Healthy Aging

A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being

Although aging is an irreversible process, there are myriad things we can do to keep our minds and bodies in good working order through all phases of life.

To that end, Dr. Weil draws on the new science of biogerentology (the biology of aging) as well as on the secrets of healthy longevity- diet, activity, and attitude-that he has gathered firsthand from cultures around the world.

In Part One- "The Science and Philosophy of Healthy Aging" -he explains how the body ages, and he explores the impact of gender, genes, environment, and lifestyle on an individual's experience and perception of the process of aging. He describes the various would-be elixirs of life extension-herbs, hormones, and antiaging "medicines" -separating myth from fact and clearly delineating the difference between the spurious notions of preventing or reversing the process of aging and the real possibilities of inhibiting or delaying the onset of diseases that become more likely as we age. He writes movingly about the ways in which an acceptance of aging can be a significant part of doing it well, and of recognizing and appreciating the great rewards of growing older: depth and richness of experience, complexity of being, serenity, wisdom, and its own kind of power and grace.

In Part Two- "How to Age Gracefully" -Weil details an easy-to-implement Anti-inflammatory Diet that will protect the immune system and aid your body in resisting and adapting to the changes that time brings. And he provides extensive practical advice on exercise; preventive health care; stress management; physical, mental, and emotional flexibility; and spiritual enhancement-all of which can help you achieve and maintain the best health throughout the lifelong process of aging.

Spontaneous Healing . . . Eight Weeks to Optimum Health . . . Eating Well for Optimum Health . . . The Healthy Kitchen-in each of his widely acclaimed, best-selling books, Dr. Andrew Weil has been an authoritative and companionable guide through a uniquely effective combination of traditional and nontraditional approaches to health and healthy living. Now he gives us a book about aging that is unlike any other in the breadth and depth of its information and understanding. Hugely informative, practical, and uplifting, it is infused with the engaging candor and common sense that have been the hallmarks of all his books.

Healthy Aging- a book for people of all ages, is Andrew Weil's most important and far-reaching book yet.

Dimensions: 8" x 5.2"
Details: Paperback, 368 pages
Author: Andrew Weil

Testimonials

"Dr. Weil has raised dispensing health advice to an art form. Instead of making his audience feel inadequate or guilty about bad habits, he seems to subconsciously convince readers to do better merely by presenting health facts in a non-threatening way. Healthy Aging is his most scientifically technical book yet (you'll learn all about enzymes like telomerase and cell division and the chemistry behind phytonutrients like indole-3-carbinol, and the connection between cancer and other degenerative diseases like diabetes) yet by far his most fascinating.

His main mission here is to recommend "aging gracefully," which he considers accepting the process instead of fighting it. As the director of the country's leading integrative-medicine clinic (combining the best of traditional and alternative worlds), of course he disses Botox and the slew of $100-a-jar face creams out there. It's also no surprise that he focuses on proper nutrition, moderate exercise, and meditation and rest among his "12-point program for healthy aging." (Triathletes and exercise addicts should take special note of the research linking excessive exercise and ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.) He occasionally references his earlier works, including 8 Weeks to Optimum Health. But the most eye-opening sections are those that discuss the spirituality of aging and its emotional aspects. "Aging can bring frailty and suffering, but it can also bring depth and richness of experience, complexity of being, serenity, wisdom, and its own kind of power and grace," he writes. At 63, Weil is still a bit shy of senior status, but is aging well indeed, with the legacy of his late 93-year-old mother (who's touchingly eulogized by Weil in this book) to guide him."

—Amazon.com

"America's best-known complementary care physician offers a convincing portrait of aging as a natural part of life that can be active, productive and satisfying. Using the examples of his mother, who died at age 93; centenarians from Okinawa and Sardinia; and myths and legends, Weil (Eating Well for Optimum Health) explores common Western beliefs and attitudes about aging and urges readers to develop healthier perspectives. The 60-year-old author assesses the growing and lucrative field of anti-aging medicine, takes the position that aging is not reversible, and offers many ways for readers to prevent conditions and illnesses that limit mortality and ensure well-being into the later years. He provides scientifically based information on why and how the body ages and advice on key components of good health at every age: exercise, nutrition, vitamins and herbs, and stress-relieving activities. Much of this advice is available in Weil's previous works as well as on his Web site. The real value is Weil's courageous stand, one likely to meet resistance in a culture devoted to external indicators of eternal youth. Refreshingly, Weil embraces the notion, popular in Eastern cultures, that age brings wisdom, peace and prosperity of a different kind."

—Publishers Weekly

"Dr. Weil has arguably become American's best-known doctor."

—The New York Times Magazine

"Forget plastic surgery. Skip the pricey face creams and the drugs for creaky bodies. Natural-medicine champion Weil, who's now in his sixties, covers longevity research, aging, and how he's embracing the experience."

—Life Magazine

"Weil wants us to be sensible about growing old. . . . He argues that we should not fight aging. There's no winning that war. Instead, we should concentrate on aging well." —The Washington Post

About Andrew Weil

Andrew Weil was born in Philadelphia in 1942, received an A.B. degree in biology (botany) from Harvard in 1964 and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1968. After completing a medical internship at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco, he worked a year with the National Institute of Mental Health, then wrote his first book, The Natural Mind. From 1971-75, as a Fellow of the Institute of Current World Affairs, Dr. Weil traveled widely in North and South America and Africa collecting information on drug use in other cultures, medicinal plants, and alternative methods of treating disease. From 1971-84 he was on the research staff of the Harvard Botanical Museum and conducted investigations of medicinal and psychoactive plants.

At present Dr. Weil is Director of the Program in Integrative Medicine of the College of Medicine, University of Arizona, where he is also Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health. The Program is the leading effort in the world to develop a comprehensive curriculum in integrative medicine. Graduates serve as directors of integrative medicine programs around the United States, and through its Associate Fellowship, the Program is now training doctors and nurse practitioners around the world.

Andrew Weil is the author of many scientific and popular articles and of seven books.He also writes a monthly newsletter, Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing, maintains a popular website, Dr. Weil.com www.drweil.com, and appears in video programs featured on PBS. He also writes a monthly column for Prevention magazine. Dr. Weil serves as the Director of Integrative Health and Healing at Miraval Life in Balance Resort in Catalina, Arizona. A frequent lecturer and guest on talk shows, Dr. Weil is an internationally recognized expert on medicinal plants, alternative medicine, and the reform of medical education. He lives near Tucson Arizona, USA.