"A clown is like Aspirin, only he works twice as fast."

- Groucho Marx

Watching a funny movie is not only good for your mood, it's also great for your health!

Comedies and sit coms can be quite relaxing and comforting, especially when you share the experience with friends or family members.

Recent studies showed that 30 minutes of humor per day for a full year lowered blood pressure in diabetic heart attack survivors.

Laughter also releases endorphins and elevates pain tolerance.

Studies also show that four sessions of laughter therapy per month can decrease depression and improve sleep quality in the elderly.

Doesn't laughter seem like a good idea? If you're feeling stressed, consider taking 5 minutes to watch a funny video and laugh out loud. Even better… spend time with young children and laugh with them as they explore our world and start to express themselves as individuals. Children can always be relied upon to find the funny aspect of a mundane situation, so let your inner child shine!

Here are a couple of funny videos you may enjoy:

• http://www.myspace.com/video/greg/gerry-dee-and-then-the-bear-licked-the-honey/11099840
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUNmLuNdiL8

A Cup of Tea to Your Health

Green tea offers countless health benefits that can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity and even cavities. Preliminary results from a study conducted in Hong Kong indicate that green tea could also protect your eyes since catechin contained in green tea can be absorbed by the pupil and retina.

While all types of tea offer health benefits, green tea offers a greater concentration of catechin, making it helpful in preserving bone tissue.

I rarely spend a day without a cup (or two) of green tea. My personal favorite is genmai cha tea and it's a great tea to have if you'd like to try green tea for the first time. Its roasted rice and popcorn flavour make it quite enjoyable. Learn more about green tea here:

http://www.relaxation-at-home.com/healthbenefitsforgreentea.html

Chronic Fatigue

Are you plagued by fatigue? While exhaustion and short episodes where you lack energy are normal, feeling fatigued for 6 months or more isn't. Learn more about chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Book of the Month

With more and more people realizing the health dangers associated with highly processed preservative-laden food, going back to home-cooked meals is a great option… but who's got enough time, knowledge or skills to do it?

My book of the month recommendation for May 2012 will teach you all you need to know to take control of your kitchen. It's called The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and it's not a recipe book, but something closer to a journal documenting a reality-show type setting where real women learned to cook together. Lots of anecdotes, tips and recipes are thrown in the mix, making it very enjoyable to read.

This book contains lots of useful information, from the right way to hold a knife to how to make your own broth from scratch. Read the full review here.

More Relaxation Tips Next Month

That's it for now.

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Remember to make time for relaxation on a daily basis and I'll be back next month with more relaxation tips.