
- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." - Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic. Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's Web sites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the Web site) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Get StartedStress blog
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Oct. 13, 2007
Humor: 'Tis a splendid stress reliever
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Although much of life is serious stuff, we each do meet some funny people who have the gift to make us laugh. OK, so I know that laughter raises endorphins and decreases stress hormones such as cortisol, but it also just plain makes us feel better. And somehow our "stuff" becomes less burdensome.
But now for the interesting part. I spoke at a recent medical meeting and some of my material was funny ... or at least people laughed at my fifth grade class picture. Not too much charisma there.
Then someone from the audience mentioned that we cannot be funny if we have not suffered. Wow! Think about funny people and, yes, often they have suffered. The wealthy, the entitled, the privileged are rarely funny.
Then think about the great comedians ... most came from cultures that have suffered: the Jewish, Latino, African-American communities.
So tell me if I am way off base in thinking that a gift from those who have suffered is often the gift of laughter. Laughter lightens our burdens.
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