HUMOR
Do Patch Adams, M.D.'s humorous healing techniques really work? The
cable network Comedy Central and scientists at the University of
California-Los Angeles hope to find out.
In February, Comedy Central donated a $75,000 research grant to
UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center to explore the use of humor in reducing pain
and preventing and treating diseases--such as cancer, HIV and others that
weaken the immune system--in children and adolescents. The project is
being spearheaded by Sherry Dunay Hilber, an entertainment industry
executive; Lonnie Zeltzer, M.D., director of the Pediatric Pain Program
at UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital; and Margaret Stuber, M.D., a
psychiatry professor at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute.
The program, dubbed "Rx Laughter," has three parts. First, the
researchers plan to determine what healthy children find funny by showing
them classic cartoons, comedic TV shows and films. Next, they will
measure the kids' heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormone levels and
other biological markers as they watch funny clips to see whether
laughter has a notable effect on the body. Finally, the scientists will
monitor the same responses in ill children to see whether humor affects
their immune function. If laughter does provoke a positive response, the
researchers hope to use the comedic clips from the study in treatment,
especially during painful procedures like blood draws or chemotherapy, to
alleviate kids' stress and fear--thus promoting faster healing.
"Rx Laughter" is the latest project to come from "Comedy Rx," the
program Comedy central created in 1998 to generate awareness of the
healing effects of humor. Says Comedy Central CEO Larry Divney: "We know
our programming is entertaining, but to think that comedy is literally
good for you is exciting."
--Camille Chatterjee
BODY LANGUAGE
The Nose Knows
Pinocchio's not the only one whose nose grows when telling a
falsehood.
The fictional puppet's malady is a bona fide biological response to
lying, says Alan Hirsch, M.D., a researcher at the Smell and Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. When people fib, says
Hirsch, they often feel guilty about it. This results in a small increase
in blood pressure, which boosts blood flow to the erectile tissues in the
nose, causing them to stretch and release histamines. This ultimately
leads to a slight nasal swelling--and the same nasal itch--that people
experience when they have allergies.
So be wary of people's body language during conversation: Unless
it's hay fever season, someone scratching their nose may just be pulling
your leg.
--Linda Formichelli
