The longevity formula Ayurvedic principles to reduce inflammation, increase cellular repair, and live with vitality

Kumar-Singh (The Health Catalyst), an Ayurveda practitioner and former physician, details how traditional Indian medicine can help readers stay healthy and live longer. Drawing insights from Eastern and Western medicine, she contends that aging is caused both by the replication of damaged DNA outpacing the body's ability to repair it, and by energy imbalances in the seven dhātus, or "tissues" (e.g., blood, muscle, bone). Kumar-Singh's "longevity formula" emphasizes repairing cell damage and reducing inflammation by "replenishing" the tissues. To that end, she suggests that meditating, getting morning sunlight, and performing 10 yoga postures every day restores nerve tissue and improves memory and mood, while fasting for 12 to 16 hours overnight and massaging one's abdomen, arms, and legs fortifies bone tissue and reduces aches and pain. The advice places a welcome emphasis on mental well-being, treating socializing and learning new skills as equally important to getting enough exercise and sleep. Skeptical readers will appreciate Kumar-Singh's reasonable efforts to square Ayurvedic teachings with Western science, as when she suggests that research on sunlight's importance for regulating circadian rhythms chimes with Ayurveda's belief that basking in the sun bestows beneficial prana, or "vital energy." Anyone interested in alternative holistic approaches to aging will want to check this out. (Dec.)