Fun Nun: Laughter may be hazardous to your illness

Art Nadler

Friday, June 6, 1997 | 5:47 a.m.

Have you had your fun today?

No?

Pity.

Smiled at anyone lately? Did something foolish, like sticking your fingers in the corners of your mouth, pulling a smile and wagging your tongue in a goofy grin?

Unfortunately, most adults act just too doggone serious. And that irks Sister Mary Christelle Macaluso, a.k.a. the "Fun Nun."

"Do you know what you call a nun who walks in her sleep?" Marcaluso asks with the timing of a standup comic.

Slight pause.

"A Roamin' Catholic."

The audience roars with laughter.

"How does a nun differ from a nurse?"

The faces bounce back deadpan stares.

"A nun only has to answer to one God."

Bingo.

The laughter meter rockets off the scale.

Macaluso, a professional speaker and humorist, swung into the Palace Station Hotel on Thursday to churn up a little laughter at the Second Annual Hospice Symposium. Some might wonder why a nun -- let alone one who's known for cracking jokes -- would want to be part of such a solemn event.

She fit in perfectly with the educational symposium's "Health, Humor and Healing" theme.

"Humor is to life what shock absorbers are to the automobile," Macaluso said to those who attended a mid-afternoon lecture, "Wellness and Your Funny Bone." "Humor is everywhere. You just have to have your eyes open for it."

Laughter is therapy for sick people, Macaluso said. It massages the muscles, aids in circulating blood, increases and decreases the heart rate, raises the respiration rate, reduces stress, stimulates the immune system, relieves pain and clears the respiratory tract by expelling air.

"When you laugh, you burn 70 more calories than when you are in a resting state," Macaluso said. "Laughter may be hazardous to your illness."

Along with laughter, Macaluso said people have a right to seek pleasure. Listening to music, smelling incense and even going shopping are things to be enjoyed, she emphasized.

Sighting an old proverb, she said:

"People who cannot find time for recreation are obligated sooner or later to find time for illness."

The problem, as Macaluso sees it, is that people are waiting around for an invitation to laugh or seek pleasure from life. Many times, usually not until individuals become seriously ill, do they realize the importance of laughter.

"We are always blaming other people for our unhappiness," the Fun Nun emphasized. "You are responsible for your happiness.

"Out of all the creatures God made -- we are the only ones with a sense of humor."

To maintain a sense of wellness, Macaluso said people can't sit by passively when dealing with doctors. They must become involved in their treatment.

They must also, she said, follow a physical fitness program, eat right and practice stress management.

"You have to have meaning in your life," Macaluso said, referring to belief in God and maintaining relationships with others. "We also have to learn to love ourselves and the environment."