Customer Reviews

Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways to Live to Be 100

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is well researched (including Western science and Eastern traditions), full of excellent advice and written in easy to read, enjoyable snippets, not to mention that each page is designed with artwork and a nice visual layout. Despite what another reviewer wrote, this book has plenty of info that you probably have never heard before on topics ranging from diet and nutrition, chinese and western herbal medicines, the environment, ecology and community, exercise, lifestyle and rejuvenation, genetics, relationships, love, sexuality and faith, and the last chapter brings it all together.

Here are some examples of simple sound advice in the book that you may not have heard before:

Chronic fatigue syndrome has been linked to sinus disease. Evidence now suggests that humming along with the radio or singing tunes to yourself may help prevent or remedy sinus problems.

"A body "map" inside your mouth. In Chinese medicine the tongue is seen as a map of the internal body. You can detect hidden problems early by inspecting your tongue for redness, cracks, or coating on specific areas." He then goes on to write which areas on the tongue correspond to which internal organs, and what the redness, or cracks, etc indicate.

Dr. Mao also gives specific advice for preventing illness during each season, with sound advice such as, altering sleep paterns, what foods to eat or which to avoid, special preventative practices that are all specific to that season and the ailments that tend to occur within the season.

Eventhough the book is full of advice, I did not find it overwhelming. In fact, Dr. Mao writes in an encouraging, upbeat tone that makes it fun to read and easy to practice. You don't even need to read it cover to cover in a systematic way. Just flip the book open to a new page each day, and you'lll find a little gem.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I got a copy for myself and am also giving it to my grandma and other loved ones for their birthday!

Happy longevity!

P.S. Dr. Mao's "The Tao of Nutrition is also excellent" It focuses more on the properties of specific foods and how to use foods as medicine to treat specific ailments/diseases.

I first picked up this book and noticed Dr. Maoshing Ni is a Tai Chi Master. That was enough in itself to catch my attention because I am a firm believer in the benefits of Tai Chi and it has become a regular routine for me.

It is no secret Chinese medicine will benefit a person's health. Just look at the remarkable ages people from China live to be. Many look half their age and a shining example of good health. Alzheimer's and senility is also far less prevalent in their country. Some have more energy and vitality at 80 than we do at 20! Of course, compare our daily diet to theirs and that speaks volumes about why obesity is over abundant in our North American culture. Each of us has only one body to carry us through life, does it not make sense to explore proven secrets that will prolong our health? This book is invaluable and filled with Chinese wisdom carried down through the ages. Follow these suggestions and don't be surprised to see an increase in energy, a healthier body, and an improved feeling of over-all well being. Just don't expect to see the changes overnight. This book does not pretend to be a miracle cure like so many others promise. Here you will find simple words of wisdom and some ancient secrets from a professional in his field.

"It's been estimated that a third of all cancer patients developed their disease as a result of insufficient whole plant fiber in their diets." ~ pg. 15

"Secrets of Longevity" is an amazing book filled with easy-to-follow tips on living a long and healthy life. While reading this book I was constantly writing down ideas that I plan to put into practice in my life like eating more seaweed (in sushi) or staying 4-6 feet away from a microwave while running it. I have the tendency to stand by the microwave waiting for food to finish heating so that is something I will change after reading this book!

I found myself agreeing with most of the advice but did have a concern about a few things mentioned as healthy. One is the comment that canola oil is a healthy fat and recently I learned it can promote cancer. The second was the use of wormwood, which can be a very dangerous herb and you shouldn't take it for an extended period of time.

There are a few spiritual ideas and a little bit of feng shui in this book. If you don't believe that God is nature or if you don't want to say an invocation you can easily overlook these items and concentrate on what you do believe in.

Some of the advice like taking cold showers will probably be rejected by most comfort-loving individuals. In contrast an hour-long walk will most likely be a goal of many people reading this book.

While a lot of the advice was familiar to me I still needed to be reminded of healthy choices and natural alternatives. I had however never heard that copper cookware was dangerous. We all know about the dangers of aluminum.

Some of the topics presented in this book deserve more attention. Like a detailed description about pycnogenol would have been helpful. Each topic takes up only one page and most pages are only half full. This makes for easy reading but does whet the appetite for more details.

After reading this book you may look into eating more papaya or consider buying Fleur de Sel, a natural sea salt. Dr. Maoshing Ni explains the benefits of eating more apples and explains why you should consider taking royal jelly.

So overall I think this book is perfect for anyone considering lifestyle changes. The section on natural remedies is quite good and gave me a few new ideas.

~The Rebecca Review

I felt smarter and healthier after the first ten pages. After twenty pages I felt foolish for being so reckless with my diet and my daily routines. This is smart stuff! And it is so simple (once you see it in black and white). Bring on the blueberries!

I love the simplicity of this book. Just reading it makes you feel relaxed. It is filled with little bits of information that can have a significant impact on your helath and wellness. I have bought this book for many loved ones.

I like the concise way this book is written. It is easy to refer to on different subjects. The suggestions are practical and easy to put in practice. It gives you a sense of control over your life and what you can do to make it better.

Great book! What the doc says makes a lot of sense. Most people would have to make major, major changes to their life in order to do all that is recommended. But even if one were to adapt half of the things suggested one would be leading a healthier lifestyle.

I expecially like the style in which it is written and the fact that each point is summerized and explained in short paragraphs. One can buzz though this book in just a few hours. It is organized such that one can easily refer to and find information easily.

I liked the book, will take many of the changes to heart and highly recommend this as a "must read".

Len H

If I followed all of Dr. Ni's recommendations, I would have to dedicate literally all my time and resources to my personal health care. In the meantime, while attending to my well-being, life [esp. family and career] will pass by unnoticed! The best way to read this remarkable book is to 'point and click' only a few things that ring your bell, and don't let the rest worry you because you cannot afford them or because you don't have the time. It would be useful and very interesting if Dr Ni had a chapter on 'The Bare Essentials' i.e. a list of 10-20 recommendations that he feels one must absolutely follow, w/o exception, w/o regard for cost or time.

Most of us wish to lead a long healthy life, but often our culture and habits lessen the chance of such a wish coming true. Dr. Maoshing Ni shares over a hundred actions that help us lead a longer life. Most of these actions are simple, but unknown aids. Many have been preached to us, but somehow their importance not really stressed.

The vital concepts presented in this text are many and varied. Since the healthy ideas cover a wide variety of human activities and habits, I will list a few that seem important to me.

Some tips I had not heard before:
Top load most of daily Protein at breakfast, instead of waiting until evening and you will weigh less

Tea is the best beverage for people - best inhibiting free radicals, and is great for arteriosclerosis, tea's antioxidants help ward off diabetes and cancer

All sugars are bad, including fruit sugar and honey - it lowers white blood cells and increase chance of cancer - for long life it is best to avoid sugar as much as possible.

Avoid too much green grass - the artificial fertilizer and chemicals used to kill weeds are harmful to humans. May also be true of the chemicals used by pest control companies.

Tips I had heard but failed to see the importance.
Walk at least thirty minutes a day - most "centenarians did this as a habit.

Breathe - take regular deep "cleansing" breaths as they remove toxins.

Laughter leads to longevity, it actually releases natural chemicals in your body that fight disease as well as stress.

"Secrets of Longevity is an easy book to read. The suggestions are vital. For anyone who wishes to live a long healthy life, I highly recommend this book.

No secrets in this, really! It is a pretty good reference for supplements, though, and beats rummagning through the various vitamin-providers' web sites to find useful information on whatever you might be considering taking. It's also packaged nicely, with a stiff cover which provides convenient flaps to use as bookmarks. So, yes, keep drinking your green tea, taking your glucosimine/chondroitin. SAM-e, etc., but, if you are reading this, then you don't really need this book to tell you, do you? If you are looking for "secrets" you won't find them here.