The Aging Body

The objective of this book is to provide information that will be useful to people in a variety of disciplines who wish to learn more about normal aging processes in the human body. Although gerontologists in the biological sciences are making great strides in research on human aging and documenting this work in mono graphs, texts, and review chapters, this information is generally not easily acces sible nor is it comprehensible to nonprofessionals in these fields. This book is intended to provide a summary of this work, along with its implications for psy chological functioning of the aging individual. The majority of the book is devoted to describing the results of research on the physiological changes in the human body with aging and to seeking explana tions for these age effects. This description has been approached in such a way as to make it readable for the nonspecialist, but also to focus on research issues that will be useful reading for those who are currently working in these parti cular areas. In addition, throughout the book, I have tried to develop some themes regarding physiological and psychological adaptation during adulthood.

What does it mean to be able to move? The Aging Body in Dance brings together leading scholars and artists from a range of backgrounds to investigate cultural ideas of movement and beauty, expressiveness and agility. Contributors focus on Euro-American and Japanese attitudes towards aging and performance, including studies of choreographers, dancers and directors from Yvonne Rainer, Martha Graham, Anna Halprin and Roemeo Castellucci to Kazuo Ohno and Kikuo Tomoeda. They draw a fascinating comparison between youth-oriented Western cultures and dance cultures like Japan’s, where aging performers are celebrated as part of the country’s living heritage. The first cross-cultural study of its kind, The Aging Body in Dance offers a vital resource for scholars and practitioners interested in global dance cultures and their differing responses to the world's aging population.

Written by a chiropractor and alternative health practitioner with over 30 years of experience, this book addresses health and wellbeing of body, mind and spirit for an aging population (50+). Uniquely, this material is presented through the lens of Clinical Kinesiology. This simple self-help tool of muscle-testing allows readers to find out what their own body knows and needs. They learn that the body “speaks” through either strong or weak muscle responses to questions asked or situations presented, and are instructed in how to do this simple self-testing for a variety of health issues. Stories of other seniors who have used this methodology to their benefit provide a platform for acceptance and motivation, and each chapter contains specific recommendations for its use. How to become a “wise elder” is another unique emphasis of this book. The author encourages us to learn from many different cultures and traditions a more life-positive view of aging. In fact, she coins the word “Youthing” to describe such a re-orienting of mind, purpose and activity toward optimum vibrancy and flexibility, leading to longevity. Stories of successful transitions into elderhood give hope to those who are confused or anxious about becoming older. Since the body’s health is intimately related to that of mind and emotions, a Youthing approach will be characterized by equanimity, gratitude, forgiveness and dynamic relationship with others. Her many exercises and suggestions are designed to encourage readers to value themselves as worthwhile wisdom contributors. “You can assume the stance of a respected elder,” she declares, “even if the surrounding culture does not immediately support that.” In other words, readers are invited to “be the change” they want to effect. Far from being a scholarly or scientific text, Your Aging Body Can Talk is written for immediate use by maturing practitioners or laypersons. Throughout the book, the concerns of an aging population are consistently placed in the forefront: How to develop an anti-inflammation diet and lifestyle The factors that affect longevity How to build cognitive health and brain vibrancy How to find or refine your life’s purpose, no matter what your age Why detoxification is so essential, at any age.

People in developed countries are living longer and, just as the aged population around the world is steadily growing, the number of adults eighty-five and older in the United States is projected to quadruple to twenty-one million people by 2050. The aging of our population has huge implications for baby boomers and their children, and has generated a greater interest in the causes and effects of aging. Our Aging Bodies provides a clear, scientifically based explanation of what happens to all the major organ systems and bodily processes—such as the cardiovascular and digestive systems—as people age. The first section is an overview of secondary aging—changes that occur with age that are related to disease and the environment—and include the effect of such things as diet, humor, and exercise. Readers will also learn about primary aging—intrinsic changes that occur with the aging of specific organs and body systems (including the prostate, the heart, the digestive system, and the brain). Throughout the book, Gary F. Merrill weaves in personal anecdotes and stories that help clarify and reinforce the facts and principles of the underlying scientific processes and explanations. Our Aging Bodies is accessible to a general reader interested in the aging phenomenon, or baby boomers wanting to be more informed when seeing their doctor and discussing changes to their bodies as they age.

Man has always been curious about himself, a curiosity that began centuries ago with an examination of the soul, and that extended in the period of the Renaissance to his anatomy and certain functions such as the circulation of the blood. Chemical science entered the scene in the 18th century, and burst into prominence in the 19th century. As the various chemical elements were discovered, many were found to be present in body fluids and tissues. Organic compounds were recognized; it became known that body heat was produced by the combustion of food; chemical transformations such as the production of fat from carbohydrate were recognized; and in the 1850s it was determined that young animals differed from adults in certain aspects of body composition. As methods for chemical analysis evolved, they were applied to samples of body fluids and tissues, and it became apparent that life depended on chemical normality; and most importantly it was realized that given the necessary amount of food and water the body had the ability to maintain a degree of constancy of what Claude Bernard called the milieu interieur, in other words its interior chemical en vironment.

Western thought traditionally divides the human being into a body-mind dualism, a divide realized in the divergent research fields of geriatrics and gerontology; the first examines the physical body, and the second focuses instead upon psychological and social aspects of aging. Research Health Scientist Christopher Faircloth's edited volume of original pieces attempts to bridge this rift: reinserting the physical aging body and its lived experiences back into gerontology's study of aging. He asks, 'Is it not the physical body that readily marks us as aging?' Faircloth organizes this text around two major themes of the aging body: everyday experience, and the social and personal impact of its imagery, while concentrating on three areas of substantive concern: medicalization, gender/sexuality, and the body as consumer. This book would be of interest to gerontologists, social scientists, and students of these fields concerned with the aging body, both object and subject, as experienced and alternatively perceived in relation to contemporary society.

This book explores the main issues in new social science approaches to understanding the human body and aging. In particular, the development of postmodernism and its relationship to culture and the body is delineated. The book also addresses some of the power issues that manifest in social relationships focused on the body. Here, the work of Michel Foucault is useful in using conceptual tools to disrupt dominant bio-medical narratives relating to the aging body.

Does a longer life mean a healthier life? The number of adults over 65 in the United States is growing, but many may not be aware that they are at greater risk from foodborne diseases and their nutritional needs change as they age. The IOM's Food Forum held a workshop October 29-30, 2009, to discuss food safety and nutrition concerns for older adults.