Brenau University, Featherbone Communiversity and Northeast Georgia Medical Center & Health System March 20 will present the first Health & Happiness Conference that combines professional seminars and a free-to-the-public lecture about how laughter may indeed be the best medicine.

Dr. Dale Anderson, a nationally prominent holistic medicine expert, author and lecturer will keynote both the morning session for healthcare professionals and the 2:30 p.m. afternoon session, which is open to the public free of charge. Both will be in the Whalen Auditorium at the university´s nursing school, Brenau´s east campus location in the Featherbone Communiversity building at 1001 Chestnut St., Gainesville.

"Dale Anderson has been delighting audiences for years with his engaging humor and information-filled presentation" said Dr. Keeta Wilborn, chair of the Nursing Department in Brenau´s School of Health and Science, which is cosponsoring the event. "He probably is America´s leading evangelist on the belief that happiness is infectious and can be an enormous benefit to your health."

Registration begins at 2:30 p.m. for Anderson´s 3 p.m. presentation, which is entitled "You Only Live Once." Anderson will describe his "Act Happy" methodology for the "wellderly."

"Enjoying good health isn´t just about scoring good numbers on a cholesterol test or passing a mammogram with flying colors," says Anderson. "It´s also important to act in a happy, ´wellderly´ role. You set the stage by rehearsal and practice. That means never acting your age and always taking a childlike, joyful and ageless approach to life."

When Anderson uses the term "act," he´s not kidding. He advocates people getting into roles, much the way a stage actor does. He teaches methods for staging, scripting, costuming and acting the part of a successful, relaxed and healthy person as a means of coaxing the body to produce neuropeptides, the endorphins and other chemicals generated by neural tissue in the brain that that bolster the immune system and promote well being.

"We have a pharmacy in our heads, and it never closes," he says. "Laughter, jaunty exercise or anything that raises the spirits also release endorphins: the morphine-like chemicals that get you ´high on life.´"

The morning session, beginning at an 8:30 a.m. registration, offers health care professionals a wide array of presentations on health-related topics. Anderson will keynote that session as well. There is a $25 fee for non-students.

For more information, contact the Brenau Department of Nursing at 770-534-6206. A registration form is available online at http://www.brenau.edu/shs/nursing.