Anti-Aging Medicine

I have been interested in cutting edge thinking in medicine and healthcare for a about 25 years. My first introduction to new paradigm in medicine came in the very early 80's when I used to read East/West Journal. It was also my first introduction to alternative thinking within psychology and spirituality as well. I do recall reading article about the work of Stan Grof MD  who I studied with in my post-graduate work at CIIS  in the late 90's as well as Ken Wilber who I joined with in around 2000 when he created the Integral Institute.   I have been particularly interested in anti-aging medicine as well which is why I am  a member of the Life Extenstion Foundation  and of course read their magazine .  In the late 90's , I also used to be a member of the Extropian Institute 
and met Max More Ph.D. who founded the institute.  I met Max through my friend Sharon Presley Ph.D. a world reknowned libertarian thinker, activitest and expert on authority who I used to work for at Resource for Independent Thinking in Oakland California in the 90's when I was in graduate school.  One of the issues the Extropian Institute  focused on was life extension.  More recently, as the idea has become more popular and more doctors are being trained in anti-aging medicine and our knowledge about the aging process expands, there are an increasing number of books on the subject.  At this time, most of the focus is on the biological aspects of aging and the use of nutritional supplements, hormones and some drugs to counter-act and slow the process while seeking optimal functioning within certain physiological systems.   Most thinking has not expanded to include the psychological, interpersonal and environmental aspects of optimal functioning yet.  Obviously, there are individuals and institutions who are doing such work, but except for a few integrative medicine doctors, there are few who are bringing it all together.   Some of the books that I have read on the subject include:

The Life Extension Revolution: The New Science of Growing Older Without Aging by Philip Lee Miller and Monica Reinagel (Paperback - April 25, 2006)

The Official Anti-Aging Revolution: Stop the Clock, Time is on Your Side for a Younger, Stronger, Happier You by Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman (Paperback - Dec 20, 2007)

Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman (Paperback - Sep 27, 2005)

and more recently I picked up;

I usually stay away from books by celebreties but Life Extension Magazine was promoting the book and it included an interview with Dr. Steven Hotze, who wrote

These ideas have become even more relevent to me as my wife, an RN, who has her Masters in Integrative Health Sciences, and is Director of Health and Wellness at a Continuing Care Retirement Community in the DC metro area  has been doing research, writing and lecturing on the subject of health and wellness for the residents of the community.  Her approach is much more integrated then most in that she also looks at the psychological, interpersonal and environmental  aspects of health and wellness as well.  Her work is not anti-aging per se but more vibrant living within the context that her patients find themselves.  

The field of anti-aging medicine is young and we have a lot to learn or I should perhaps say we both have a lot to learn and a lot to redisover but it is fun to read about it and to experiment with different ideas and processes that might contribute to increased level of health, fitness and wellbeing.