Creating Optimism

“When a man’s a little bit poorly

Makes a fuss, wants a nuss

Thinks he’s going to die most surely

Sends for a doctor, who makes him wuss.”

I was reminded of this old music hall ditty when I read an item reported in the British Medical Journal on March 11. Apparently a team of researchers and doctors at Leeds University in the UK have come to the conclusion that good nursing and the occasional laugh was a better way to get the body healing than using the latest technology.

They looked at leg ulcers in particular. Presently the treatment of choice in most hospitals is low-level ultrasound. It’s very hi-tech and very expensive. The Leeds team carried out a five-year study of 337 patients and they found it did nothing to speed up recovery, the Journal reported.

What really needs to happen, the lead researcher Professor Andrea Nelson told the British BBC was “ to stimulate blood flow back up the legs to the heart. The best way to do that is with compression bandages and support stocking coupled with advice on diet and exercise.

“Believe it or not,” he added, “having a really hearty chuckle can help too. This is because laughing gets the diaphragm moving and this plays a vital part in moving blood around the body.”

During the study, the team concentrated on patients with hard-to-heal ulcers that had not cleared up after six months or longer. They found that adding ultrasound to the standard approach to care - dressings and compression therapy - made no difference to the speed of healing or the chance of ulcers coming back.