Laughter and the Nervous System: A Gentle Reset for MS, Autoimmune Disease, and Chronic Stress

Many years ago, early in my practice, I remember sitting quietly with a woman who lived every day with a painful autoimmune condition — not multiple sclerosis, but similar.

She had been doing the foundational work of healing: building steady routines around diet, supplements, and supportive therapies. She had come a long way. But whenever her stress increased — even slightly — her pain would speak in volumes.

One day, she mentioned that she had started Laughter Yoga.

She said,

“OK, it’s a bit strange… but honestly? I feel better. Not cured. But better.”

What struck me wasn’t over-enthusiasm or hype. It was the way her body had softened.

Her pain was easier to live with. Her mood was lighter. Her system felt less braced, less on guard.

At the time, I gently tucked that conversation away. Interesting. Curious. Not something I fully understood yet.

But lately, laughter has found its way back into my awareness — quietly, persistently. And so I did what I always do when something keeps tapping me on the shoulder.

I took a deep dive.

And what I found confirmed something I’ve come to trust over decades of living with MS and working with thousands of people with MS, autoimmune conditions, and stress-related illness:

Laughter is not trivial. It’s regulatory.

And it may be one of the most overlooked — and accessible — tools we have. A Different Way to Begin the New Year

What if you didn’t start this year with another list of promises you’re supposed to keep?

No rigid resolutions. No pressure to “fix” yourself by January 31st. No empty declarations that quietly add more stress.

What if you started with something you could do right now — something free, evidence-informed, and surprisingly powerful for your health?

What if you started… by laughing?

Not because everything is funny. Not because life is easy. But because your nervous system recognizes laughter as a signal of safety.

And safety, as it turns out, is very good medicine. Laughter and the Nervous System: Why It Matters for MS and Autoimmune Disease

You’ve probably heard the phrase “laughter is the best medicine.”

But have you ever really asked why?

From a mind-body and functional medicine perspective, laughter influences multiple systems at once:

• Lowers cortisol and dampens the chronic stress response

• Shifts the nervous system toward parasympathetic (rest-and-repair) dominance

• Increases endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin (mood-regulating neurotransmitters)

• Supports blood sugar balance by reducing stress-hormone interference

• Enhances immune function and counters stress-induced immune suppression

• Reduces pain perception

• Improves heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of nervous system resilience

  
  

These effects matter deeply if you’re living with:

• multiple sclerosis (MS)

• autoimmune disease

• digestive disorders

• chronic stress or burnout

…or any combination of the above. What If You Don’t Feel Like Laughing?

This is the part I find most compassionate.

You don’t wait to feel calm before you take a breath.

You don’t wait to feel relaxed before you lie down to rest.

Laughter works the same way.

In structured practices like Laughter Yoga, laughter is intentional. It begins in the body — the face, the breath, the voice — not in the mind.

And here’s the key point:

The body doesn’t distinguish very well between “real” and intentional laughter.The physiology still responds.

That means:

• you can laugh on purpose

• you can laugh awkwardly

• you can laugh without a reason

• you can laugh even when life feels heavy

  
  

There are no known contraindications to laughter.

No prescription required.

No perfect mood needed. What Is Laughter Yoga and Why Does It Work?

Laughter Yoga was developed by Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician who asked a simple but radical question: What if we didn’t wait for humor to laugh?

Laughter Yoga combines:

• intentional laughter exercises

• simple movement and play

• eye contact and social connection

• gentle yogic breathing

  
  

From a physiological standpoint, laughter creates a brief sympathetic (stress) activation followed by a parasympathetic rebound — exactly what chronically stressed nervous systems need.

From a human standpoint, it reminds us that we are more than our symptoms.

Laughter as a Healing Practice: Gentle Reflections

As we begin a new year, I’ll leave you with a few questions:

• When was the last time you had a full-body, unrestrained laugh?

• When was the last time you laughed on purpose?

• What might change if you treated laughter as a health practice, not a luxury?

  
  

My Prescription for the New Year

No resolutions.

Just this:

Laugh more. Start now.

Curl the corners of your mouth.

Throw your head back.

Open your arms wide.

Make a sound — even if it feels ridiculous.

Your nervous system doesn’t mind ridiculous.

It likes breath, rhythm, movement, and connection.

If you’d like to explore this further, I encourage you to visit Dr. Kataria’s Free Laughter Club on Zoom, where people around the world practice laughter together — no jokes required.

Because sometimes the most evidence-based, compassionate thing you can do for your health…

…is laugh.

Here’s to living beyond the diagnosis, with more breath, more play, and a little more lightness — starting right now.