Aging Well: The Complete Guide to Physical and Emotional Health

Based on research and procedures used at Harvard Medical School, the suggestions compiled here aim to help readers prevent specific illnesses associated with aging and to achieve an overall wellness. Wei, a doctor associated with both Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and Levkoff, a social worker and associate professor at Harvard, explain the basics of the aging process and how to compensate for damage done to the body by excessive alcohol use, smoking, poor diet and stress. Taking a holistic view, they target all body systems (the heart, reproductive and immune systems, the mind and others) and the way they interact to keep the body functioning. From reading nutrition labels to recognizing the symptoms of numerous conditions that can shorten an individual's life span, Wei and Levkoff provide a comprehensive overview of what to expect during the years after midlife. Most useful, perhaps, are their discussions on finding a physician and getting the most out of doctor visits, health care and housing options for the elderly, maintaining an active and satisfying sex life and making the most of the retirement years. (There is also a chapter for readers who are seeking ways to care for their elderly parents.) With their respectful and matter-of-fact tone, Wei and Levkoff have put together a volume that is likely to ease much of the fear connected to thoughts of aging and dying. Among this battery of ideas for making the later years happy, healthy and productive, readers will find many ways to offset the effects of aging and to cope with the inevitable changes that occur when body function slows down. (May)