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Home > The Book
Why do some people age in failing health and
sadness
while others grow old with vitality and joy?
In this revolutionary new book, bestselling author John Robbins presents us with
a bold new paradigm of aging, showing us how we can increase not only our life
span but also our health span. Through
the example of four very different cultures that have the distinction of producing
some of the world’s healthiest, oldest people, Robbins reveals the secrets for
living an extended and fulfilling life in which our later years become a period
of wisdom, vitality, and happiness. From Abkhasia in the Caucasus south of Russia,
where age is beauty, and Vilcabamba in the Andes of South America, where laughter
is the greatest medicine, to Hunza in Central Asia, where dance is ageless, and
finally the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa, the modern Shangri-la, where
people regularly live beyond a century, Robbins examines how the unique lifestyles
of these peoples can influence and improve our own.
Bringing the traditions of these ancient and vibrantly healthy cultures together
with the latest breakthroughs in medical science, Robbins reveals that, remarkably,
they both point in the same direction. The result is an inspirational synthesis
of years of research into healthy aging in which Robbins has isolated the characteristics
that will enable us to live long — and most important — joyous lives. With an
emphasis on simple, wholesome, but satisfying fare, and the addition of a manageable
daily exercise routine, many people can experience great improvement in the quality
of their lives now and for many years to come. But perhaps more surprising is
Robbins’ discovery that it is not diet and exercise alone that help people to
live well past one hundred. The quality of personal relationships is enormously
important. With startling medical evidence about the effects of our interactions
with others, Robbins asserts that loneliness has more impact on life-span than
such known vices as smoking. There is clearly a strong beneficial power to love
and connection. After reading this book, we will never think about age — or life
— in the same way again.
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