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To the Editor: Norman Cousins¹ originally reported that only 10 minutes of laughter alleviated the pain of ankylosing spondyilitis. Subsequently, it has been reported that laughter during a 60-minute humorous video decreased blood cortisol levels and increased natural killer activity in healthy subjects.² Another study reported that exposure to a 60-minute rakugo (traditional Japanese comic story) decreased blood levels of interleukin 6 and interferon and alleviated pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.³

Atopic dermatitis is a pruritic inflammatory skin disorder often associated with elevated allergen-specific IgE antibodies.⁴ I examined the effects of laughter on allergen-induced skin wheal responses in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Methods

After giving informed consent, 26 patients with atopic dermatitis (15 women and 11 men; mean age, 31 years; range, 21-58 years) were studied. All of the patients were allergic to house dust mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus), and 23 and 21 patients were also allergic to cedar . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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