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A new, first-of-its kind study has demonstrated that laughter can indeed be good medicine – especially for those with heart disease. Laughter therapy can increase the functional capacity of the cardiovascular system that includes the heart, lungs, arteries and veins, found the yet-to-be peer-reviewed research presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam. Researchers, including Marco Saffi from the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre in Brazil, found reduced inflammation and better signs of health among coronary artery disease patients who engaged in a course of laughter therapy. They found laughter therapy sessions could cause the tissue inside a patient’s heart to expand, potentially leading to increased oxygen flow through the body. Until now, different treatments without the use of drugs have been studied in coronary artery disease patients, but the benefits of rehabilitation using laughter therapy was not fully assessed, scientists said. In the new study, the impact of laughter therapy on the functional capacity, tissue function as well as markers of inflammation in the bodies of patients with coronary artery disease was evaluated. The condition, which is one of the most common diseases in the world, arises when the heart’s coronary arteries struggle to supply the organ with enough blood, oxygen and nutrients. Scientists conducted a clinical trial involving 26 adults with an average age of 64 from August 2016 to December 2020, measuring each of their oxygen uptake and the widening of their main artery when blood flow increases. Researchers also measured levels of molecules in the patients’ bodies, indicative of inflammation such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM). Thirteen of the patients were assigned to the group that underwent laughter therapy by watching two self-selected TV comedy shows per week. The other 13 served as the control group and watched “neutral documentaries”, scientists noted. They said the study is the first controlled clinical trial to evaluate the impact of rehabilitation using laughter therapy on patients with coronary artery disease. It revealed an increase in the body’s peak oxygen uptake and improvements in tissue function as well as the body’s markers of inflammation. The new findings are in line with previous research that suggested having a good laughter session makes the body release endorphins, which are hormones that reduce stress and inflammation and help the heart and blood vessels relax. Based on the new results, presented at the world’s largest heart conference, scientists say laughter therapy may constitute an “effective form of cardiac rehabilitation in this patient population”. Read More How many steps a day can cut risk of early death (and it’s not 10,000) A broad genetic test saved one newborn's life. Research suggests it could help millions of others Snoring before age 50 is a health ‘red flag’, experts suggest How many steps a day can cut risk of early death (and it’s not 10,000) Experts warn that snoring before you turn 50 is a health ‘red flag’ ‘Boy moms’ called out for dubious logic behind teaching their sons to cook

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The American Museum of Natural History in New York will remove all human remains displayed in its exhibits and is preparing a new storage location for its collection of 12,000 remains -- which includes skeletal remains of Indigenous and enslaved Black people -- according to a letter from the museum president obtained by CNN.

Tucker Carlson is back and proving precisely why he doesn’t belong on mainstream news. Fans will, of course, view that as a compliment, but it’s not intended as such. His new Twitter show, the first episode of which aired on Tuesday night (UK time), managed to pack a staggering amount of conspiracy and dangerous conjecture into 10 minutes and 27 seconds. Addressing his 7.9 million followers on the platform from the inside of some sort of log cabin, he launched into a jaw-dropping monologue, covering topics from the destruction of a massive dam in southern Ukraine to an alleged alien coverup by the US government. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The launch of ‘Tucker on Twitter’ comes just weeks after Fox News “parted ways” with its top-rated host. He has clearly kept hold of his loyal fanbase, with episode one of his new low-budget series racking up 44.9 million views in less than 10 hours. And yet, Carlson has made it clear that Twitter shouldn’t get too comfortable: proclaiming that he’ll ditch the platform in an instant if anyone dares call him out on his wild and problematic comments. “We’re told there are no gatekeepers here,” he said about Elon Musk’s social media stage. “If that turns out to be false, we’ll leave.” However, he added: “In the meantime, we are grateful to be here. We will be back with much more very soon.” If the first instalment is anything to go by, we should be concerned by this promise of “much more”. He began his tirade by accusing Ukraine of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam, and describing President Zelensky as looking like a “sweaty and rat-like a comedian-turned-oligarch”. He then claimed that the US government is essentially strong-arming its citizens into backing Ukraine against Russia, suggesting that the overriding message is: “Shut up and support Ukraine or else you are in trouble.” He went on to describe Americans as “the least informed people in the world” before accusing the media of “ignoring the stories that matter.” “What's happened to the hundreds of billions of US dollars we've sent to Ukraine? No clue,” he went on. “Who organised those BLM riots three years ago? No one's gotten to the bottom of that. “What exactly happened on 9/11? Well, it's still classified. How did Jeffrey Epstein make all that money? How did he die? How about JFK? And so, endlessly, on. “Not only are the media not interested in any of this, they are actively hostile to anybody who is in journalism. Curiosity is the gravest crime." He went on: “Yesterday, for example, a former Air Force officer who worked for years in military intelligence came forward as a whistleblower to reveal that the US government has physical evidence of crashed non-human made aircraft, as well as the bodies of the pilots who flew those aircraft. “The Pentagon has spent decades studying these otherworldly remains in order to build more technologically advanced weapons systems. OK? That's what the former Intel officer revealed, and it was clear he was telling the truth. “In other words, UFOs are actually real and apparently so is extraterrestrial life. Now, we know in a normal country this news would qualify as a bombshell, the story of the millennium, but in our country it doesn't.” He ended his diatribe by insisting that “most” people in the US live “manipulated by lies and silenced by taboos”. “It is unhealthy and it's dehumanising, and we're tired of it,” he stressed. So what is the antidote to all this state-sponsored “secrecy”? Why, to tune into ‘Tucker on Twitter’, of course. Plenty of people will, inevitably, and Musk himself has promoted the series’ release. Retweeting the episode, he wrote jovially: “Would be great to have shows from all parts of the political spectrum on this platform!” All we can say is, more sanity, please. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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