Grow Younger, Live Longer

Written as an easily accessible plan based on his Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Deepak Chopra's Grow Younger, Live Longer presents many of the same quantum-based theories of aging as simply a matter of changing your perception. But here, you'll find the format greatly simplified into 10 short chapters, each with a single focus. Each step is fairly basic and combines visualisation and breathing exercises with the behaviour modifications we've come to expect when we try to get healthier, such as more exercise, balanced eating, avoidance of toxins and regular sleep. Clear diagrams are included when necessary--with his yoga stretches and breathing exercises, for example--and tables have been provided for a quick glance at some recommendations for vitamins. A handful of internationally inspired vegetarian recipes are tucked in the back and are a fun way to introduce some unusual flavours to your meals.

A regular complaint about Chopra's books is the lack of clear data to back up his claims, and this has not changed. He provides numerous anecdotal accounts of people ridding themselves of cancer, AIDS or high blood pressure. For many lay readers, these anecdotes provide enough encouragement to try Chopra's program and improve their outlook on life; medical professionals may just be annoyed by them. Lack of research aside, it's hard to argue with the suggestions. From "connecting more openly with your co-workers" to "always use sunscreen when you are outdoors" and "drink plenty of fresh water throughout the day", the majority of Chopra's methods seem based in common sense, with his "Quantum Realm" as the seasoning that adds a little exciting flavour to a very basic recipe. --Jill Lightner

View other editions of Grow Younger, Live Longer.
View books by Deepak Chopra.

Ayurvedic Self-Help Connected to Scientific Studies - Rated
I have regularly practiced Transcendental Meditation (TM) for a number of years, having originally become interested in it through one of Dr. Chopra's first books. I have found the practice to be a helpful one, and regularly recommend it to others. I have also experienced Ayurvedic health treatments and have read about the practice. As a result, I always look forward to reading Dr. Chopra's new books.

Grow Younger, Live Longer is an update on Ageless Body, Timeless Mind. The authors describe the Ayurvedic principles (practiced in India for many hundreds of years) of self-healing in a more detailed and understandable way than in any of Dr. Chopra's earlier books. Long-time practitioners of Transcendental Meditation will find little new in the book. Those who do not meditate now will find the book an easy, comfortable way to begin mind-body integration in ways that will probably help physiological and psychological health.

The authors argue that by forming ten new habits (by following the recommended practices for at least 10 weeks), you can "reset your Biostat (your biological or functional, age) up to fifteen years younger than your chronological age." Your Biostat is determined by various measures of your body's functioning, as compared to the average of people of the same sex and age. That point is not proven, however, in the text of the book. Many references care made in the notes. I am aware of studies done by practitioners of Transcendental Meditation that show such effects, which may be part of what the claim is based on. Some scientists have criticized the studies for potential bias because practitioners conducted almost all of the studies. The authors are not recommending TM, but rather other versions of meditation. Some nutritional and relationship studies have shown reversals of such biological markers.

You are encouraged to psychologically reframe aging to "an opportunity for greater wisdom, love, creativity, meaning, joy, and increased mental and physical capacity." "The real purpose of the book is to remind you, the reader, that this deeper reality, the domain of pure potentiality of spirit, is who you really are." "To know a person's body in the future, examine their experiences now." This sort of writing will remind you that Dr. Chopra likes to use Quantum physics as a metaphor for explaining the potential benefits of spiritual practices....

I also found much more scientific explanation here than in his earlier books about why these changes should be helpful. These were most detailed in the nutrition and exercise sections. The recommendations were explained in enough detail that I think that most people could understand and follow them. You will also find at least half of these food, water, and exercise recommendations in the better health books. The emphasis on spiritual and pscyhological practices is much stronger here. A good book on the importance of love from the scientific perspective is Dr. Dean Ornish's Love and Survival. The book also ends with a long section of vegetarian recipes from various cuisines (Thai, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, French, American, and Middle Eastern) for seven sample menus. These have fairly extensive lists of ingredients, and you may need to buy some provisions you don't have now. Tamari sauce is a good example of something that is not present in many American larders.

This book will probably be most appealing to a retired person who finds her- or himself feeling disconnected from a meaningful purpose. The practices here would be most helpful in that situation, and a retired person would have the time to take on the many new habits suggested here. Although middle-aged people with children at home would feel like they could never take the time to do these things, they would probably benefit even more from the stress reduction that these practices could bring.

I would also enourage you to learn about practicing TM. With that change, you would probably find it easier to make these other changes that Dr. Chopra suggests. Most cities have TM centers where you can locate a teacher. You can go to introductory sessions at no charge. The yoga in this book will make a nice complement to your meditation practice.

Take life's unexpected events less personally and with more curiosity!

Forever Young - Rated
Evidence is accumulating that aging is a reversible condition, in so far as one’s biological as opposed to chronological age is concerned. According to Chopra, human beings are beautifully organised networks of information, energy and intelligence engaged in a dynamic exchange with their environment. These systems are quite capable of transformation and renewal.

This book is a complete guide on how to achieve this, providing 10 practical steps that teach you how to reset your Biostat (biological age) to become up to 15 years younger than your chronological age.

The techniques required to achieve this include sleep & various types of meditation, healthy foods, the wise use of nutritional supplements, enhancing mind/body integration, exercise, eliminating toxins, cultivating the flexibility and creativity of consciousness, embracing love and by maintaining a healthy mind.

There are recipes, an appendix of relaxing and inspiring music and nutritional supplements, references and an index.

Similar books that might interest the reader are Renewal by Timothy J. Smith, The Superhormone Promise by William Regelson and Stopping The Clock by Ronald Klatz.

Scientist reviews Grow Younger, Live Longer - Rated
Deepak Chopra's new book entitled Grow Younger, Live Longer is the latest in his line of frequently churned out pop culture manuscripts devoted to encouraging the public to adopt healthier lifestyles. The premise is not far different from his previous publication entitled Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, but in this case the central focus revolves around the notion that aging itself is reversible through lifestyle modification. The book is organized such that each chapter is devoted to revealing the various ways in which the author believes you may choose to reduce your biological age. These include Changing Your Perception, Deep Rest, Healthy Food, Nutritional Complements (e.g., vitamin supplements), Mind/Body Integration, Exercise, Eliminating Toxins, Cultivating Flexibility and Creativity in Consciousness, Love, and Maintaining a Youthful Mind. Fifty-one pages of the book are devoted to recipes designed to make their consumers grow younger and live longer. The idea combines together in one book the nearly identical idea presented by Michael Roizen in his books RealAge: Are You As Young As You Can Be? and The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger With What You Eat in which he too claims you can reduce your biological age and grow younger. However, the difference is that in Chopra's book there is not just bad science, as is the case with anyone claiming we can reduce our biological age, there is no science at all.

The basis for Chopra's argument is his claim that your biological age can be measured by such things as blood pressure, body fat, cholesterol, blood sugar tolerance, bone density, and a host of other measures. Unfortunately, scientists who study aging in humans and other animals have already concluded that at present there are no reliable biomarkers of aging. In other words, it is not currently possible to measure biological age, nor is there any scientific evidence to suggest that growing younger is possible. Reducing your risk of age-associated diseases is certainly a benefit of regular exercise and a diet based on moderation, but aging itself cannot be stopped or reversed. Anyone telling you that you can reduce your biological age or grow younger is selling a modern form of anti-aging medicine that has been sold successfully to the public for more than 3,500 years - it didn't work in the past, and it doesn't work now.

Chopra leads the reader to believe that you can reset your BIOSTAT for your biological age by convincing yourself that you're younger than your chronological age. This is done by encouraging readers to repeat the following mantra: "Every day in every way, I am increasing my mental and physical capacity, my BIOSTAT is set at a healthy __ years old. I look and feel a healthy __ years old. I am reversing my biological age"...by doing whatever is suggested in each chapter. The idea then is that if you BELIEVE you're younger, your BIOSTAT will orchestrate your biochemistry to MAKE you younger. Suggesting that you can grow younger by willing it to be so is an anti-aging strategy that has been around for thousands of years, which is considerably longer that the duration of the lives of its proponents. It never ceases to amaze me how such nonsense can make its way into books. Perhaps it is not so surprising once one realizes that those making such ridiculous claims are not scientists in any one of the various fields that inform the study of aging - they are entrepreneurs. I used to look upon Chopra's books with great amusement, because in a way he wasn't really selling anything except a suite of pop culture ideas that are unsupported by basic science. But now even he has crossed over the line to becoming an anti-aging entrepreneur, and this is what prompted my review. In Chapter 5 of this book he claims that nutritional supplements can activate your body's rejuvenating chemicals, and not surprisingly, he is now selling these supplements through the Chopra Center Essentials line of nutrients. Amazing! Scientists are now cautioning against the indiscriminate use of single dose supplements because of possible adverse side effects (such as with beta-carotene). While antioxidant supplements may have some health benefits for some people, so far there is no scientific evidence to justify the claim that they have any effect on human aging.

The pseudo science of anti-aging medicine has now permeated every aspect of our modern world.
Chopra used to be among the most benign of those selling anti-aging to the public, but with this book he's joined the ranks of the money-making entrepreneurs. Don't waste your money on Deepak Chopra's Grow Younger, Live Longer. Take the time to read books on aging written by scientists for a non-scientific audience -- good choices include: Steven Austad's Why We Age; Leonard Hayflick's How and Why We Age; Tom Kirkwood's Time of Our Lives; and Olshansky and Carnes' The Quest for Immortality.

Ayurvedic Self-Help Connected to Scientific Studies - Rated
I have regularly practiced Transcendental Meditation (TM) for a number of years, having originally become interested in it through one of Dr. Chopra's first books. I have found the practice to be a helpful one, and regularly recommend it to others. I have also experienced Ayurvedic health treatments and have read about the practice. As a result, I always look forward to reading Dr. Chopra's new books.

Grow Younger, Live Longer is an update on Ageless Body, Timeless Mind. The authors describe the Ayurvedic principles (practiced in India for many hundreds of years) of self-healing in a more detailed and understandable way than in any of Dr. Chopra's earlier books. Long-time practitioners of Transcendental Meditation will find little new in the book. Those who do not meditate now will find the book an easy, comfortable way to begin mind-body integration in ways that will probably help physiological and psychological health.

The authors argue that by forming ten new habits (by following the recommended practices for at least 10 weeks), you can "reset your Biostat (your biological or functional, age) up to fifteen years younger than your chronological age." Your Biostat is determined by various measures of your body's functioning, as compared to the average of people of the same sex and age. That point is not proven, however, in the text of the book. Many references care made in the notes. I am aware of studies done by practitioners of Transcendental Meditation that show such effects, which may be part of what the claim is based on. Some scientists have criticized the studies for potential bias because practitioners conducted almost all of the studies. The authors are not recommending TM, but rather other versions of meditation. Some nutritional and relationship studies have shown reversals of such biological markers.

You are encouraged to psychologically reframe aging to "an opportunity for greater wisdom, love, creativity, meaning, joy, and increased mental and physical capacity." "The real purpose of the book is to remind you, the reader, that this deeper reality, the domain of pure potentiality of spirit, is who you really are." "To know a person's body in the future, examine their experiences now." This sort of writing will remind you that Dr. Chopra likes to use Quantum physics as a metaphor for explaining the potential benefits of spiritual practices....

I also found much more scientific explanation here than in his earlier books about why these changes should be helpful. These were most detailed in the nutrition and exercise sections. The recommendations were explained in enough detail that I think that most people could understand and follow them. You will also find at least half of these food, water, and exercise recommendations in the better health books. The emphasis on spiritual and pscyhological practices is much stronger here. A good book on the importance of love from the scientific perspective is Dr. Dean Ornish's Love and Survival. The book also ends with a long section of vegetarian recipes from various cuisines (Thai, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, French, American, and Middle Eastern) for seven sample menus. These have fairly extensive lists of ingredients, and you may need to buy some provisions you don't have now. Tamari sauce is a good example of something that is not present in many American larders.

This book will probably be most appealing to a retired person who finds her- or himself feeling disconnected from a meaningful purpose. The practices here would be most helpful in that situation, and a retired person would have the time to take on the many new habits suggested here. Although middle-aged people with children at home would feel like they could never take the time to do these things, they would probably benefit even more from the stress reduction that these practices could bring.

I would also enourage you to learn about practicing TM. With that change, you would probably find it easier to make these other changes that Dr. Chopra suggests. Most cities have TM centers where you can locate a teacher. You can go to introductory sessions at no charge. The yoga in this book will make a nice complement to your meditation practice.

Take life's unexpected events less personally and with more curiosity!

Donald Mitchell...