How to Take the Sting Out of Aging

Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld, a New York cardiologist and author of several bestselling guides to finding and getting the medical care you need, tackles aging in this extremely readable, highly informative volume.

Rosenfeld, a senior citizen himself, advocates being a partner in your health care. He believes old age is inevitable, but feeling old isn’t: “You can delay the onset of disability and chronic disease so as to enjoy life and remain vigorous and independent for most of your later years,” he writes. His book is designed to help bring that about.

Rosenfeld tackles the infirmities of age with clear, precise language and solid advice on steps you can take to stave off illness. He reviews everything from Alzheimer’s disease to cancer, heart attack, arthritis, menopause, depression, dry skin and loss of vision. He also displays an openness to some alternative practices.

Read through, and you’ll see him give credence to St. John’s wort as a first-line treatment for moderate depression, black cohosh for the hot flashes of menopause, and meditation for relaxation and stress control.

The avuncular doctor and grandfather offers some thought-provoking gems to ponder, such as “the older you get, the longer you’ll live” and “instead of ruminating about your inevitable demise, concentrate on enhancing the quality of life you have now.”

He’s forthright about the need to find a doctor who works for and with you, and doesn’t shy from editorializing, which he does when he blasts the federal government and private insurers for their refusal to foot the price of hearing aids or eyeglasses.

He’s quick to pull amusing anecdotes from the lives of family members. I couldn’t help laughing as he described watching incredulously when he was a child as older relatives added spoonfuls of salt and sugar to their food, only to admit that as he grew older, his taste buds went and he too started finding food lacking in taste. The reason is that at 70, you have only half the taste buds you had at 20.

You also can’t help but be moved by how his own father’s heart disease inspired Rosenfeld’s career and fueled his drive to help others take control of their health.