The right path to perfect health | Free Malaysia Today

BOOK REVIEW

( Ageless Body, Timeless Mind by Deepak Chopra) Deepak Chopra is one of those writers of science, health and healing that you either admire or you steer clear of. Regardless of your view, Chopra is and has been one of the most arresting figures in the world of inspirational writing and Ayurvedic healing.

There was a time, a number of years ago, when I used to ?devour? Chopra?s books because he writes in such an interesting manner.

His writing style is akin to listening to a spell-binding speaker right in front of you. When the good doctor talks a lot of sense, it can only enhance his reputation.

Of course, you may have reservations and disagree with him on some points but generally most ordinary people will heed his advice.

When Chopra came out with ?Ageless Body, Timeless Mind? in 1993, it caused a stir in the realm of self-healing. Naturally, those who believe that perfect health can ultimately be distilled down to a state of the mind, were delighted that finally someone has stepped forth and explained quite intelligently what it was like to live longer, stronger and happier than the others around the world.

?Ageless Body, Timeless Mind? has five parts, and they are The Land Where No One is Old, Aging and Awareness, Defeating Entropy, The Science of Longevity and Breaking the Spell of Mortality.

The titles of the chapters alone are captivating. Who else but Chopra, the man whom Time Magazine described in 1998 as ?a magnet for criticism? can think of such headings.

Collective conditioning

I admit chapter one itself was so well expressed that I gobbled up his words like a man who has been deprived of food for a week. The writer begins by talking about ?collective conditioning? whereby from cradle to grave, we are taught to believe that it is a natural process to grow up, grow old, get sick and die within a limited time span.

The writer postulates that in order to break the barriers of this fossilised mindset, we must dispose of the preconceived notions that it is the most natural thing in the world to fall ill now and then.

That, according to Chopra, is not natural in the true sense of the word, nor is it inevitable. He points out that there are more than 25 traditional societies around the world where cancer and heart disease are almost non-existent.

He quoted S Boyd Eaton, the co-author of ?The Paleolithic Prescription?, as saying that members of native cultures in some countries like Tasmania, Venezuela and Solomon Islands experience low blood pressure their entire lives.

This phenomenon is contrary to the high health risks that are prevalent in Western Europe and America.

Why is this so? Apparently it has something to do with traditional way of living compared to the ?improved lifestyle? of the so-called highly evolved societies.

To make sense of his personal beliefs, Chopra delivers a convincing explanation of how biological science sheds light on the ageing process.

Internal energy

He speaks of the ?transformation of messages into molecules? and how we as human beings can defeat entropy. He refers to the findings of two scientists, William Evans and Brian Rosenberg of Turfts University, in their book entitled ?Biomarkers?.

In that book, it is said that 10 age markers namely lean muscle mass, strength, body fat, basal metabolic rate, aerobic capacity, blood pressure, blood-sugar tolerance, cholesterol/HDL ratio, bone density and body temperature regulation are all reversible.

If you were a martial arts expert who has a considerable knowledge of internal energy, these biomarkers are ancient knowledge. There are people out there somewhere living in the hills or villages of the ?old countries? who seemingly do not get sick, neither do they age rapidly.

In Part Four where the science of longevity is explained at length, Chopra highlights the fact the 109-year-old Odom Belle who grew up on subsistence diet level and lived under atrocious conditions has ?outlived 99.999 per cent of her generation, including those who lived in far better circumstances?.

?Ageless Body, Timeless Mind? is a constant reminder that we humans are extraordinarily resilient once we press all the right buttons. This of course calls for a new paradigm shift that demands that life on earth for homo sapiens be mounted on the firm and steady track of constant transformation.

At this juncture, it would be laborious and maybe even a little boring to delve further into Chopra?s excellent postulations on our ageless bodies.

But let it be known that I have enjoyed the book enormously when it first came out and repeat readings of ?Ageless Body, Timeless Mind? can only rekindle the fire in our eternal minds, and kick-start again our robust human structure.

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/07/26/the-right-path-to-perfect-health/

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