Laughter therapy matches breathing drills in easing COPD symptoms, study finds
A clinical trial shows that laughter therapy improves breathing and quality of life for COPD patients as effectively as traditional pursed-lip breathing.
In a trial involving 63 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, participants were divided among laughter therapy, pursed-lip breathing, and a no-exercise control. Each active group performed 30-minute sessions three times per one outlet for eight weeks, and respiratory metrics were recorded throughout the study. Results demonstrated that both laughter and breathing exercises produced measurable improvements over the control, and these gains remained evident one month post-intervention.
Dr Goncagul Aldan of Hacettepe University highlighted the low-cost, home-based nature of the techniques and their potential to complement medication. Emma Rubach of Asthma + Lung UK called the findings an encouraging addition to self-management options for the 1.7 million UK COPD sufferers.
