MADISON, Wis. -- Several hospitals around the county, including one in Madison, are becoming more open to the idea of laughter therapy to help patients.

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A new club is using laughter to help aid in health.

Jean Zawacki said she founded the Platteville Laughter Club five months ago because she thought something was missing in her life.

"I have always been envious of people who laugh often and who laugh easily," said Zawacki. "I worked as a child protective services worker and also currently in a domestic violence shelter, and I just wanted to find a way to laugh more."

Every Tuesday, Zawacki welcomes people of all ages to experience this human emotion for free.

"Pretend laughter or fake laughter, that's how it begins. But it becomes real, because laughter is contagious," Zawacki said.

Zawacki leads Laughter Yoga exercises, which including things like a sprinkle of laughter dust, a funny call and robot moves. Zawacki admitted the concept is unusual.

"You're not sure quite what to expect," she said.

Longtime Platteville resident Pat Plourde, 74, said she is no stranger to a good belly laugh.

"When i first saw it, I didn't pay any attention to it. Laughter Yoga, you know, it didn't mean anything to me," Plourde said. "Well, I was on the city council for 19 years, so I needed a lot of laughter. I feel better tonight since I came. I can tell my body is just more alive."

Plourde said that each day for her is a blessing.

"I have acute leukemia and it's a real fast moving kind," Plourde said.

The devastating diagnosis was delivered by her doctor in October. She said she's praying she gets to see another Christmas.

"I think this has helped. I mean something is different," she said.

Plourde isn't the only believer in the power of a good laugh.

"It raises heart rate; it can improve your immune system; it can lower blood pressure; and it can reduce pain. It just gives us a positive attitude," Zawacki said.

That's why week after week, the Laughter Club meets every Tuesday at the United Methodist Church in Platteville to laugh a little and create peace in their lives. Membership is free.

Plourde's doctor in Dubuque said she has a type of acute leukemia that does not respond to treatment. While he applauds whatever helps keep her spirits stay high, he said that laughter does not slow the progression of her illness.

The American Cancer Society also said laughter won't cure chronic illness but said that laughter and a positive attitude does reduce stress and promotes relaxation.

And some doctors and even hospitals are embracing the idea of laughter therapy.

The University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison is one of 20 hospitals in the country, including New York University Center and the Children's Hospital in Boston, where patients can tune in to the comedy-filled Chuckle Channel.

The Chuckle Channel is one of four specialized television channels broadcast throughout the hospital, including the children's hospital and emergency department.

"We're really trying to change the culture around here so that we're providing holistic care and really meeting all of the needs of our patients. And we understand that non-drug, no-medicine techniques are just as important as medicine," said Debra Gordon, R.N., who brought Chuckle Channel to the UW Hospital.

The channel is full of funny family programs that are also sensitive to the difficult challenges facing many patients.

One patient tuning in up to two hours a day is Gina Sciame, of Rockford. She was hospitalized for stomach pains related to scleroderma, an auto immune disease of the connective tissue. Sciame said that coupled with her treatment, the Chuckle Channel helps her.

"I don't like to watch stories where there's always a death or something, so humor really attracts my attention," Sciame said.

"A lot of people have heard that laughter is the best medicine, and there are a lot of scientific studies now that look at the impact of laughter and humor on people's immune system," Gordon said.

The UW Hospital is conducting surveys to see if the Chuckle Channel is meeting patients' needs. There is also a pilot study taking place in Hawaii. Once that is completed, the UW Hospital will likely take part in a national study about the effects laughter has on health.