Laughter is NOT the best medicine. If you try selling that to a doctor like me, he will laugh at you.

So, what's the best medicine? It's medicine. If a patient with pneumonia consulted me and I prescribed laughter, I would end up in jail. The best medicine for him would be an antibiotic.

But laughter clearly is the second-best medicine. Or, at times, the third-best medicine, because some patients with pneumonia require two antibiotics.

Laughter releases endorphins, our own "feel-good" hormones. Endorphins promote a sense of well-being and even reduce pain. As you laugh, your stress hormones go down and your level of immunity improves. Even fake laughter does that, because the body can't distinguish between fake laughing and the real kind.

This book is a compilation of humorous columns. I trust that they will have you rolling with laughter. If you can't manage the real stuff, please fake it.

Your body will thank you.