Customer Reviews

Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being

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This review is written by a former hospital administrator of just under 2 decades. I have been studying health and nutrition for more than decade. I became very interested in alternative medicine when a family member was diagnosed with kidney cancer and the allopathic doctors (traditional MD's) could give no reason for the tumor.

If you have not read one of Dr. Weil's books before, I think you will enjoy his writing style. His tone is very conversational, you feel as though you are talking to a friend while you are reading his books, this one included. Dr. Weil has a gift for taking a dry and complicated subject and explaining it in a manner that anyone can understand. The purpose of this book is NOT to stop aging, but rather to prevent or minimize the impact of age-related disease, to learn how to live long and well, and to age gracefully.

He subdivides his book as follows:

PART ONE: The Science and Philosophy of Healthy Aging
1. Immortality
2. Shangri-Las and Fountains of Youth
3. Antiaging Medicine
4. Why We Age
5. The Denial of Aging
6. The Value of Aging
7. Interlude: Jenny

PART TWO: How to Age Gracefully
8. Body I: The Ounce of Prevention
9. Body II: The Anti-inflammatory Diet
10. Body III: Supplements
11. Body IV: Physical Activity
12. Body V: Rest and Sleep
13. Body VI: Touch and Sex
14. Mind I: Stress
15. Mind II: Thoughts, Emotions, and Attitudes
16. Mind III: Memory
17. Spirit I: Unchanging Essence
18. Spirit II: Legacy

A TWELEVE PROGRAM FOR HEALTHY AGING
Appendix A: The Anti-inflammatory Diet
Appendix B: Suggested Readings, Resources and Supplies

The doctor does a wonderful job of explaining why and how we age. Even without an educational background in the sciences I was able to comprehend advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and how they cross link (form abnormal bonds) to adjacent protein strands leading to inflammatory and autoimmune responses. If you have been reading much about nutrition or health lately you know that inflammation is the new "hot topic" in medicine linked to almost everything. According to Cardiologists inflammation is more important in determining heart health than cholesterol. After reading Dr. Weil's explanation of inflammatory response this concept now makes much more sense to me.

Dr. Weil explains in great detail which nutrients the body requires to function properly and how to incorporate them into your life. He also goes into much detail about dietary suggestions. These are pretty much what you would expect, but he does a thorough job of explaining why he is making these recommendations, which I personally find very helpful.

The doctor also goes into great detail regarding his recommendations for physical activity and how this should change as we age. The concept of a pool disinfected without chlorine was new to me, and one that I was very happy to know is an option.

If you want to age gracefully, but feel as though you need more information, this is a wonderful book on the subject. I highly recommend this book to baby boomers looking for information on how to minimize or eliminate the impact of disease in our lives as we grow older.

My wife and I bought three books recently to help re-charge our health and fitness motivation. They were: Slow Burn by Fredrick Hahn, and then two books recommended by a health guru friend, Joe X by Avery Hunicutt, and this book, Healthy Aging by Andrew Weil. To make a long story short we gave thumbs-down to the Slow Burn workout (too painful) and thumbs-up to the Joe X workout(something we enjoy doing). As for Healthy Aging, with some embarrassment, I highly recommend this book. I say with embarrasment because, while I had never read any of Dr. Weil's previous books, I used to think he was some kind of a new-age nut & berry quack. I'm guilty of judging books by their cover; not used to associating a portly, bearded, bald guy with fitness. I was wrong and now publicly appologize for my pig-headedness. He may eat nuts and berries, but he's definitely not a quack, and now I wouldn't be surprised if he out lives all of us.

The book is much more grounded on hard science than I expected. And though there is a good amount of science in the book, there is nothing to fear. Dr. Weil has an engaging and polished writing style. He not only makes it easy for the lay person to follow along, but he makes medical research an interesting story, an enjoyable read. I now understand why his books have become so popular: he knows how to communicate. The first hint that my opinion of him was all wet was his discussion of the battle going on behind the scenes between the hard core medical researchers and the "fountain of youth" profiteers (my term, not his). I expected the author to side with those that believed the aging process could at least be suspended if not reversed. To my surprise he did not. In fact the underlying theme of the entire book is that people are making a mistake if they lead their lives as if life extension and age reversing technology are upon us. He makes a strong technical case and almost a desperate plea to not succumb to the snake oil. His recommendation is to forget about anti-aging schemes and avoid obscesing about life extension. Instead he says to focus on preventing or minimizing the impact of age-related disease and how to age gracefully. It may not be the message we want to hear but I suspect it is the more correct choice. In any case, I found Dr. Weil's telling of the political battle taking place fascinating, and it makes it easier to understand what's going on with the sensationalizing headlines and sales pitches I see in the popular press and TV.

I next expected the book to be all generalities with few specifics my wife and I could actually do to help us "age gracefully." I was wrong again. The second half of the book is filled with actionable specifics, much having to do with diet, but many other non-diet matters as well. Some times he would get very specific, e.g. not just any olive oil but what kind of olive oil, that kind of thing. Throughout the book I was impressed by how the author always gave both sides of an argument in seemingly unbiased fashion before giving his recommendation and why. And I learned quite a few things I didn't know. One small example: I've noted how popular press diet doctors have steered folks away from carrots because of their higher glycemic index number. Dr. Weil explains why this doesn't make a lot of sense (better to make choices based on glycemic load number, not glycemic index number).

Finally, there is another underlying theme in this book that I think has a lot of merit: Dr. Weil puts much faith (based on science of course) in the concept of minimizing and managing inflammation in the body. As always he explains what it is, why it happens, the good, the bad, and then why he recommends what he does with regard to diet, medication, and exercise. My wife and I also now understand why our guru friend recommended the two books he did, as they are very complimentary. For all I know we are the last two people that had never read an Andrew Weil book, and all this is old news to you. If not, order yourself a copy or get to the library now.

What's realistic about this book is that it's based upon realistic concepts. Many of the old and recent "aging" books are re-hashed bombardments
that focus on the perpetually futile attempt to "turn back the clock." We know this can't be done. Same now, as Ponce De Leon.

Dr. Weil calmly and convincingly gravitates toward acceptance and realization, rather than denial. Botox injections and wrinkle creams may help those who use it. It's their choice, and it's fine as long as it's realized that these are cosmetic band-aids. Using food (nutrition), and the physical & mental, can provide ourselves with better quality years as we age. Better lifestyles, less ailments, less pain, lower medical bills, and more longevity.

Convincingly, Weil notes basic nutrition, macro-nutrients, EFA Omegas 3 & 6, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidents, and the G.I. Index and Load. Essential information for attaining a quality of life after the early and mid-sixties, when the body begins to reveal the natural effects of aging more significantly. Reducing stress levels via meditation, Yoga, and breathing exercises can be done at home and for free.

Natural Ingredients and activities also act as an insurace policy. These Items and actions need not be expensive. And, they ward-off the negative consequences of neglecting ourselves.

Dr. Andrew Weil advocates avoiding animal fats (saturated fats) and processed foods. (The food coloring chemical Tartrazine is in over 85% of processed food in the United States.) Hydrongenated oils (often in breads) are bad for us, and there is an explanation in laymens' terms of specifically, why.

He did cite reasearch from areas of the world that have a high percentage of older populations.

The author has a very pleasant and comforting writing style.

Those with the basic nutritional and supplement knowledge may know many of the concepts and facts discussed, but there are lots of additional pieces of information and facts that can prove beneficial.

I currently work in the field of psychology, but I was educated as a research scientist in the area of biochemistry. Prior to that period, I was a teaching fellow in physiology and have had a strong interest in integrative medicine as well as integral psychology.

I think this is probably Dr. Weil's best book to date. The suggestions he make are very practical and wise. He also frames aging as something positive, which is unusual in our culture. I think his suggestions for supplementation are also quite good and he provides a lot of good references throughout the text.

While the book is more technical than some of his earlier works, it is also very accessible. The technical material that is presented is fascinating and relevant. For the most part, this material is related to the aging process, particularly of cells. He also talks about how turning off these normal processes relate to cancer.

I also like this book because it is well-rounded. It covers every sphere of life including exercise, diet, the need for touch, social connection and even spiritual needs. It is comprehensive, yet easy to follow and impliment. The advice seems very sound and responsible to me.

This is a great owner's manual for aging. It's a very small investment for a potentially very high return. Also, it's not a lot of hype about staying young forever and making false assertions to prey on people's fear of aging. In short, it's very well done.

I got this book after years of denying that I was getting past the point where I could subsist on caffeine, occasional (very occasional) exercise and a diet which wasn't particularly healthy.

Still, I remained in denial, even though I wasn't sleeping well, my body ached all night and I got tired very easily. The breaking point was when a major attack of heartburn scared me so badly that I ended up in the emergeny room, convinced I was having a heart attack. After a battery of tests, including an overnight stay and a MASSIVE bill, I knew I had to do something differently.

Heart attack or not, my choesterol was dangerously high, my thryoid wasn't working effectively and my weight was going up. I had frequent bouts of heartburn and my skin looked pasty.

Buying this book really changed my life -and my attitude. If you are a Botox addict, your views may not jive with Dr. Weil's focus on leaving well enough alone and accepting the natural progression of aging, including the crow's feet, frown lines nd sagging skin that comes when the body starts to give in to gravity.

But Weil makes a convincing argument for the view that aging can be a natural part of life which leads to great wisdom and spiritual growth - IF one pays attention to the habits that lead to optimum health, making the kind of changes that not only optimize your physical and mental well-being but keep you from having health problems which are DIRECTLY related to poor lifestyle choices.

And let's face it...in a world where medical costs are skyrocketing, making such changes can not only improve your health but save money as you minimize problems related DIRECTLY to poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Luckily, Dr. Weil is an advocate of moderation and even shows over OVER-exercising can put one at possible risk...so the time and energy you expend is not overwhelming.

Speaking only from personal experience, after following much of his advice, I lost 25 pounds, my cholesterol went down, I stopped snoring and slept well at night and my mood improved significantly. The tiredness? Gone. My baggy clothes? Gone.

Even better, I found that I didn't have to spend massive amounts of time and energy to get major benefits. I started taking the supplements he recommended, followed a good exercise program (nothing too extreme but enough to break a good sweat), changed my diet - AND my attitude.

I admit that I still use plenty of face creams and I may give in and have Botox someday (sorry, Dr. Weil) but so far, so good. And even if I do some things differently than recommended in the book, I'll stick with much of the habits I've formed...because they work.

This isn't the ONLY book I have which explores ways to improve one's diet and exercise plan. But it is an excellent supplement to what I already have, especially the focus on a holistic and balanced approach.

Dr. Weil is a pesco-lacto vegetarian. He is the author of a number of books on health, and he is a graceful writer. He is a physician who has one foot firmly planted in the scientific community and another in the world of alternative medicine. He is a man who believes in the scientific method but also believes in intuition and the spiritual nature of human beings.

Here is his point of departure for this book:

"So please forget about antiaging and avoid obsession with life extension. Instead, let's focus on preventing or minimizing the impact of age-related disease, on separating longevity and senescence, on learning how to live long and well, on how to age gracefully." (p. 85)

He is now about 65 years old and much mellowed since the days when he wrote the bourgeois-shocking The Natural Mind: A New Way of Looking at Drugs and the Higher Consciousness (1972), a book that helped to persuade a generation of Americans to question the establishment's anti-drug mentality. The theme of that book was that human beings have a natural drive to explore other states of consciousness.

Here he wants to guide us toward not only the acceptance of aging, but to help us make this magical time of our lives fulfilling and as free from illness as possible. To this end he recommends supplements and vitamins, exercise, meditation, etc. He warns us that there is no immorality likely to come our way, and he gives the argument from evolutionary biological and of course the evidence of history. This is the fourth book of his that I have read, and I can tell you that if there were a way to immortality, Weil would have discovered it! He is an expert in all things consumable, from exotic plants and herbs to mainstream medicines to hormonal substances to exotic cuisines from many parts of the globe. He has traveled widely and he reads the journals. He has practiced medicine and he has done research. He is a man I greatly admire.

There are two parts to the book: "The Science and Philosophy of Healthy Aging," and "How to Age Gracefully." In the first part Weil explains why we age and warns against the kind of charlatans who would tell us that we can cheat death and avoid growing old. He emphasizes the positive aspects of aging and works to counter our culture's youth bias. In the second part he presents his agenda for aging gracefully. Prevention is emphasized, right habits, right attitude, living in harmony with an older body sensibly while making the most of our acquired wisdom and knowledge to help ourselves and others. He has a 12-point program beginning on page 239. There is a glossary, two appendices, one on "The Anti-Inflammatory Diet," and the other on suggested reading, resources and supplies.

I couldn't find anything I would disagree with in the entire book, and I tend to the critical when evaluating books by physicians. But of course Dr. Weil is no ordinary doctor. He is an immensely learned man who is careful, and is himself the best advertisement for his program. He lives gracefully with style and verve.

Here are some things I learned reading this book:

For some reason I used to think that a high fever helped the body to fight disease because the heat killed the microbes or at least made life more difficult for them. However as Weil points out on page 80 what fever does is increase the efficiency of immune system cells that fight germs--which is why it is not necessarily a good idea to take medicines that artificially lower our temperature.

Like Dr. Weil I enjoy the traditional teas from China, Taiwan, and Japan. However most of these teas are not decaffeinated and that's a problem since caffeine tends to give me vertigo. He writes, "You can remove most of the caffeine from tea leaves by steeping them in hot water for thirty seconds and draining off the water. Then steep the leaves as you would normally. This will not detract from the flavor or antioxidant activity...." (pp. 158-159)

And here's something he got from Rubin Naiman, an expert on dreaming: "REM is not equivalent to dreaming...We're probably dreaming all the time; REM is a window through which we can observe dreaming." (p 197) Some years ago as I gradually became more aware of my own mental states, it seemed to me that I was dreaming even before I fell asleep, and that I was even dreaming while awake sometimes, and I began to question the idea that we only dream during the rapid eye movement stage of sleep. I am happy to see my experience confirmed!

And here's a speculation that I find intriguing: "...most North American and Europeans are deficient in omega-3s, a dietary imbalance that may account for the rise of such disease as asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmunity, and neurodegenerative disease." (p. 147) To this he might have added autism which has also been rapidly on the rise in recent decades.

Please forgive the play on words in the title of this review. I had almost given up on Medical Doctors until reading Dr. Weil's superb book. I'm 64 years old, a tenured Professor of Education at a California State University, and I've just started studying Aikido (which is also all about mind, body and spirit). That study has proven to be catalytic in the development of my awareness of the healthy aging that Dr. Weil writes about with such insightfulness and clarity. I have already posted my recommendation of this excellent book on my own web site for benefit of my students and fellow faculty and staff at the university where I teach. Perhaps I am biased in favor of this book because I already embrace the underlying philosophy, but I believe that anyone who takes the time to read and carefully consider what Dr. Weil has written will find it to be of great value. In fact, I liked it so much that I recommended it to the Naturopathic Doctor who is my own personal physician! Special thanks to Dr. Weil for including his own ethical will. I wish more people in the helping professions would write ethical wills and include information about themselves on personal web sites to help the people who need their services make informed decisions.

Dr. Weil, first of all, while admitting to the man's quest of becoming immortal and find the fountain of youth, makes you believe the futility of trying to reverse aging. He goes on elaborating the advantages of aging. Not everything is bad about aging. As he points out, I hope one day the aged get as much respect just for living into old age, as they do in the East. The proved importance of low calorie diet as one ages has been well stressed. In later chapters, he compares the aged body with the aged whisky and wine, aged cheese, trees, violin, and antiques. The comparison of living old flesh to the aged dead meat (beef) feels far fetched though. He could have added how 'green' the younger people are and how comforting is the company of older, more mature people.
As most people get old, the body is prone to develop chronic diseases, resulting in long years of suffering. Dr. Weil, explains to us that 'by an ounce of prevention,' we can 'compress' the 'illness period' into last one or two years, leading to happy old age. He touches all aspects of old age, including prevention of ailments through anti-inflammatory diet, adequate sleep (I loved his prescription of afternoon nap), dietary supplements, exercise(Yoga and meditation), reduction of stress. He even goes ahead to reveal how old people desire to be touched and loved (including changing patterns of sexual intimacy).
I know Dr. Weil is a big advocate of dietary supplements. But after going through his book I wonder whether anybody can swallow so many tablets everyday. It seems impossible for anyone to do especially if they are already taking other drugs for their illness(es).
People who have read his '8 weeks to optimum health' will find many things borrowed from there. But even for them the book will still be very readable. A lot of people will reflect on the wrong things they did to spoil their health.
Well done again Dr. Weil.

Dr. Weil's book is a refreshing change from society's(and some authors) obsession with antiaging methods that are usually only money makers and do nothing to make you younger.This book talks first about the current trend to "reverse aging" which the author believes is impossible. Then he goes on to talk about how natural the aging process is and how it should be viewed as positive in many ways. He discusses how many things get better with age,cheese,wine,beef, etc. He says we should accept aging not resist it and should live a healthy lifestyle so we will have healthy aging with out being ravaged by the diseases that are a consequence of lifestyle.Great writing, a pleasure to read.

One day years ago, a socially challenged nephew of mine exclaimed, "you're old like my dad now!" Of course, my brother didn't exactly feel encouraged, and I briefly considered getting a vasectomy. But he was right, and since then I haven't gotten any younger. Indeed, at 39 I'm seeing some unsettling physical changes like less hair, more weight, slower recovery time, and so on. I'm not into barcode haircuts and nip/tuck surgery, so I decided that this book might help me with aging gracefully.

"Healthy Aging" is well organized, with additional information in a glossary and appendices. Dr. Weil writes in an engaging manner and gives straightforward advice on preventative and integrative health measures. He doesn't breathlessly announce miracle cures or hint darkly at medical conspiracy theories. Instead, he recommends accepting, and then embracing, the aging process. From that philosophical starting point, the author advocates a holistic approach aimed at the critical goal of compressing morbidity, defined as, "reduction of the amount of time at the end of life spend in sickness and decline (pg. 242)." To that end, I've begun taking some of the supplements he recommends, mainly because he evaluated them by personal use. I also appreciated his validation of Pilates and yoga as good workouts for people in my age bracket. Overall, I was encouraged by the information in "Healthy Aging."

However, some folks are skeptical of Dr. Weil's credibility. This is mainly due to his colorful hippyish past, and also because he sells his own brand of supplements. A Web search on his name produced some interesting articles that critiqued his background and philosophies. Also, his combination of evolutionary rationalism and Eastern spiritualism might dismay some readers of faith. However, as a Christian I still enjoyed his insights, and feel that his advice will help me stay healthier as I age.

Even so, there was a significant issue that I wish the author had addressed. After watching my father go through two hip replacement surgeries, and enduring my own ACL recon operation, I was looking for detailed coverage on joint health and preservation. Dr. Weil writes about the effects of many herbal supplements, and I anticipated he would do the same with Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, and other joint health products. However, he doesn't even mention them. I checked out another of his books, "Natural Health, Natural Medicine" (which looks like a good companion resource to "Healthy Aging"), but it refers readers to "The Arthritis Cure" by Jason Theodosakis. I finally found some information on Dr. Weil's website, but much of it was a general blurb attached to his own bottled version of Glucosamine and Chondroitin. For one who advocates retaining mobility as a key to aging well, I found his neglect of in-depth joint maintenance information in this book as odd. As I did, you'll have to look elsewhere.

At any rate, "Healthy Aging" is a worthy addition to one's home health library. I'm passing it on to my elderly parents, and I may even let my aging boomer brother check it out. As for my nephew, perhaps he'll look it over when it's his turn to receive a dose of brutal honesty.