How to Relax Your Heart With
Almost No Effort

Have you ever heard of an epicure? You
should know what one is...because you are
one. In the strictest sense, as a Fun
Factor devotee you are an epicure - someone
who believes that the pursuit of pleasure
is the primary goal in life.

Now before you accuse me of insulting you
by calling you a hedonist, let me tell you
what pursuing pleasure as an epicure really
means.

But first, let me share some really
cool research that'll motivate you to smile
even more than usual today...

Blood vessels are lined with a layer of
cells called endothelium; they regulate
blood flow by helping blood vessels expand
and contract. In a recent small study,
healthy men and women watched either a
funny movie or an intense, violent one
while researchers measured blood flow
through an artery in their upper arm. Sound
like a fun way to spend your Saturday
evening?

Wanna guess at the results of this study?

You already know: watching the funny movie
caused blood vessels to dilate, increasing
blood flow by about 22 percent. The action
movie caused mental stress and blood vessel
constriction, decreasing blood flow by
about 35 percent. Having relaxed blood
vessels decreases strain on the heart.

Which would you rather have? A strained
heart or a relaxed heart? Me too.

By the way, researchers aren't exactly sure
how your mood affects blood vessels - they
just know it does. Different mood states
may alter levels of certain hormones, such
as cortisol, that affect blood vessel
function or nitric oxide function. (Here's
a bit of "useless knowledge" you can bore
people with at your next party - nitric
oxide is a chemical messenger that promotes
blood vessel relaxation)

A good diet and regular exercise are your
tried and true methods of improving blood
vessel health, but laughing often is a
great addition.

Epicures, by the way, are named after the
father of this philosophy - a Greek named
Epicurus. Epicurus believed that pleasure
was the absense of pain, which could be
achieved by lessing desire. So Epicurus
taught his followers to seek contentment of
the soul and pursue physical delights in
moderation.

While the word "epicure" has been
highjacked in modern times to mean a pure
pleasure-seeker, a real epicure is one who
seeks the simple pleasures of life. Simple
pleasures which will lead to an absence of
pain. Simple pleasures like humor,
laughter, and taking yourself lightly!

Before you read this issue you had no idea
you held such a unique title, did you? Keep
smiling!

Your Attention Please!

Master mental success and all Dr. Kuhns' Fun
Commandments! Discover Dr. Kuhn's
closely held secrets. You may never
be unhappy again. Check out
The Fun Factor for yourself today.

Read Our Featured Article

Stress management is a hot topic; stress-
related illness and suffering is at an all-
time high in America and increasing every
year. Cliff Kuhn, M.D.'s work with the
powerful natural medicine of humor has
uncovered the primary culprit behind your
unhealthy stress symptoms, and he reveals
the solution to simple, healthy stress
management in this article

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Some Humor to Help You Smile

Please - do your friends a favor! Send them
this newsletter or tell them to sign up for it
themselves by going to "http://www.natural-
humor-medicine.com/Fun_times.html" Let's
spread the happiness virus together!

Cliff Kuhn, M.D.
The Laugh Doctor
7406 Wesboro Road
Louisville, KY 40242
"It all starts with a SMILE"