REVIEWS

• Dr. Martin Katz - Dr. Ayati is an experienced geriatrician who truly listens to his patients and pops the over inflated balloons of medical and dietary fads! A unique interactive feature makes you feel that you are actually talking with an interested, experienced geriatric expert. The Chapter on Overmedication is startling and a MUST read for both physicians and patients. We get older, get more doctors , get more pills with disaster lurking at each new addition. A common sense guide to nutrition , mental and physical health and medication. Written in very easy to understand language.
• Heidi Stone - Anyone who plans on living well now and especially as they age, should read this book! Dr. Ayati simplifies how eating a healthy diet, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight are crucial to our aging process. This is an easy to read and understand workbook that shows us how important habits and day-to-day way of living is for our aging population. There is so much information here on things such as supplements that aren't always considered. The chapter on over medicating was frightening, and at the same time sheds so much insight as to how easily this happens and how dangerous it is. I especially connected to the effect and necessity of having a loving relationship, and how important the interaction with community can enhance the feeling of well being for our seniors. Hopefully, younger, health conscious individuals will take advantage of reading this book not only for their aging loved ones, but for themselves as well.
• Bharat Mans- This book is a "must read" for all age groups. It is an eye opener for people who think just taking medication/multi vitamins, OTC drugs is the answer to all health related issues. Being happy, enjoying life, eating healthy, exercising (no gym membership or expensive gears needed), doing things we love, taking a nap in the afternoon when you can, seeing your doctor when you have a health concern are some of the things we all know. This book helps you on how you can actually make it happen by giving examples and also sharing stories of other patients. Trust me after reading this book, you will take a few tips and actually implement them in your life, it shows you how simple it is to follow what Dr. Ayati is trying to convey. There are a lot of things that this book inspired me to do. I am starting with Tai Chi next week. Please read and see how you can benefit from it.
• Connie Maurer- A very practical guide. It is set up as a workbook with questions at the beginning of each chapter, action plans, and references. It has a down to earth style and is easy to understand. They address common questions and things that you hear and read in the media. It made me feel more comfortable about some of what I am doing and gave me ideas on areas of improvement. I am getting copies of this book for my friends.
• Ann Lindsay- Very clearly written. I have been a family practitioner for 30 years and appreciate the sound practical advice Dr Ayati writes.
• Paul Armstrong- Excellent information for Seniors
• Thomas Law- Paths to Healthy Aging is a straightforward easy to read workbook designed to help even the most uniformed understand what they need to do in order to create a better future during the “winter” years. The authors have taken a misunderstood and abused subject and made it interesting for everyone. If you are getting older (aren’t we all) or know someone who is, this is a valuable resource to help navigate the aging process

Members of The Good Life advisory panel read Dr. Mehrdad Ayati and Dr. Arezou Azarani's new book, "Paths to Healthy Aging." Here are their thoughts.

Prevailing wisdom says that aging brings a general decline in every aspect of life. A litany of difficulties, from cognitive impairment to loneliness to baskets of medication, are inevitable. In their book, "Paths to Healthy Aging," authors Ayati and Azarani offer a wise, accessible, practical handbook that dispels many age-related myths.

More importantly, it empowers readers to create alternative road maps. It turns out we have more choices and control over the aging process than we might imagine. While the process is inevitable, our understanding gives us more tools to create healthy lives at every step along the way.

A husband and wife team, Ayati and Azarani use a workbook format to consider nutrition, mental health, frailty, over-medication and finding a geriatrician. A warm introduction explains their interest in the topic and sets the tone for the book -- a tone that radiates genuine concern for the elderly, a word most of us cringe at but shouldn't. Their personal reflections throughout make the book more a conversation with a thoughtful friend than a scientific paper.

Each chapter draws the reader in with questions to answer. Following a careful discussion, chapters end with succinct "take home" messages and a template for creating personal action plans. "Paths to Healthy Aging" empowers and encourages its readers to take one small step at a time away from ill-conceived popular folklore and, in their words, toward a journey of "happiness and above all love."

This sensible, refreshing discussion is a worthwhile resource for people seeking a carefully researched but conversationally written look at a path we are all traveling. The authors offer a guidebook for ways to make the trip easier, more satisfying and more fun.

-- Ann Koch, Pleasanton

My initial impressions of "Paths to Healthy Aging" were that it was a simple, glorified rendition of the regular articles on aging in the Sunday Magazine section of the local newspapers. But, not so. Upon further reading I felt that each chapter was filled with information and interesting anecdotes and examples of senior stories as related by Dr. Ayati based on his personal and professional experiences, which exhibit his warm and caring commitment for our aging population.

Dr. Ayati has deliberately designed the book so that it is an easy read, with large print, in a straightforward way to assess and evaluate the information provided. The layout of the book is very functional in that it is presented in a "workbook" format. Each chapter begins with "Questions to Ask Yourself "and ends with a "Take Home Message" and an "Action Plan." This format encourages readers to evaluate themselves and to develop a plan for improvement.

I personally felt the chapter topics of nutrition, mental health, frailty and over-medication were all on target for the aging reader to consider. The information provided is well-thought out and also thought-provoking, allowing readers to evaluate, contemplate and implement changes in their own lives.

I especially enjoyed the section on mental health, in that aside from the physical aspects of aging, a positive attitude and outlook are critical to one's well being and motivation, and to remain healthy and engaged with life. The section on spirituality offers an important outlook. It gives me a sense of harmony and serenity to know that my life had and has purpose, that it was not all for nothing.

From my own experience in dealing with the challenges of aging, I felt that an important topic was eliminated from the content of the book. I had an opportunity to personally talk with Dr. Ayati, and discussed this with him. Life's challenges change as we age and he neglects to mention the importance of accepting change and the value of embracing changes with regard to downsizing, moving in with family and, perhaps, assisted living alternatives. In today's world, these often necessary changes must be met with a positive outlook or they can be frightening, depressing and overwhelming to accept. I would like to read more on this topic.

After reading the book, I felt that overall it is a good read for seniors to consider all aspects of the last train ride so that life can continue to be rewarding and productive while enjoying a positive quality of life as we age.

-- Julie Riera Matsushima, San Jose

Let's begin with a little background information about the authors. They are a husband and wife team from Stanford. Dr. Ayati is an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford, specializing in geriatrics and family medicine. His wife, Dr. Azarani, holds a Ph.D. in physiology with fellowships in molecular biology and genetics. The couple's cultural upbringing and mutual desire to work with aging individuals led to the collaboration on their book.

The book is their attempt to outline the components involved in healthy aging.

As I began reading, I couldn't help but reflect back to other books and articles on healthy living that I have read over the years. I wondered how this book might be different from the others. As I continued to engage with the material, the question of difference was answered.

For the most part, the authors' ideas about healthy living seemed somewhat basic. They talked about the importance of proper nutrition (fresh vs. processed, balanced vs. fad diets and adequate hydration). They also talked about the need to be physically active (aerobics, resistance training and stretching).

However, there are some differences contained in the book that are worth noting.

First, Ayati and Azarani provided a senior-citizen spin to the ideas of healthy living. One of the things I found interesting was the concern of weight loss as we age. Most health-themed books discuss healthy nutrition and exercise as responses to gaining weight or a desire to lose excess weight. The authors discussed the real problem of unintentional weight loss in aging individuals and the typical causes.

A natural loss of appetite, decreased physical activity and less active taste buds can affect the appetite of aging adults, which can result in weight loss. Studies show that weight loss in the elderly may result in frailty, fatigue and a higher risk of infection.

Second, the authors discussed the importance of maintaining mental and emotional health as we age. This includes the need to remain socially engaged and interactive. It is not unusual to slow down socially and discontinue mentally stimulating activities as we get older. According to the authors, this is a mistake. They believe that maintaining social engagement and engaging in cognitively stimulating activities are as important in the process of healthy aging as proper nutrition and physical exercise.

Doing so usually results in fewer cases of depression and higher levels of cognitive functioning.

Other interesting aspects of the book include the importance of spirituality, mindful eating and taking naps (I was all over the nap thing). In addition, real life stories throughout and take home messages at the end of each chapter provide a sense of intimacy between authors and reader.

They also provide fluidity, resulting in the contents reading less like a DIY workbook and more like a human interest piece.

All in all, after reading the book, I was left with the sense that the authors genuinely care about their patients and the subject matter. I must confess, this was rather refreshing considering today's health care landscape where physicians seem to be on very short, strict timelines when treating patients. The authors' approach seems appropriate in a time when it seems like the prescription pad is the answer to all diagnostic concerns.

Ayati and Azarani say that this is the first in a series of healthy aging books that they plan to write. Let's see where they go from here.

-- Alfred Gales, Discovery Bay

As thousands more people reach 65 and beyond every day, staying healthy becomes even more important for our whole society as well as individuals. Taking responsibility for our own health is critical for each of us, but where to begin?

In his new book, Dr. Ayati offers guidance to help us understand what to expect as we age and, perhaps more importantly, to start asking the right questions about the choices we make.

If you have reached a certain age you understand that your body is just not the same as you experienced in youth and middle age; aches and pains multiply, chronic conditions become more common along with medicines to treat them and we learn to fully appreciate the line "Aging is not for sissies."

In this first book, in what will become a series, to support us as we age, Dr. Ayati presents information on five key areas: nutrition, mental health, frailty, over-medication and finding a geriatrician. The book is not meant to be an exhaustive reference but rather a primer to start us on the path to healthy choices and behaviors.

Using a conversational tone that you might experience in a visit to your own doctor, Ayati addresses basic questions that many people face: What should I eat to stay healthy? Should I take supplements? How can I lose weight? And he provides answers that are straightforward and without complex medical terms: Eat nutritious foods in small portions but more frequently, and in good company. This recommendation is not a breakthrough finding, but Ayati provides context through stories about his practice and his own family that help you understand why following a simple recommendation can be critical to your health.

The book has a format that makes it particularly easy to use. Each chapter starts with a list of questions for you to answer: Do you follow any specific diet? Why? What do you drink each day and how much? Do you exercise regularly? If not, write down your reasons for not exercising. Your answers will help you understand the actions you can take to improve your health.

At the end of each chapter there is also a helpful section titled: Take Home Message. In it, Ayati summarizes the key points of the chapter in short, clear statements, such as "Stay socially engaged" and "Participate in fun physical exercise." These guidelines are meant to help you focus on key actions to support your health.

The book also tackles a more complex problem in polypharmacy, or over-medication. Individuals can easily be overwhelmed by the number of medications prescribed today and our system of seeing specialists for various issues increases the potential for dangerous drug interactions. It is almost impossible for individuals to monitor potential interactions, but they can take steps to dramatically reduce the risk.

Ayati's recommendation: Keep a list of all your medications and why you take them. "Share this list with all your physicians and pharmacist. These caregivers are trained to look for potential harmful interactions and your job is to insure they have all the information."

This is a great introduction for someone who needs to get started taking charge of their own health. Ayati is planning additional books covering "Aging and Sexuality," "Aging and Fitness" and "How to Choose the Right Senior Care Facility."

"Paths to Healthy Aging" offers you tools to start building your own path to aging in health.

On a persona note, Dr. Ayati cared for my mother at the end of her life in a nursing facility. At the same time he supported me and my family as we dealt with suffering and loss. His care and understanding did a great deal to help us all through one of life's challenging transitions.

-- John Guislin, Palo Alto
Review from "California Bookwatch" Midwest Book Review:  “Paths to Healthy Aging: A Workbook comes from a husband and wife who collaborated in creating this book, and provides a fine key to staying healthy during the aging process; whether it be physical health, nutrition concerns, or mental health changes. Action plans for adjusting routines, changing habits, and incorporating supportive therapies are based on the latest research and focus on blending these findings with routines any individual can easily adopt. If you're over 50 and just beginning to acknowledge the effects of aging - this book is a good introduction to understanding the process and how best to handle it.”
Review from Tomlaw.org: "Paths to Healthy Aging is a straightforward easy to read workbook designed to help even the most uniformed understand what they need to do in order to create a better future during the "winter" years. The authors have taken a misunderstood and abused subject and made it interesting for everyone. If you are getting older (aren't we all) or know someone who is, this is a valuable resource to help navigate the aging process.

As their publicist says, "Dr. Ayati and Dr. Azarani take the most up-to-date scientific discoveries and pair it with a straightforward, conversational style to make Paths to Healthy Aging a colorful journey to help you live a meaningful, joyful, and healthy life. A collaboration between a geriatrician and a scientist trained in physiology, molecular biology and genetics, Paths to Healthy Aging cuts through the confusion.

"So much information on aging is oriented to marketing a product, or too technical, and often contradictory and impossible to follow. Dr. Ayati and Dr. Azarani's goal is to clarify many of these misconceptions and simplify the journey for everyone, including people over fifty, their children and grandchildren.

"Backed by solid clinical practice evidence and cutting-edge medical research, the guide has only five chapters. Questions and action plans encourage readers to participate in a discussion of nutrition and diet, mental health and how to preserve, stimulate and enhance mental status as we age, how to stay physically fit as we get older, the dangers of overmedication and Drug Cascade Syndrome, and how to find a physician you trust, feel confident about, like, respect and can form a long term relationship with."
Reviews from New Age Journal, HLB News, pix724.blogspot.com, and don411.com: Replacing Myths With Sound Advice To Live A More: "We all have to age but our attitude can make a huge difference in how we age! We can either resign ourselves to the negative aspects of aging, or we can embrace it with the understanding that while age is inevitable, we can change our attitude and make lifestyle adjustments to live a longer and happier life. In their new book, Paths to Healthy Aging, this husband and wife team, Doctors Mehrdad (Mike) Ayati and Arezou (Hope) Azarani, dispel many age-related myths and provide readers the tools necessary to create a healthy, joyful and energetic lifestyle!

When it comes to healthy aging, Dr. Ayati believes that while there is a lot of information out there, most of it is very confusing for patients, their caregivers and the general public. “Those recommendations for healthy and happy living are hard and often impossible to follow,” says Ayati. While Paths to Healthy Aging is backed by solid clinical practice evidence and revolutionary medical research, it is written in a straightforward, easy-to-understand style.

Condensed into five chapters and written in a workbook format, the book covers everything from nutrition and mental/physical health, to medication. Question and action plans encourage readers to participate in discussions on these points as well as many others, such as, stimulating our mental status and staying physically fit as we age, learning the dangers of overmedication and Drug Cascade Syndrome, and how to find the right physician we can trust and respect. The book clarifies many misconceptions on aging and simplifies the journey for seniors and their families/caregivers.

Paths to Healthy Aging is more than collaboration between a geriatrician and a scientist trained in physiology, molecular biology and genetics. It is a labor of love that shows a genuine concern for the elderly and/or those wanting to get a jump on the aging process.
Review from Midwest Book Review: Paths to Healthy Aging is a workbook for readers of all backgrounds, about maintaining one's health throughout the aging process. Geriatrician Dr. Mehrdad (Mike) Ayati discusses the critical importance of nutrition and a balanced diet, mental health concerns, ways to minimize problems with increased frailty, the problem of overmedication, how to find a reliable geriatrician, and more. Black-and-white photography demonstrating simple yet recommended physical exercises complements the medically sound and practical advice in this "must-read" for anyone approaching retirement age, as well as the adult children and/or caretakers of elderly individuals. Highly recommended!   Mary Cowper, Reviewer
​“Humans are the limbs of the same body and are from the same essence in their creation. When the conditions of the time hurt one of these parts, other parts will suffer from discomfort as well. If you are indifferent about the misery of others, it is not deserving to call you a human being."  Saadi Shirazi, 1210-1290, Shiraz, Iran
The information on this website, true and complete to the best of our knowledge, is intended as an informative guide only. The information on this website is offered with no guarantees on the part of the authors and the authors disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this information. This information is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of your own physician(s) nor is it intended to replace, conflict or countermand with the advice of your physician(s). The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his or her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. The ultimate decision concerning your care should be made between you and your physician(s). We strongly recommend you follow his or her advice.


2014 Paths To Healthy Aging. All rights reserved

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Paths to Healthy Aging is a simple workbook about creating a “lifestyle” to lead readers toward the path of a healthy aging process. It contains five chapters with information on nutrition, mental health, physical health, medications and how to go about choosing the right doctor.

The first chapter focuses on nutrition, weight, diet and over-the-counter vitamins and supplements. It discusses how over-the-counter vitamins and supplements rarely contribute to better health and can even be harmful. Vast marketing campaigns at every turn entice people to take these unneeded vitamins and supplements-currently a $68 billion global market-despite the absence of evidence for their benefits. The chapter illuminates how these unregulated substances can interact with prescription medication with serious consequences to health. The chapter also discusses the perils of fad diets and explains why for the elderly, being a little overweight is beneficial rather than harmful.

The second chapter concentrates on how to maintain and improve mental health and cognitive functions without spending money on expensive brain fitness gears and games. It shows that physical health, nutrition, and social engagement are all connected to mental health. It also discusses the positive influences of spirituality and intellectual stimulation, as well as stress and its impact on both physical and mental health.

Chapter three is dedicated to physical health, discussing the vital but poorly understood medical condition known as frailty and explaining how to stay physically fit as we age. In America $2.6 billion per year is spent on gym memberships, yet only a small percentage use them. The public is commercially influenced to exercise excessively and obsessively, and that can be both unrealistic and dangerous for aging bodies. This chapter provides details on how physical fitness can be achieved through moderate exercises, which can easily be performed outside of a gym and without purchasing expensive exercise gears.

Chapter four covers two crucial topics on medication: Polypharmacy and Drug Cascade Syndrome. Seniors are the largest consumers of prescriptions and over-the-counter medications and supplements. Over 40 percent of the elderly take at lease five medications. This is called overmedication or Polypharmacy, and it can result in dangerous drug interactions with serious and even fatal side effects. Adverse drug events account for a large number of hospitalizations and deaths among the elderly. The related concept, Drug Cascade Syndrome occurs when an undesirable side effect is misinterpreted as a medical condition and results in a new prescription. When this new medication triggers another side effect, an additional drug is prescribed to counter it. These dangerous chains of prescription-side effect-prescription are a reason why 4.5 million Americans visit the emergency rooms and physician offices each year. This chapter focuses on how to avoid both serious conditions.

The last chapter discusses how to go about choosing a geriatrician. It stresses how important it is to find a physician you can trust, easily engage with, and build a long-term relationship with.

Although the targeted audience is the elderly and their caretakers, those as young as their 40s and 50s will
also find valuable guidance in this book. It is never too early to start along one's own Path To Healthy Aging.

This information is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of your own physician(s) nor is it intended to replace, conflict or countermand with the advice of your physician(s). The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his or her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. The ultimate decision concerning your care should be made between you and your physician(s). We strongly recommend you follow his or her advice.


2014 Paths To Healthy Aging. All rights reserved