with an eclectic daily collection of offerings. To subscribe to Marty's jokes send an email to: Martys_Jokes-subscribe@onelist.com