Sex, Health, and Long Life: Manuals of Taoist Practice
Author: Thomas F Cleary
The benefits of sexual bliss were not lost on the ancients, who knew well its powers to enhance health, concentration, and peace of mind. These ancient Chinese Taoist texts explain the transformative effects sex can have when properly and wisely practiced, demonstrating Taoism's emphasis on cultivating life's "three treasures"—vitality, energy, and spirit—in all the activities of daily life.
The texts are part of the famous Mawangdui finds, Han Dynasty tombs that yielded the richest cache of ancient medical manuscripts ever found in China. The first three texts, Ten Questions, Joining Yin and Yang, and Talk on Supreme Guidance for the World, deal with physical health and sex lore, including diet, exercise, sleep, and techniques of lovemaking. The last two, A Course in Effectiveness and A Course in Guidance, concentrate on the psychological factors of good health and well-being, especially the reduction of stress and cultivation of wholesome social relations.
Interesting book: Moo Baa La La La or The Cat in the Hat
Chasing Life: New Discoveries in the Search for Immortality to Help You Age Less Today
Author: Sanjay Gupta
For centuries, adventurers and scientists have believed that not only could we delay death but that "practical immortality" was within our reach. Today, many well-respected researchers would be inclined to agree. In a book that is not about anti-aging, but about functional aging--extending your healthy, active life--Dr. Sanjay Gupta blends together compelling stories of the most up-to-date scientific breakthroughs from around the world, with cutting-edge research and advice on achieving practical immortality in this lifetime. Gupta's advice is often counterintuitive: longevity is not about eating well, but about eating less; nutritional supplements are a waste of your money; eating chocolate and drinking coffee can make you healthier. CHASING LIFE tells the stories behind the breakthroughs while also revealing the practical steps readers can take to help extend youth and life far longer than ever thought possible.
Publishers Weekly
Readers seeking the key to everlasting life will find some clues in neurosurgeon Gupta's survey of the latest research on longevity. Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, touches on recent breakthroughs as he offers some basic guidelines for adding years to what he and other aging experts call "health span." The goal, Gupta says, is not merely to live longer. To help readers live longer and better, he boils down conflicting health advice and makes some surprising prescriptions. For example, it is not what you eat, but how much you eat that affects longevity; vitamin supplements may be a waste of time and money; and a little upper-body strengthening is far more effective than an hour on a StairMaster. To support this advice, Gupta relates the experiences of a 103-year-old woman from Okinawa; a former executive who began training at age 86 and is a record-breaking sprinter at age 92; and others who are aging well by staying active, eating wisely, being positive and maintaining strong social networks. While stem cell injections, nanotechnology, cryonics and other possible therapies are on the horizon, Gupta tells readers that extending life today is as easy as eating less, moving more and exercising the brain. While Gupta's mix of futuristic science and do-it-yourself advice is far from seamless, many readers will find the lessons in his tales of the long lived worthwhile. (Apr.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Susan B. Hagloch - Library Journal
Just exactly how do we age? Why do some societies have so many more centenarians than others? Is immortality possible? These questions form the basis of this book by CNN's chief medical correspondent, Gupta (neurosurgery, Emory Univ. Hosp. & Grady Memorial Hosp., Atlanta). He explains new scientific discoveries that are being made on the cellular process of aging and possible means of regeneration and shows that some previous assumptions about optimum health practices are being proved wrong. Supplements may be a waste of your money; deep breathing is more important than you ever knew; cell phones do not cause cancer; and long life may be more about your social network than your exercise plan. Gupta covers stem-cell therapy and degenerative diseases as well as practical advice to prevent aging. This is a fascinating look at the research being done and its promise for the future. It will tell you how to live not only longer but also better. Highly recommended.
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