Humor Injections: A Humor and Healthcare Blog

Funny Times is a monthly newspaper that’s all about humor.  It includes cartoons, articles and political commentary an it’s very funny.

In the May 2008 issue, there was an article called “A journey into my colon - and yours” by Dave Barry.  You can find the article here:  Dave Barry Colonoscopy Article.

Additionally, there were two cartoons that made me laugh.

One showeed a man talking to his doctor.  The doctor said, “We’ll need to run some preliminary tests to see if you’re healthy enough for more invasive follow-up tests…”

The other showed a doctor telling a patient, “At your age, good health is pretty much a thing of the past.  My advice is, find an illness you enjoy.”

I can relate.

Ron

I had the privilege of attending the summer convention of the National Speakers Association, August 2-5, 2008, and was delighted to see many uses of humor by the speakers and entertainers.  The star-studded lineup of speakers included Steve Forbes, Marshall Goldsmith (one of the top five executive coaches in America according to the Wall Street Journal), Bill Marriott, Omar Minaya (GM of the New York Mets), Robin Koval (of the Kaplan Thaler Group), Angela Santomero (founder of Blues Clues), Dave Barger (CEO of Jet Blue Airlines), Rockers Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon) and Simon Kirke (Bad Company).

Additionally, there was no shortage of great entertainers.  There were artist Michael Israel, impersonator Jason Hewlett, trombonist Jonathon Arons, Beatles tribute band BritishMania, and hip-hop dancing mothers, Momz-n-da-Hood.

For a great example of the humor Jonathan Arons fooled us into thinking he was going to play classical music on his trombone.  Instead we got hilarious hip-hop dancing.  See him here:  Jonathan Arons.

Both Steve Forbes and Marshall Goldsmith were not only charming individuals and great speakers, they were also very funny.

Another hilarious part of the conference included comedy interludes by Brian Walter of Extreme Meetings.  You can watch his demo video here:  Brian Walter

Probably one of the funniest moments was during the interview with Bad Company drummer and founder, Simon Kirke.  He said that being creative led him to consider, “what would happen if we played a song on just the black keys?”  The result was the song “Bad Company” and enough success, he said, “to send my kids through school and me through four rehabs.”

Humor can be the Great Equilizer for all kinds of serious information.

Ron

I’ve referenced The Onion before.  It’s a hilarious satirical news source.  Check out this great video on healthcare for children:

The Onion Video on Healthcare for Children

Now that’s funny.

Ron

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times stated, “The Joint Commission, an agency that evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 healthcare organizations nationwide, issued a bulletin Wednesday saying that rude, hostile and disruptive behavior among doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, support staff and administrators will no longer be tolerated.”  (To see the complete article, go here:  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/07/no-place-in-med.html)

It’s a shame that it takes a Joint Commission bulletin to tell us that it’s not a good practice to be rude, hostile or disruptive.  I thought it was perfectly fine for a nurse to say, “Give us that stool specimen Mr. Jones or we’ll pry it out of you.”  Does this also mean that doctors will now have to go out and purchase a bedside manner?  Adding that to all their already outrageous overhead costs is just a travesty.

While I don’t assume that humor is the cure-all for rude behavior, there certainly is an increasing body of knowledge indicating that humor and fun can transform a work environment.

In their new book The Levity Effect:  Why It Pays to Lighten Up, Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher have gathered a number of results from studies that show a fun workplace is not only desirable to employees but it is a common trait of more successful companies.  An review of the book in the Washington Post stated that Fortune’s100 Best Companies score high on being a fun places to work and a Robert Half study reported that 65% of workers surveyed said it was important for managers to have a sense of humor.  To purchase The Levity Effect, go here:  http://www.amazon.com/Levity-Effect-Why-Pays-Lighten/dp/0470195886/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215808029&sr=8-1

It may take the Joint Commission to make healthcare workers polite but I’d rather help them have more fun!

Ron

As a way to celebrate July 4th with a humorous twist, I encourage you to enjoy this article at TruthOrFiction.com:

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/declarationrevocation.htm

The original source is unknown, even though it’s been attributed to Monty Python actor John Cleese.  Whatever the source, it’s funny.

Have a great 4th of July!

Ron

As you are aware, George Carlin died earlier this week.

I’m always saddened by the death of a comedian.  I think it has to do with the incongruent emotions of joy and sadness.  Through laughter, comedians bring joy into our lives.  Their death quiets the laughter and the feelings of sadness are inconsistent with those past experiences of joy.

A friend, Russ Stolnack, posted one of the best response to George Carlin’s death I’ve seen.  He said, “After hearing Carlin died, I said 3 of the 7 words.”  That just about says it all.

One of my favorite Carlin bits was his ”stuff” routine.  The following is a link to a video of that routine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

Through the wonder of recorded sound and video, I can still enjoy George Carlin’s dressed-down demeanor, his irreverence and his brilliant use of the language.  And while I mourn the loss of a comedic giant, I know I have been blessed by the good stuff he provided.

Ron

A client mentioned that the theme for his organization this year is “do more with less.”  Ironically, it’s the same theme in just about every healthcare organization I encounter.  It’s a business trend that’s been popoular for some 20 years now.  Downsizing, getting lean or improving processes is all part of the supposed cost savings efforts that employees have come to love so much.

My client’s theme reminded me of all the motivational posters that were so popular a few decades ago when companies where trying to inspire employees to be all they could be on the job.  Soring like eagles and overcoming adversity were the catch phrases for improved organizational performance.  And that reminded me of one of my favorite websites:  www.despair.com.  Here you can find the very best anti-motivation posters (and other supplies).  Here are a few of my favorite:

APATHY:  If we don’t take care of the customer, maybe they’ll stop bugging us.

BLAME:  The secret to success is knowing who to blame for your failures.

CONSISTENCY:  It’s on a virtue if you’re not a screw-up.

MEETINGS:  None of us is as dumb as all of us.

WORTH:  Just because you’re necessary doesn’t mean you’re important.

 Check out the site for even more motivation!

Ron

I had a great family practice doctor who unfortunately I had to “discharge” because he no longer took my insurance.  The reason I liked him was that he had a great sense of humor and never beat around the bush when giving his opinion or recommending a treatment.  Once I had a really bad cold that wouldn’t go away and was causing me a great deal of discomfort.

 He said, “What have you been doing for it?”

I said, “Nothing.”

He raised one eyebrow in such a way as to say, “Well, duh.”

It was like a bolt of lightening that smacked me up side the head and said, “Use a little common sense why don’t you.”

I felt the same way when I recently read a report from the journal, Pediatrics, that had examined the number of emergency room visits for injuries related to, of all things, bunk beds.  The essence of the report was this:  Bunk beds are dangerous. 

Well, duh.

It astounds me that someone would invest time, expertise and valuable research dollars into a study that tells us something every child and parent in America already knows.  The first time I slept in a bunk bed, I thought, “Who came up with this idea?  This is going to end badly.”  And of course anyone who has ever slept in a bunk bed has fallen out of the top bunk or smacked his head when rising from the lower bunk.  Bunk beds are inherently dangerous just like pellet guns, table saws and Long Island Ice Teas. 

But just to “be sure,” it took a study in a scientific journal to tell us that 35,000 children and young adults are injured each year on (or off as the case may be) bunk beds.  And another astounding bit of data?  The young adult injuries are often alcohol related.

Well, duh.

Sometimes I think we have evolved beyond our common sense.  Unless we use some sort of higher brain function, we’re not really thinking.  Perhaps we need to use a little less book smarts and a little more common sense to keep ourselves safe and healthy.

Now there’s a concept worth researching! 

Ron

I know this is not related to healthcare but I had to share a very funny advertisement with you.  I first saw it in USA Today newspaper.  Then I went online and saw the “audio” version. 

So, for your viewing pleasure, I give you Harley Davidson giving the “finger” to stress and chaos:

“We don’t do fear.  Over the last 105 years in the saddle, we’ve seen wars, conflicts, depression, recession, resistance and revolutions.  We’ve watched a thousand hand-wringing pundits disappear in our rear-view mirror.  But every time, this country has come out stronger than before.  Because chrome and asphalt put distance between you and whatever the world can throw at you.  Freedom and wind outlast hard times.  And the rumble of an engine drowns out all the spin on the evening news.  If 105 years have proved one thing, it’s that fear sucks and it doesn’t last long.  So screw it.  Let’s Ride. - Harley Davidson Motorcycles.”

If you’d like to view the online version, go here www.harley-davidson.com/screwit.

 Ron

Recently, I began using a formula to explain how humor decreases the effects of stress.  While math was one of my best subjects in college, I do not have extensive experience in the field.  Although my advisor suggested I take more math classes to raise my overal grade point average, I couldn’t justify it.  It’s not like they’re constantly inventing new numbers.  Once I got through Calculus, what else did I really need in everyday life?  I’m just not a calculator-on-the-belt type of person.

That being said, there is an equation that explains stress and it’s quite simple.  It looks like this:

 STRESS = Interpretation + Reaction + Coping

Surprisingly, stress is not inherently stressful.  In reality, stress is created by our interpretation of a “stressor” or an event or experience in our lives.  If stress was inherently stressful, then the same things would cause stress for everyone.  And since most people are not annoyed by wrinkled underwear, like I am, I must assume that it is our interpretation of an “event” that makes it stressful.

So, if I interpret something as stressful, it will create a stress reaction in me and then I have to cope with it.  If I don’t interpret it as stressful, then there is no stress reaction and no need to cope.

Humor then becomes an “intervention” that helps us to redirect the interpretation process towards a less stressful experience.  By trying to see something funny before we automatically interpret it as stressful, we can avoid the stress completely thus never needing to cope with our stress reaction at all.

If someone cuts you off in traffic, inmagine that the other driver has a pea sized brain and because she was trying the impossible job of multitasking (which is highly challenging for Pea Brains), she spilled Big Mac special sauce on her designer business suit and didn’t see you because the more she tried to wipe it off, the more the impenetrable trans fat in the sauce spread itself across the material of her suit.  Now isn’t that more funny than stressful?

Next time you experience a potentially stressful event, try using humor in the equation.  It really does add up.

Ron