An experienced heart doctor discusses optimizing health at any age.

Cardiologist Kiat sets out to help his readers realize that “true health is not just about a healthy diet and physical fitness but about a sense of wholeness—a balance of body, mind and heart.” He asserts that the most effective anti-aging strategy is to concentrate on the basics—how we breathe, eat, move, relate, and think—and he proposes that the best way to achieve true health is via a mixture of Eastern and Western medicine, balancing “values, beliefs and ways of living.” In a series of chapters dealing with a host of health topics, from exercise to dealing with cancer, the author provides advice and scientific findings as he details common misconceptions and best approaches, often including lightly dramatized scenarios to support his points, as in this account of a conversation with his uncle about his glucose levels: “He looked puzzled. ‘But my sugars have always been good.’ ‘On paper, yes,’ I said. ‘But your history tells a different story.’ He sat back, looking unsure, but listening.” These dialogue interludes, in concert with the material’s organization in short sections, keep readers moving briskly from one topic to the next, with Kiat always returning to the principles of common sense and healthy balance. He maintains that wholesome life practices, combined with mental sharpness (the author warns readers against the dangers of misinformation in the modern age), are the real key to wellness at any age—the real fountain of youth.

The accessible dialogue-based portions of the text are indicative of the personal, approachable tone Kiat adopts throughout; this very much feels like a collection of calm, sage advice delivered to a friend by a family physician. Early on, the author seems to largely abandon the idea of some kind of synthesis between “Eastern” and “Western” medicine (to the relief of some readers who may point out that, if one needs a liver resection, thousand-year-old Taoist scrolls will be of dubious value) in favor of dispensing solid, informed advice on a satisfyingly broad range of health-related topics. He warns his readers against sugar-infused fruit drinks, for instance (“The pleasure they provide is fleeting, but the health costs are devastating”), and emphasizes the importance of maintaining calcium levels into old age (he points out that the real benefits come from exercise and resistance training). Kiat dispenses time-honored advice about brushing and flossing teeth, taking nutritional supplements (he advocates their use, but only when they’re backed by evidence and used for a very specific reason). The author occasionally nods in the direction of Eastern influences, as when he mentions a valuable enzyme derived from “earthworm saliva” used in traditional Chinese medicine, but his focus is on the medicinal value of factors like inner contentment and personal discipline; the establishment of sound, maintainable daily habits; the avoidance of junk food and dangerous habits like drinking or smoking, and the importance of exercise and strength training in even the most over-scheduled or sedentary lifestyles. Most of this material is fundamental and familiar, but it’s galvanizing to have it all delivered with such a reassuring tone of knowledge and experience.

A wise and wide-ranging overview of sound health practices to see people into their later years.