LIVE LIVELY LONGER

My son Danny said he would buy a book that told him how to live longer and be able to enjoy life for many years after retirement. After working forty years as a Family Physician and spending hundreds of hours doing recent research, I find the voluminous scientific literature on this question both fascinating and promising. Good studies and new theories are published every day. There are also many unsubstantiated assertions and biased opinions, many designed to sell a product or further some agenda. Scientists around the world are searching for the answers, using controlled studies to evaluate data that may reveal a breakthrough in our knowledge. Much is known, and much is speculative. In this book I have described the accepted common knowledge, and questioned the unscientific assertions. There are many things we can do to make our lives productive and happy well past the biblical three score and ten years. Living a useful life to age one hundred is now feasible, and may soon become common.

Several reviewers of early drafts of this book questioned some of my statements. In response, I listed many excellent verifiable references and some useful books at the end. When I quote some article, study or opinion, I state the source.

I welcome questions that stimulate research. New data becomes available on a daily basis. On October 23, 2003, the National Institute of Health launched a new web site called NIHSeniorHealth.gov. This program is designed to answer some of the questions about aging in an easy-to-use format, using techniques developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM).  Much is known about aging. I have outlined what is known for sure in 2004, and described how to live a healthy life as long as possible. The NIH and other governmental internet sites are valuable resources to answer your specific questions. New data becomes available on a daily basis. Newspapers and magazines are the worst place to get health information. They sensationalize statistics or theories to promote their publication. Any magazine trying to sell you herbs and “dietary supplements” is worse than useless. They distort facts and make unfounded claims of benefits without any information about the risks.

The old proverb is still true, “We have fewer problems with what we don’t know, than with things we know for sure that just ain’t so”. The current published literature is full of questionable statements. I have tried to put these into proper perspective.