Laughing is no laughing matter!
Seriously :)
There are several theories trying to explain why we, humans laugh. One of the most accepted theories on why we laugh tells us that this trait evolved as a way of telling group members “everything is fine”. Imagine this situation; a group of early humans are out hunting, they are prowling in bushes, following their dangerous prey and one of them gets startled by something moving out of the bushes. After the immediate shock the group member realizes that it is just a small animal that poses no danger. He laughs because he was startled by something so small, immediately signals to the group that there is no danger.

This of course is just one explanation among many but one common thing among almost all of those is that, humans use laughing as a way of communication with their peers.

We are not the only species that laughs, Chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans all show laughter like reactions which is very similar to ours. This is no surprise considering how similar those animals are to us. It also very interesting, that rats and dogs show signs of laughter which is quite different from ours, but signal similar emotion.

Interesting stuff about laughing doesn’t end there. The most interesting facts about laughing are the effects on health.

Yes, you have read that right. If you didn’t know, laughing has lots of positive effects on human health.

 For example;

• Laughing lowers your blood pressure and relaxes your whole body.
• Laughing strengthens your diaphragm and abdominal muscles but also your facial, leg and back muscles.
• Laughing has positive effects on your hormonal balance and also acts as a pain-suppressor.
• Laughter protects the heart; since it works your heart just like a workout does and increases blood flow.
• Laughing boosts your immune system, because it decreases stress and therefore helps your body fight antibodies.

Those are not the only benefits of laughing, especially when it comes to social interaction. It is a known fact that laughing or smiling can make you more attractive in the eyes of the opposite gender.

Laughing as a group also brings members of the group closer to one and other.

Start laughing now!

It is easier said than done but considering the benefits of laughing; you should start incorporating it more in your life!

Here are some tips to make you laugh more and make you laugh better!

• Smile! Smiling more leads to laughing more!
• Surround yourself with people you enjoy being around. Your general level of happiness will reflect the amount you laugh and vice versa.
• Do “laughing yoga” sessions.
• Think of something funny, if you cannot, watch something funny!
• Laugh with your whole body. Laughing is a physical exercise!
• Build your own sense of humour. You don’t have to laugh at anything and everything but stuff you find funny!
• Have fun! Try to enjoy whatever it is you are doing! Remember, everything can be fun with the right mindset.

Don’t forget, by adding laughter you can make more out of any situation!

I would love your feedback and see your comments.
Your comfort is in the palm of my hand ...
Lisa

A friend of mine once apologized, after I’d explained a little about flower essences and how they work. He said ‘Don’t be offended, please, but that sounds like something out of a fantasy novel!’ I laughed – Why would I be offended? It’s perfectly true. The first time I ever remember seeing flower essences I had walked into a health food store and started reading descriptions (“Beech tree; for those who are intolerant.”) I had only read three when my brain cried Stop! ‘Medicines’, made from physical flowers,  that help with mental and emotional issues? It seemed preposterous.

But flower essences (also called flower remedies) can help with physical problems as well, and it is when seeing their immediate effect on a burn, for example, that one can begin to believe in their effectiveness.

One of the most effective flower remedies I have found, for burns, cuts, bruises or general shock, is the Emergency Trauma Solution (for Humans) from Perelandra. I’ve run my toes over with a sliding gate, burned my leg on the muffler of a motorcycle, fallen off a bridge, and all healed using ETS H with not a scar to be seen.

Essences work by repairing the body’s electrical system. The fact that our bodies have an electrical system may be disputed by some scientists, but a simple google search will show that there is a fair amount of research in this area, including a study from the University of Arkansas on the electrical ‘signature’ of breast cancer cells.

One of the advantages of flower essences is that you can’t take too much of them – you rarely need very many drops of any of them, but, if you want to down a whole bottle in one gulp it’s not going to hurt you. In fact, one of my favourite stories is from a woman who said that the first time she tried flower remedies she had been depressed for years and decided to drink a whole bottle of Zinnia (for “joy, laughter and childlike delight”) and then was overcome with a fit of the giggles that lasted at least half an hour.

The more common way to take essences is a few drops under the tongue a few times a day for a certain number of days or weeks. If you know how to muscle test, or know a medical practitioner who does, they can easily come up with an exact ‘dosage’. Otherwise, four drops four times a day will almost certainly cover it.

Children and animals may respond particularly well to essences. I myself have found that their calming effect seems much stronger the more anxious or upset I was before I took them.

Interestingly, the use of a rose, (for example) as a flower essence is not going to be the same for all roses. Every different variety of rose has specific issues, mental, emotional, and physical, that it addresses. The implications of this in terms of biodiversity is difficult to fully comprehend. Consider, for example, that there are (by various estimations) between one and five thousand different varieties of potato that grow in the Andes mountains. Were a flower remedy to be produced from each one, we would have up to five thousand new remedies, each dealing with a slightly different issue.

There are many places to look for more information about flower essences. The book The Perelandra Essences; A Revolution in Our Understanding and Approach to Illness and Health, by Machaelle Small Wright, goes into more detail on how to use essences than any other book I am aware of. Flower Essence Services, founded in the 1970’s, publishes an International Research Journal on-line, as well as producing essences. Molly Sheehan of Green Hope Farm writes an informative and often very entertaining blog about her essences and life on the farm. They will also send out a free book describing all of the essences they produce to anyone who’s interested. The New Encyclopedia of Flower Essences by Clare Harvey lists approximately 2000 different essences from at least 20 different producers around the world, as well as providing information on how to use them. And, lastly, although I mentioned her book The Perelandra Essences at the beginning of this paragraph, the work of Machaelle Small Wright deserves to be mentioned again. Many books on the method of gardening that she has developed and different health programs (such as the Medical Assistance Program and the Microbial Balancing Program) are available on the Perelandra website.

Nyree Gracey has been a co-creative gardener for fourteen years and a flower essence producer for seven.