GeneFo Offers Free Webinar on Humor and Laughter as Therapy for CF
GeneFo is offering a free online lecture on Sept. 27 about the therapeutic benefits of humor and laughter as strategies to manage disease symptoms in cystic fibrosis. The webinar will provide practical assistance for patients and caregivers on how to enjoy a good laugh, even when living with such a complex disease.
Cystic fibrosis is not only characterized by life-threatening physical symptoms, but also by its impact on patients’ emotional state. Available therapies, and those under research, focus on treating the patient’s physical symptoms. However, many other hidden symptoms may remain untreated.
A patient’s psychological well-being and emotional wellness can impact a disease’s course, as well as the outcome of treatments.
Laughter has been widely accepted as a natural medicine, with great benefits for a patient’s recovery and disease management. Studies have shown that humor and laughter can improve the immunological response and increase pain tolerance while reducing a patient’s anxiety and depression.
The GeneFo-sponsored lecture, “Using Humor to Better Manage CF,” will be co-hosted by Yvonne deSousa, a multiple sclerosis patient, humorist, blogger, and author of the book, “MS Madness! A ‘Giggle More, Cry Less’ Story of Multiple Sclerosis.” Nominated for a WEGO Health Hilarious Patient Leader Award, deSousa is known for advocating for humor as a key factor in dealing with chronic disorders.
The webinar aims to help cystic fibrosis patients and caregivers find ways to integrate humor and laughter into their daily lives, and also to show them how it can improve emotional well-being, quality of life, and their ability to cope with the disease’s burden.
The lecture also will help patients use humor to ease social and work interactions, which often can severely impact one’s quality of life.
In addition, a research project led by Dr. Theodore Brown to investigate how laughter therapy affects mood, stress, and self-efficacy will be discussed at the webinar. Researchers hope this type of study will encourage doctors to incorporate humor-based practices into common care protocols for chronic diseases.
To participate in the free webinar on Sept. 27, at 1 p.m. EST, or to receive a recorded video of the lecture, please register at GeneFo’s website: tinyurl.com/Humor-and-CF. For additional information, please contact Adi Bein, vice president of marketing and strategy at GeneFo, at the following email address: [email protected].
