Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion General Message Board for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Related Diseases oh no that Cousins thing again

hey, here is an article from only about 6 weeks ago....
http://www.laughingdiva.com/how-laughter...m-of-arthritis/

they invite comments if you want to send one

It's time to drive a stake through the heart of this Cousins book.



Spenser23

Just posted a comment.

Thanks for the heads up.

Anna

new article, old error
Healing Through Humor: Laughter Therapy is an Effective Pain Reducer
http://nationalpainreport.com/healing-th...er-8825915.html

you can make a comment (bottom of page)

Left this message. It is "awaiting moderation"


"As someone who has had Ankylosing Spondylitis for 30 years, I appreciate the concept of laughter as an aid to coping with chronic illness. I have, in fact, run a humorous website for people with AS for almost 20 years. (It’s called Spondyville.)

Here’s the problem I have with your article and all articles of this type that keep going back to Norman Cousin’s book to validate their theories about laughter and illness; First off, Norman Cousins did NOT have AS. Anyone familiar with Ankylosing Spondylitis will recognize that his descriptions of the disease are not typical of the disease. All the Rheumatologists I have asked about this, just shake their heads and say he didn’t have AS. He may have had Reactive Arthritis or some other chronic inflammatory disease, but he didn’t have AS. Did he think he had AS? Maybe. He also did not cure himself of the disease by watching comedy movies and taking mega-doses of Vitamin C. Humor is a coping mechanism, it is not a cure for active auto-inflammatory diseases. Cousins was shameless in perpetuating this claim. An inflammatory disease can go into remission and then flare up again. When it goes into remission, you are not cured, the disease is just in a cycle or ebbing and flowing. Ankylosing Spondylitis is a serious, chronic inflammatory disease. It strikes young men and women usually between the ages of 17 and 35, and can be debilitating, often fusing the neck and spine and other joints. It can also affect the eyes, the heart and the lungs. According to the CDC there are 2.7 million Americans with some form of Spondyloarthritis. It does them a great dis-service to continue to push the myth that their disease can be so easily cured.

If you check out the websites devoted to perserving the memory of Norman Cousins, they have stepped back from saying he had AS; they now say he had some vague inflammatory disease. But for some reason, this notion that he cured himself of AS will not die, it is mentioned whenever someone wants to write an article about the therapeutic effects of humor, and frankly, to those of us with severe forms of AS, it’s maddening.

Laughter DOES have healing properties, and it is good for the soul. No argument there. Humor can heal many moods. It can alter your mindset. It can change your outlook. But for crying out loud, it can’t stop bones from fusing. A happy mindset may help you deal with the changes a chronic disease may bring, but that is a far cry from being healed.

If misinforming the general public about the nature of AS wasn’t bad enough, think of all the false hope and later, the despair, that has been created in people with AS over the years, who, like me, try Cousins approach, only to have their AS keep progressing.

Please stop using this discredited piece of fiction as a reference source for future articles. The story of Laughter and its healing properties is fascinating enough without perpetuating Norman Cousins’ self-aggrandizing fiction.

Thank you."

Bravo Spenser! Bravo!

they have published Spenser's post
http://nationalpainreport.com/healing-th...er-8825915.html

here's another one
http://nurturehealing.org/?p=215

Tweaked my reply for this new article ...

"As someone who has had Ankylosing Spondylitis for 30 years, I appreciate the concept of laughter as an aid to coping with chronic illness. I have, in fact, run a humorous website for people with AS for almost 20 years. (It’s called Spondyville.)

Here’s the problem I have with your article and all articles of this type that keep going back to Norman Cousin’s book to validate their theories about laughter ‘curing’ serious illness; First off, Norman Cousins did NOT have Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). Yes, he claimed he did in his book, Anatomy of an Illness, but anyone familiar with Ankylosing Spondylitis will recognize that his descriptions of the disease in that book is not typical of the disease, nor is it an accurate description of it’s effects. AS can be painful and debilitating, but it is not a disease that kills you, as is implied in Cousins’ book. The onset is usually slow and over a long period of time, not in a single dramatic event, as stated in Cousins’ book. All the Rheumatologists I have asked about this, just shake their heads and say he didn’t have AS. He may have had Reactive Arthritis or some other chronic inflammatory disease, but he didn’t have AS. He also did not cure himself of the disease by watching comedy movies and taking mega-doses of Vitamin C. Humor is a wonderful coping mechanism, it is not a cure for active auto-inflammatory diseases. Cousins was shameless in perpetuating this claim, and sad to say, authors of blogs and magazine articles have been continuing to repeat his lie for over 50 years without questioning whether or not is was actually true simply because it fits the narrative they wish to tell. The trouble is, an inflammatory disease can go into remission and then flare up again. When it goes into remission, you are not cured, the disease is just in a cycle or ebbing and flowing. Ankylosing Spondylitis is a serious, chronic inflammatory disease. It strikes young men and women usually between the ages of 17 and 35, and can be painful and debilitating, often fusing the neck and spine and other joints. It can also affect the eyes, the heart and the lungs. According to the CDC there are 2.7 million Americans with some form of Spondyloarthritis. I believe it does them a great dis-service to continue to push the myth that their disease can be so easily cured. This disease can crush people’s self-image and destroy their lives and your pushing the fairy tale that all they have to is watch comedy movies and laugh a lot and they will be cured is irresponsible clap-trap. This is the 21st century for crying out loud. Do some research before you make unsubstantiated claims like this one.

If you think I’m making this up, go check out the websites devoted to preserving the memory of Norman Cousins, they have all stepped back from saying he had AS; they now say he had some vague inflammatory illness, never mentioning Ankylosing Spondylitis. Unfortunately, this notion that he cured himself of AS will not die, it is mentioned whenever someone wants to write an article about the therapeutic effects of humor, and frankly, to those of us with severe forms of AS, it’s maddening.

Sure, laughter DOES have healing properties, and it is good for the soul. No argument there. I have written and performed comedy my whole life. If anyone should have been healed from AS by laughing it should have been me. Sure humor can transform your mood. It can alter your mindset. It can change your outlook. But for crying out loud, it can’t stop bones from fusing. A happy mindset may help you deal with the changes a chronic disease may bring, but that is a far cry from being healed of an insidious, relentless chronic illness.

If misinforming the general public about the nature of AS wasn’t bad enough, think of all the false hope and later, the despair, that has been created in people with AS over the years, who, like me, try Cousins’ approach, only to have their AS keep progressing. On top of that, how do you explain to people that you have a serious illness when the only thing they know about it is what they read or heard that says it’s cured by laughing.

Please stop using this discredited piece of complete fiction as a reference source for future articles. The story of Laughter and its healing properties is interesting enough without perpetuating Norman Cousins’ self-aggrandizing fictional narrative.

Thank you."