The Doctor is On?

The purpose of this blog is to improve moods at the Shabbat table... please print and share...

So, how did your Menorschach test go last week?

Here's another way of testing yourself and everyone at the table...

Have you ever heard of a medical clown?

Since the late 1980s, medical clowns have been lifting the spirits of pediatric and senior patients around the world. The benefits apparently include:

• Reducing stress
  
• Stimulating endorphin production (which reduces pain)
  
• Boosting the immune system by increasing T-cells and lowering cortisol levels
  
• Improving moods and increasing coping mechanisms
  

It seems to me these outcomes are plausible and maybe even obvious.

(For most patients; however, there is also a condition called coulrophobia — the irrational fear of clowns.)

But the topic raises several questions you can ask at your table.

First, should pediatricians perhaps all dress as clowns?

Second, if a clown can help a hospital patient, what about a less-severe illness, like the common cold?

Third, how would you like a clown to visit you when you are ill?

Finally: What do you think is the active ingredient here, humor or empathy?


Shabbat Shalom

PS - Here we are at the end of the tax year....a reminder that every donation to JSLI is tax-deductible and that every Amazon purchase can trigger a donation to your favorite charity by using http://smile.amazon.com.... at zero cost to you! Please choose Jewish Spiritual Literacy as your grantee in order to support this weekly email and our other worthy programs. 

Enjoyed this Table Talk? Vote with your fingers!  Like it, tweet it, forward it....{VR_SOCIAL_SHARING}