Laughter is the best medicine to find a cure for dementia

[dropcap=”circle]Laughter is the best medicine, so we are told, and now a Sale woman is hoping to use it to help people suffering from dementia and depression.

Pat Higgins, runs the Sale Laughter Club, which uses laughter yoga as a therapy.

‘’It involves yogic breathing and starts as an exercise with fake laughter and soon develops into natural laughter,” says Pat. ‘Your body can’t tell the difference between fake laughter, and the real thing, so you get all the health benefits.’’

Laughter Yoga was started in India in 1995, and now they are 6,000 Laughter Clubs in 60 countries.

‘’It encourages deep breathing increasing the supply of oxygen to the body,” says Pat, “It reduces the stress related hormone, cortisol, and stimulates the release of endorphins and boosts the immune system.’’

Laughter Club members say they feel the benefits immediately. ‘’There’s nothing like a good laugh. You feel drained emotionally and exhilarated at the same time. I was hooked from the first laugh,’’ says Val Armriding.

Now Pat is using her experiences to try to help dementia sufferers. ‘’I’ve done a couple of sessions at the Larkhill Dementia Café in Thorley Lane, Timperley, and the response was very positive. People were very enthusiastic, and I am convinced about the benefits. I hope to run regular sessions for people suffering from dementia in the Sale, and Ashton on Mersey, areas.

”Every time I’ve run sessions for dementia sufferers you can see the effects of laughter on people.

‘’One of the main things that it puts us in the present moment, in the ‘now’, so we can stop worrying at least for a while, You don’t have to be happy to laugh, but laughing make you feel happy.’’

The Sale Laughter Club meets on the first Thursday every month at the Sale Methodist Church, in Trinity Road.