It’s an old saw that if you keep cheerful, you’ll enjoy better health. It doesn’t take much imagination to see why.

Believe in ill-health and it will come your way. Even witch doctors know that.

When a doctor tells a patient “You have three months to live”, a curse has been placed on the sick person. More often than not it will come true. If instead the doctor had said, “I have no doubt you’ll survive if you keep active and remain cheerful”, the outcome would be much better.

It’s a known fact that people who take out health insurance often get ill soon after. They are in reality making a bet on illness and disease rather than health.

An article in Syntagma explains where the British National Health Service (NHS) is going wrong. It’s run by government ministers who don’t understand human nature.

Read the article here.

If you have ever been diagnosed as suffering from depression, or suspect you may have a depressive illness, take heart.

Professor Jerome Wakefield of New York University believes sadness and depression are essential tools of evolution that prompt “sufferers” to become high achievers in life. He cites Winston Churchill, Beethoven, Abraham Lincoln and Isaac Newton as depressives who made good.

Wakefield says: “When you find something this deeply in us biologically, you presume it was selected because it had some advantage, otherwise we wouldn’t have been burdened with it. We’re fooling around with part of our biological makeup.”

He further believes that medical diagnoses of depression and its treatment with powerful drugs, like Prozac, is an unnecessary and dangerous fad. His book, The Loss of Sadness: How psychiatry transformed normal sorrow into depressive disorder states that sadness helps us learn from our mistakes. “I think one of the functions of intense negative emotions is to stop our normal functioning — to make us focus on something else for a while.”

So, if you are feeling down and are tempted to pursue the chemical route to “salvation”, consider that a deep part of yourself may be attempting to convey something to you.

At least try to find out what it is before heading for the doc’s surgery.

There’s a lot of knowing chit-chat about aphrodisiacs, as well as many urban myths. As food is nature’s pharmacy, what effect do some well-known foods have on bodily attraction?

The term “aphrodisiac” has its roots in Greek mythology when Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, rose from the sea on an oyster and gave birth to Eros. In ancient Greece, emphasis was placed upon fertility and sexual prowess rather than libido levels.

Foods which have traditionally been considered to have aphrodisiac qualities might not always seem that appetising – personally I find oysters a little hard to swallow – but using some imagination and creative presentation, why not tuck into some delicious aphrodisiac treats that are sure to start the blood flowing and set the hormones into a spin.

Strawberries are a perfect finger food — passionate red with sweet, sticky juice that is sure to tantalise your lover. They are also high in Vitamin C, which is needed for the growth and repair of body cells, keeping the skin, teeth and bones healthy. The amino acids in strawberries will help boost both libido and stamina.

Bananas are a fantastic source of energy, so feeding them to your lover will ensure they don’t run out of steam. They are rich in B vitamins which are essential in sexual hormone production and have been known to do wonders for the male libido.

Delicious asparagus is rich in Vitamin E, which is famed for its ability to stimulate increased sexual powers. Asparagus can be eaten as a finger food stem by stem. A bit of Hollandaise can really add to the sauce of this sexy starter.

Figs have always been considered an aphrodisiac food, partly due to their resemblance to sexual organs. They also contain the vital amino acids needed for a healthy sexual performance.

Basil is great for the circulation, and as we all know, sexual stamina is dependent upon blood flow. The sweet, green leaves are also said to boost fertility and our sense of safety, relaxation and well-being. The potent scent of Basil was traditionally said to attract the opposite sex.

Finally, nobody can argue that chocolate has to be the food of love. It contains a stimulant that creates a natural high, which feels similar to the effect of the release of endorphins in the brain. There are a million ways to have fun with chocolate, and containing more antioxidants than red wine, it should be great to stimulate those long lasting passionate encounters.

Rhian Gibbings

What’s your idea of a good night’s sleep? Is it seven, eight, nine, or even 10, or more, hours?

Well, it could be much less.

According to some authorities sleep is much overdone in modern times. Our ancestors made do on much less slumber at night. They were partly nocturnal and made up by napping for a few hours during the day.

The problem is that when we sleep, parts of our consciousness leave the physical envelope of the body. If that period is too long, it causes muscle inflexibility and, in some cases, lower mental performance.

It’s a well-known fact that an hour’s nap in the afternoon boosts our energy and overall thinking skills. NASA, which has studied the performances of astronauts in space, believes that a nap during the day is of immense benefit to everyone.

The optimum pattern of sleep would be four or five hours at night, plus a two-hour nap during the afternoon.

If pressures of work make that impossible, any system of splitting sleep up to reduce one big slab of unconsciousness will be beneficial.

For example, two periods of three hours is preferable to one of eight hours.

As people differ in their requirements, it’s a good idea to experiment with your personal needs, but a split sleep pattern may well deliver enormous benefits to your life.