Jefferson University Hospitals

They say that laughter is the best medicine.

Jefferson family physician Richard Wender and several Jefferson med students were featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer story on the use of clowns and humor in medicine.

Dr. Wender said that he is "interested in humor as a way of communicating, of creating healing relationships. Humor is part of how both patients and clinicians cope."

Each Friday evening, a group of about a dozen Jefferson staff members try to spread cheer to hospital patients, families and medical staff, the Inquirer reported.

Read the full Philadelphia Inquirer story.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the first hospital in Pennsylvania to offer an FDA-approved device that helps individuals with certain types of spinal cord injuries breathe on their own again.  Michael Weinstein, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Jefferson, is among the first surgeons in the United States to implant the NeuRx DPS™ in patients with spinal cord injuries who lack voluntary control of their diaphragms.

The device provides electrical stimulation to muscle and nerves in the diaphragm. When the muscle is stimulated, the diaphragm contracts and creates a vacuum-like effect in the chest cavity that allows air to fill the upper and lower parts of the lungs. When this contraction eases, the air is expelled from the lungs – essentially the same as regular breathing.

"In the past, spinal cord injury patients were tethered to a respirator and did not have the freedom to taste foods, smell or breathe on their own," said Dr. Weinstein. "We are excited about being able to offer the benefits of this device at Jefferson and to offer new hope to patients living with spinal cord injury."