These days, beauty no longer defers to age. The opposite is true. We all seem to prize youth, and discriminate indiscriminately against those we perceive as old. We seek Botox, plastic surgery, drugs and diet pills in an effort to stave off the inevitable. To Dr. Andrew Weil, however, such a mindset is unfortunate. With his book HEALTHY AGING, Weil has become Tucson's most famous full time resident author. Appearing on the cover of Time magazine, and featured in the NY Times and on the Today show, Weil talks about aging gracefully as an option to being influenced by Hollywood's belief that if don't look under 30, you're not really alive.
Certainly Weil is himself a proponent of both traditional and alternative diet and lifestyle choices to optimize a slower aging process. On Today, Katie Couric even called him a "guru" of such. Yet as founder of the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, he has talked nationwide about wellness based on diet for years, causing Time magazine to recently declare that, "No other physician has done more to shape the direction of medical education in America." This doesn't sound at all like a man dispensing questionable remedies from a desert cloister, despite his large gray beard. Maybe he just looks like a guru.
Weil's book is indeed quite scientifically realized. Despite its subtitle, "A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being," it parallels--in many ways--the bestsellers of Dr. Nicholas Perricone, with an analysis of the biological changes that appear on the cellular level due to stress hormones, free radicals and the natural, progressive shortening of telomeres on the ends of chromosomes. Weil even advises adopting an anti-inflammatory diet, using spices like turmeric, and eating fish like salmon. Dermatologist Perricone, meanwhile, appears on the cover of Life Extension magazine, with the head of a salmon on the plate before him. The irony here is not that both men espouse the same regimen, but rather that Weil appears to be more skeptical of an industry that exploits our desire for immortality. As Weil puts it, "I am dismayed by the emphasis on appearance in anti aging medicine." The other irony is that he dismisses claims that real life extension is on the horizon, because "nature doesn't care about individuals, only their genes." Ironically, for sure, once you pass your immortal DNA on, nature is pretty much done with you. So where's the irony here, you ask? Most visibly of all, salmon die soon after spawning.
As to whether there may ever be a pill that can extend human life beyond the current upper limit of 120 years, Weil cites the success of Dr. Cynthia Kenyon in her research with nematodes. It is the same scientist who inspired my own upcoming suspense novel “The Methuselah Gene,” due to the 50% increase in life span that Kenyon observed in worms known to researchers as caenorhabditis elegans. Yet despite Kenyon's gene manipulation, and the hope of the company she founded, Elixir, worms are still not humans. (Or at least not MOST humans, although the killer who steals an experimental longevity formula in "Geezer" in order to secretly test in on a small town's residents might qualify).
Until a real breakthrough in life extension comes, what are we to do in the meantime? This is the question that Weil answers in "Healthy Aging," with proven science to back him up. What distinguishes his answers from the more aggressive fad diet and exercise books on the market is his tone. This is especially evident on the audiobook version that he narrates. "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 says. Weil is not preaching or conducting a pep rally here. He respects his audience. They are, after all, not children, and what aging Americans needs now, especially in this area, is a little dignity. His advice? Live in moderation, eat a wide selection of natural whole foods, exercise regularly but not too much, touch a lot, and don't fret over those wrinkles or a few extra pounds. In this way, you will be joining good company, including even those few in Hollywood who have seen the insanity of an unwise obsession for what it is, like Jamie Lee Curtis, star of "Perfect” and “The Dorothy Stratten Story.” Or Lauren Bacall, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford. Or Colin Powell. Pair this book with "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle, another book without a trace of hype, and you have a roadmap for real peace, health, long life, and happiness. -0-
"Live long and prosper..."
If you prefer description and characterization over choreographed special effects, then James Lee Burke's mystery masterpiece, PURPLE CANE ROAD, is your huckleberry. The plot here has no significance to anyone outside the heart and temperament of its main character, Dave Robicheaux, and the creator of that character wouldn't know a cliche if it climbed into his green turtle soup. Actor Will Patton performs this regional Louisiana story with a native and intuitive skill bordering perfection. In Purple Cane Road, Dave seeks the truth about the long ago murder of his mother, following a new lead implicating crooked cops. During his gritty and sometimes grisly hunt, he manages to learn more about his mother, and gains an identity which he can finally grasp in being her son. In an interview, Burke told me this was the book he was most proud of writing. And Patton won an Audie award for reading Burke. (Simon & Schuster Audio)
What is the fascination people have with race horses? I wasn't sure until I heard SEABISCUIT--AN AMERICAN LEGEND by Laura Hillenbrand. With little time or interest in spectator sports, I found myself nonetheless riveted by the suspenseful description of the races run by this champion, an underdog with ferocious will and blinding speed who captured more news headlines in 1938 than anyone--even FDR or Hitler. The travails and games played by the owner, trainer, jockey, and the press are examined here, during a Depression era run of ups and downs all the way to a glorious victory. Actor/narrator Campbell Scott tells this amazing true story with an understated reverence, keeping out of the way as Seabiscuit threads his way through the pack to pull out in front. "See ya later, Charlie," said the jockey atop Seabiscuit to the jockey next to him, and then urged his horse for a final burst to the finish line. The other horse was exhausted, but Seabiscuit---much like a few rare audiobooks---had power in reserve. (Random House Audiobooks; have interviewed Laura.)
Bill Bryson has a knack for making difficult subjects understandable, even enjoyable. In his book, A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, the author of "A Walk in the Woods" and "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" does just that, tackling geology, astronomy, chemistry, even physics in such a way that boredom is replaced by wonder. It's a matter of wording. Knowing how much to include in an explanation, and where to crack the shell to get at the nut. All the great men of science are here, too, including the patent clerk who became Time magazine's "Person of the Century," (Einstein), and the guy who invented the drip coffee maker only to die sniffing laughing gas. So turning off the ball game does have its rewards, including the discovery that you're riding on a big blue ball weighing five million million tons, hurtling toward any number of hazards on the back 9 of the Cosmos Invitational. Your caddy, Bill, carries this bag of tricks himself, and explains each one. (Random House Audio)
GUARDIAN OF THE HORIZON by Elizabeth Peters is a historical mystery involving a missing journal and an expedition to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. The novel follows the well drawn character of Amelia Peabody and her husband Emerson as they set off to aid a friend and royal heir who's been struck down by a mysterious illness while others plot against him. As they revisit the city of the "Lost Oasis" in this established series, you'll find yourself drawn in by Barbara Rosenblat's talent at creating characters, and her uncanny ability to make each one distinct and memorable. Peters is a two time Grand Master winner in the mystery genre, and is known for her authentic research and intricate plot twists. So you have all the usual and unusual villains, from tomb raiders to soldiers of fortune, pitted against our intrepid explorers as Amelia once again finds herself duped and betrayed, and must deal with her unruly husband and impulsive son. It's a melodramatic, humorous and entertaining audiobook boasting historical accuracy, a command of language, and a "grand master" narrator to nail the accents. Who could ask for anything more? (Recorded Books)
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