Physical health depends primarily on air, water and diet.

Add to this a cheerful heart and a happy mind, and a discipline in life and you have a bouncing radiant health.

Professor G T Gursahani has laid out very simple rules of a happy healthy life in his book called Live Longer and Look Lively. Hippocrates said over 200 years ago: "Let your food be your medicine and medicine your food". In 1988, the US Surgeon General said in his report on Nutrition and Health: "As diseases of nutritional deficiency have diminished, they have been replaced by diseases of dietary excess and imbalance problems".

I would add the imbalance of our thinking and emotions, our arrogance and our aggressiveness and our lack of spiritual wisdom. We have become slaves of our passions and our desires. We have chosen to become lonelier and isolated. Conflict and confrontation reigns instead of reconciliation and compassion. Our hearts are heavy with resentment, anger and fear instead of love and self-confidence.

This state of our mind leads to an unhealthy pattern of behaviour of eating, drinking, smoking and sexual behaviour for comfort rather than good health. If we put into practice ten simple commandments of good health (modified from Prof.Gursahani's work), we might change our lives:

1. The foundation of a healthy body is a happy mind. We need to learn to develop poise and tolerance and not let anything agitate us or disturb our inner peace. This comes from contentment and meditation.

2. Take a balanced diet predominant in starch, vegetables and fruit. Avoid smoking, drugs, and drinking.

3. Take sufficient fresh air and sunshine (avoid exposure of skin to direct sunlight).

4. Drink sufficient water (never alcohol).

5. Laugh heartily several times a day with friends and family.

6. Have sufficient sleep.

7. Do regular exercise. Walking with deep breathing is the best.

8 .Ensure good elimination through bowel, kidneys, skin and lungs.

9. Spend time daily in silence, prayer, or meditation. Develop courage to face your destiny as it unfolds.

10. Adopt a cheerful and positive attitude to life and towards others with compassion. If the heart is sound, you have a healthy life - physically, emotionally and spiritually.