Laughter is the best medicine
New research shows that breastfed babies with eczema suffer less when their mothers spend time laughing before feeding them. In this study breastfeeding mothers were shown either a feature length Charlie Chaplin film or footage of weather information. Two feeds later the babies’ allergic reactions were measured. Those whose mothers had laughed had fewer symptoms. The laughing mothers’ milk was found to contain higher levels of melatonin, a hormone associated with relaxation.
Kimata H. 2007. Laughter elevates the levels of breast-milk melatonin. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 62 (6) 699-702.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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