If you often feel a bit down or even truly depressed, you are almost certainly suffering from a deficiency of serotonin — the “Happiness Hormone”.

A basket of fruit with tryptophan in mind

Now a new ebook that tackles this problem in a Sideways manner is available by download. Caroline Longmore, a French doctor has created a programme for everyone, based on a natural diet.

Serotonin is derived from the essential amino acid tryptophan, which the body cannot make itself.

So for many of us, unless we take enough tryptophan through our diets, we may suffer a deficiency.

… The best way is through diet: eat foods rich in trypotophan and avoid sugar and processed carbohyrates which artificially raise blood-sugar levels, leaving you feeling temorarily better before even wilder mood swings. … you will also need enough vitamins B3 and B6, magnesium and zinc.

Typical foods recommended are, bananas, turkey, spinach, beans and seeds, cottage cheese, plums, lobster and pineapple.

You can download The Serotonin Secret, By Dr. Caroline Longmore and Katrin Hempel as an ebook, from www.galennaturopathic.com for £5.95, or dollar equivalent.

Hiccups, or hiccoughs as it was once spelt, is an annoying condition, especially if you are at a social occasion or in a business meeting.

It is caused when the band of muscle below the ribs, the diaphragm, contracts suddenly in a spasm.

Here’s a sideways cure that requires nothing but a glass of water and a drinking straw.

1. Put one-third of a pint of water in a glass, together with the straw.
2. Press the tips of your index fingers into the hollows behind the earlobes where the neck meets the jawbone.
3. Keep the pressure on while drinking as much of the water as you can through the straw.
4. It is claimed that when the glass is empty the hiccups will be gone.

Owners of small businesses are notorious for neglecting their health. Most either work at home or in small offices with a tiny support staff. Phone messages and the need to make telephone calls tend to pile up through the day, adding to stress and the sedentary lifestyle.

Here’s a tip for turning the phone call list into a real exercise session.

Mobile phones are pretty sophisticated these days. You can easily program all the numbers you need to call into a special folder.

When those calls you need to make start piling up, simply delay them until you can get out of the office on a long walk of around an hour, and go through them one by one while on the move.

The fact that you are obviously calling while on the hoof will make the calls shorter — and, you’ll be getting a great workout while you chunter through them.

I do this all the time and it 1) reduces the tedium of walking a well-known route, and 2) ensures I get my break from the office and a good stretch of the legs some time during the day.

Oh, and make sure the battery is fully charged before you go.

Many people are chained to a low salt diet for chronic or acute medical reasons. High blood pressure and kidney disease probably top the list.

Some people go onto low salt regimes to improve mental function which is responsive to salt intake. It’s known that the normal body needs only half a gram of salt a day, way below the official guidelines of 6 - 7 grams.

If you ask them which foods they miss most, they will likely say “cheese”. Its particular flavor and texture can be quite addictive.

However, cheese is very high in salt.

There are exceptions. Some soft versions, like cream cheeses — usually not proprietary brands — can be salt-free. The problem is they don’t really taste or feel like cheese at all.

One solution is Swiss Emmental which is low in salt, but tastes very much like cheese. The Tesco brand contains only 0.2 grams per 30-gram typical serving. Others may vary, so check the labeling.

Bear in mind also that a value for sodium needs to be multiplied by 2.5 to get the full salt content.

Cheese needn’t be a no-go area for low salt dieters.