Andrew Weil

Ah, why is it that it is so hard to accept the voice of balance and moderation? That is what Weil offers here. Good advice. Empathy. But he is also firm on one topic: We must all face growing old, we must all face dying and few (if any?) have much interest in looking in that mirror. Weil is careful to disentangle the anti-aging movement with its dreams of living forever from what can be done to live healthily and independently for as long as possible and that is not going to please everyone. show more Weil strikes me as unusual in his ability to walk the tightrope between the 'evidence-based' materialists and the spiritualists and dreamers. He believes also in the wisdom of experience and that there is some kind of consciousness in the universe, inexplicable and unquantifiable, underlying everything. Not religious, not affiliated with any particular faith, just there to be drawn from if you so choose. The physical goal is to do everything you possibly can to help your body function well as long as it can -- that means eating thoughtfully, exercising, and using your brain in ways that encourage health and discourage decay. The people to envy are the ones who live into their eighties or further in perfect health and die within a few weeks. Lots of low-key practical advice -- if anything grabs the reader there is the internet for follow-up. I've put off reading this for years, thinking, ugh. I'm reading it at the right moment for me. I'm 63 and in the last two years, yes, I am feeling changes of all kinds and I'm ready to deal. Thank you, Andrew! ***** show less

why is it that it is so hard to accept the voice of balance and moderation? That is what Weil offers here. Good advice. Empathy. But he is also firm on one topic: We must all face growing old, we must all face dying and few (if any?) have much interest in looking in that mirror. Weil is careful to disentangle the anti-aging movement with its dreams of living forever from what can be done to live healthily and independently for as long as possible and that is not going to please everyone. show more Weil strikes me as unusual in his ability to walk the tightrope between the 'evidence-based' materialists and the spiritualists and dreamers. He believes also in the wisdom of experience and that there is some kind of consciousness in the universe, inexplicable and unquantifiable, underlying everything. Not religious, not affiliated with any particular faith, just there to be drawn from if you so choose. The physical goal is to do everything you possibly can to help your body function well as long as it can -- that means eating thoughtfully, exercising, and using your brain in ways that encourage health and discourage decay. The people to envy are the ones who live into their eighties or further in perfect health and die within a few weeks. Lots of low-key practical advice -- if anything grabs the reader there is the internet for follow-up. I've put off reading this for years, thinking, ugh. I'm reading it at the right moment for me. I'm 63 and in the last two years, yes, I am feeling changes of all kinds and I'm ready to deal. Thank you, Andrew! show less

The first half of this book is an excellent and erudite discussion of drugs and drug policy circa 1970. Relevant, useful facts presented in a straightforward and well written style. The second half is pretty much an unintelligible screed on the evils of modern medicine, including antibiotics. The incongruity is inescapable - penicillin bad, LSD good? Really? Set this aside after his chapter on hallucinogens in the Amazon - the rest is well nigh incomprehensible.

Nice intro to breathing techniques and meditation. I particularly enjoyed the segments with Andrew Weil and his mellifluous voice. The meditation sections were familiar territory, but the stimulating breath and relaxing breath were new to me, and the presentation about breathing was really interesting.
I had to laugh at the musical interludes marking the beginning and end of sections. I think it was supposed to sound like people taking refreshing breaths, accompanied by music, but to me it show more sounded like people having refreshing sex, accompanied by music.
This was my first Andrew Weil book, and he seems like a righteous dude. I'll have to check out more of his stuff. show less