A practical, motivational compendium on aging healthfully, gracefully, and as slowly as possible.
A scholarly how-to guide targets men eager to impede “the shipwreck of old age.”
Firmly believing that sexual aging in men “should be a priority of public healthcare,” European urologist and gerontology expert Debled has crafted an exhaustive debut manual. It is geared toward educating readers in what he believes to be the proven methodologies and therapies in delaying and preventing the aging of the male body. He writes that beginning at age 40, a majority of men begin to develop disorders such as tiredness, depression, inexplicable weight gain, hypertension, cardiovascular problems, and sexual regression. Debled directly attributes these potentially serious conditions to a naturally occurring phenomenon called andropause, which causes a pathologic fall in the production of dihydrotestosterone, the hormone responsible for male sexual vitality and function. With a sense of urgency and backed by a wealth of supporting medical information, the author delivers his verdict that andropause, though largely unacknowledged, is responsible for sexual aging in men and a contributor to a host of other related diseases. As a chief researcher of this gerontological condition for many decades, Debled fortifies his book with pertinent clinical facts, background data, and professional opinions that provide a firm case for the use of the synthetic steroid mesterolone as a defense against the progressive, systemic deterioration of the aging male. Accessible explanatory opening chapters describe the role of testosterone (“the hormone of long life”) within the male body and the side effects of hormone deficiency–causing andropause as men typically approach their fourth decade. The author dutifully incorporates photographs, charts, medical illustrations, diagrams, and a great amount of historical and current statistical data to further reinforce his assessment that a consistent supply of free-flowing hormones is the key to healthy male longevity. “Causes of aging are the main source of discomfort,” he writes. “They must be the subject of special attention.” Debled repeatedly gives due consideration to his own urological medical practice, where he has been prescribing hormone replacement therapy to aging patients for decades and has seen great restorative success in their “physical, psychic, and sexual activity.” While eye-opening sections on the maladies older men face—including premature sexual aging and prostate cancer—are distressingly worrisome, the author vigorously promotes the use of revitalizing male hormone replacements and presents a firm, convincing argument for their clinical administration. Though clearly Debled’s primary focus is on the preservation of male vigor, his comprehensive book is not esoteric. Female readers may find some useful knowledge and food for thought buried within commentary on sustaining optimum health through the consistent monitoring of cholesterol, blood pressure, excess weight gain, and age-associated frailty. This kind of general medical information can serve as a universal reminder of the need for proactive health maintenance. Obviously, Debled’s prescription for restorative wellness is not the definitive answer to agelessness. But he offers illuminating advice and a surfeit of information that men of a certain age in particular should certainly appreciate and perhaps act on.
A practical, motivational compendium on aging healthfully, gracefully, and as slowly as possible.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5355-9014-3
Page Count: 264
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
This unappealing, disorganized, catastrophe of a cookbook paints an unhealthy picture of country fare. The authors (The Brooklyn Cookbook, 1991) tout this volume as an effort to keep the spirit of rural America alive and squealing. Unfortunately, with concoctions like the cholesterol-laden Midwest Spam Salad (that mystery meat done with a cup of Miracle Whip, three eggs, and a cup of cheddar cheese) and the pork-fat seasoned Venison Scrapple, readers will run for the big city. And who needs a recipe for greasy Greek Brown Butter Spaghetti (brown a stick of butter, pour over pasta, then toss with Parmesan cheese) or Tater Pigs (stuff one pork link sausage into a hole bored into an Idaho potato and bake) or Sugar on Snow (dribble warm maple syrup over crushed ice)? Any attempt to head directly to the few healthful, appetizing creations, like Esther Stipp's Yellow Squash Summer Soup made without cream (and only a little oil to sautÇ the onion and garlic) is thwarted by the authors' decision to organize these recipes according to the eight regions (New England, the South, the Great Lakes, etc.) and nearly 100 fairs at which they can be found. Furthermore, the recipes compete with an overabundance of information on the fairs themselves—including directions for getting there and where to park, and what fair exhibitor Sara Morris has been doing since her first 4-H exhibit in the third grade. Makes one grateful not to be a country boy.
Pub Date: Sept. 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-7868-6014-6
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
Volume nine strains a bit to achieve its predecessors' diversity by stretching the definition of ``essay.'' Take, for example, the two longest contributions. In ``Trucking Through the AIDS Belt'' Ted Conover spends time on the road with Central African truckers (``true museums of disease,'' a doctor calls them), while in ``The Last Shot'' Darcy Frey hangs out with black high school basketball players, examining the ``cherished parable'' that college scholarships provide a way out of the ghetto. (Frey has expanded this piece into a book. See p. 1185.) Frey's piece is excellent; Conover's, though more diffuse, is still pretty good. Yet it's questionable whether these in-depth reporting pieces can really be considered ``narrative essays'' (Kidder's term). Other entries collected by series editor Atwan and Pulitzer Prize-winning guest editor Kidder (Old Friends, 1993, etc.) hew more closely to the form. There is cultural commentary: Adam Gopnik on the ``High Morbid Manner'' in contemporary art, Cynthia Ozick finding echoes of Henry James in Salman Rushdie's appearance at a Paris seminar, David Denby celebrating a Dead White Male (Homer) on his return to Columbia nearly 30 years after graduation. There are reflections on our relationship to our habitat (William Langewiesche's marvelously lucid account of aviation's coming of age) and the animals we share it with (Vicki Hearne, in the collection's most delightfully offbeat entry, finding ``deep knowledge about animals...in a trained-orangutan act on a Las Vegas stage''). Disappointingly, the collection has only one essay on our political and social relations: James McPherson's vapid consideration of Martin Luther King's ideas about community. Lastly, there are lively autobiographical sketches. Treating a sadistic male patient, Lauren Slater finds surprising links to her anorexic past, while Lucy Grealy, assessing years of reconstructive surgery, ponders the link between the face and the self. Outshining them all is the series' ever-bright star, Stanley Elkin. In incandescent prose, he writes about the worst days of his life (``the season of my madness''); the result is both harrowing and wildly funny. A solid addition to an annual series that has won many plaudits.
Pub Date: Nov. 3, 1994
ISBN: 0-395-69254-7
Page Count: 321
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1994
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
