September 28, 2023 general

The saying is, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Is that just an old wives’ tale? Maybe not.  The Mayo Clinic says the concept is no joke and lists many physical benefits such as stress reduction, immune boosting, relief of pain, blood pressure reduction, and stimulation of several key organs. Even the Bible says, in Proverbs 17:22, “A joyful heart is good medicine…” Personally, I’m taking no chances.

What is my favorite TV show? Something classy on NPR? Nope. I think The Big Bang Theory is the funniest, most imaginative sitcom. I don’t care that they are reruns. Even if I do remember an episode, it is usually only the main plot points, and I can still appreciate the hysterical dialog and great acting. Likewise, my favorite author? Something sophisticated like Hemingway, Harper Lee, or Shakespeare? No, it is Dave Barry. He is the longtime humor newspaper columnist and author of many hilarious books. (I believe I’ve read them all and now, some twice.)

Here is part of what Dave says in the section titled “A Cold Cure?  Who Nose?” (from his collection of columns entitled, Bad Habits.) “I say we give the medical community two more weeks to cure the common cold, and if it doesn’t, we turn the problem over to a more competent outfit, like the Sony Corporation.” He then does a spoof of a commercial for fictional Phlegm-B-Gone that instantly cures a lady with a cold so bad that she is on the floor with a 112-degree fever and can’t move her left side. Barry mocks his wife for still getting colds even after taking vitamin C pills the size of toaster ovens. Then he closes the column with this: “My approach is to drink large quantities of beer. Since I started drinking large quantities of beer, I have not had one cold that I remember clearly.”

Of course, my point is not to drink beer for prevention, it is to laugh. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to read my HBN library article on the immune system and the one on Colds / Flu (that one links to my remedy kit list).

Oh, and why did I pick the Minions for the graphic? Because, just looking at them makes me laugh.