Laughter truly is the best medicine & Mel Brooks knows how to provide that medicine. I have had 2 surgeries in the past 3 months, so having good "medicine" is on my mind. Of course the pharmaceutical route is important for healing, but of course laughter and a positive mental outlook definitely helps the healing process. Both recent surgeries brought to me some ideas for healing with laughter and relaxation.
I admit it, the Mel Brooks humor really appeals to me, especially in the classic Young Frankenstein. If you've never seen this comedy classic, this particular scene Gene Wilder (Young Frankenstein) asks his assistant where he got the brain from to put into the man they are attempting to bring back to life. Igor (Marty Feldman) says "Abby someone...Abby Normal." What follows is Gene Wilder's dialogue chastising Igor for putting an abnormal brain in his creation. This clip from the Young Frankenstein movie always makes me laugh, it's a classic.
The reason this little movie clip came to my mind, is the fact that my recent mammogram showed an "abnormal" test result requiring further testing and a biopsy. Luckily the biopsy turned out benign. I had out-patient surgery, a lumpectomy, and I'm going to be fine. Yet, it was pretty nerve wracking until I knew what was happening. Seeing the "Abnormal" show up when checking my test results on line caused some worry. Sometimes I think I should wait for a call from the doctor's office instead of trying to figure out what "abnormal" means. In any case, I am glad that by brain has a tendency to look for the humor in situations, to diffuse the worry and/ or stress. Hence the Abby Normal joke. It's an oldie but a goodie.
Looking for humor is nothing new for me, I started as a young girl. My Grandmother subscribed to Reader's Digest. when visiting with her, I always turned to the humor sections first; especially Laughter : the Best Medicine. So many of the little stories could always make me laugh. Maybe it is a bit "old-fashioned" but I subscribe to Reader's Digest, mostly for the humorous anecdotes.
My most recent surgery, a Total Knee Replacement, brought to mind a therapy that is good medicine, but not necessarily laughter: it is the importance of relaxation. When I was in the hospital, waiting for surgery and also in recovery, I really enjoyed the soothing music and tranquil nature scenes played in each room. I am sure most people have seen these types of channels on programming meant to relax and sooth the patient. Well, studies show that it really does help people relax, lower blood pressure and provide an atmosphere of caring. A good state of mental health can also provide good results on the physical aspects of healing. It helped me. In the bottom corner of each video is the acronym C.A.R..E. Anytime I see an acronym....well I just gotta know what it stands for. So I looked it up and it means: Continuous Ambient Relaxation Environment. Perfect. I just love it. It also is connected to a web site and mobile app. From their site: "The premier relaxation programming for healthcare settings, The C.A.R.E. Channel is produced to comfort patients, families, and staff over the full 24-hour cycle. This highly effective therapeutic tool significantly contributes to improved satisfaction and patient outcomes, and helps you create a healing environment for patients, families, and staff.
It was awesome when I was there, and was much better than listening to the news of the day and/ or hearing health monitoring machine alarms going off. So after getting home, I discovered that on their site, they even offer subscriptions to their relaxing videos and music via a desk top site or a mobile app. I considered it, but like many apps, it comes with a free "trial" period followed by a monthly subscription period. I decided for my purposes, it just wasn't worth it. Besides, I did discover that if I need a "fix" of comforting C.A.R.E. videos that can be found on YouTube. Just type in "care channel" and you can watch a free demo video. It's more addictive than Oxycodone. When my husband and I were waiting for my knee surgery, it was kind of unique to see on the video places that looked amazingly familiar that we recognized from our travels. Pretty sure that included scenery from Glacier National Park and the Apostle Islands. Since there were several that looked so much like the cliff formations of the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin, I can't help but wonder if the C.A.R.E. channel features "localized" programming...Perhaps. Either way, it has helped my recovery.
So during my recovery, I have also made a few little jokes with myself that are not really suitable for print. Nevertheless, it does feel good to laugh. It's good medicine.
Julie Etta Smith
