Guru calls laughter key to health

Laughter advocate says a giggle is good for you

A Bombay doctor who says laughter is the best medicine has brought his message to Cambridge.

Dr Madan Kataria advocates regular breaks for yoga, deep breathing, and belly laughs, with or without jokes to prompt them.

He is due to present a seminar on his philosophy at Cambridge Regional College.

Dr Kataria, known as the "Guru of Giggling", told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire that his regimen calls for people to laugh "initially as a form of exercise".

Faking it

"We devised a new method where you can laugh without any humour or without any reason".

He believes the "fake it until you make it" approach helps people fool their bodies into believing the laughter is a real indicator of happiness, which he says offers physical and psychological benefits.

Dr Kataria advocates laughter to relieve stress, strengthen the immune system, and to make people look and feel younger.

He has established hundreds of "laughter clubs" around the world.