ArcaMax

It's no secret that I've been labeled an alternative health advocate for most of my adult life. There's something undeniably seductive about the idea of trying to be the captain of your fate when it comes to taking care of your body. For that reason, I've been a huge fan of Dan Buettner, the National Geographic fellow and New York Times best-...Read more

The number of people in America who are over the age of 65 is expected to double during the next 25 years. Some major readjustments need to be made regarding how and where seniors live (and, as your peer, I'm speaking to you, baby boomers). A 2010 AARP survey found that almost 90% of respondents over the age of 65 said they want to stay in their...Read more

If you're like me, you probably experience plenty of days when you feel as if you are simply too old or too tired for whatever happens to be annoying you at the time. After all, we've weathered more than our share of challenges in the past decades, and the idea of lounging on a tropical beach or simply taking an extended break from our normal ...Read more

When I share my thoughts on growing older gracefully with my readers, it's important for everyone to know that, as in so many areas of life, I bring more enthusiasm to my activities than expertise. Fortunately, curiosity and enthusiasm often compensate for brilliance or a list of college degrees. Having said that, I'm going to go on the record ...Read more

Sixty-five years ago, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale revolutionized the publishing world with his enormously popular book "The Power of Positive Thinking." Fifty-one years later, the equally popular book and video "The Secret" proposed the same argument: that focusing on the things that we want (i.e., being positive or optimistic) can pay big ...Read more

If you are a baby boomer, chances are you are also a grandparent. And the reason I'm so sure about that statement is I just learned from a Pew Research Center study that 83% of Americans over the age of 65 have grandchildren. What this means is that 37% of households nationwide are headed by grandparents, and the number of homes that include ...Read more

When I was a young adult driving in California, I rarely gave my donor card a thought. Back then, it was just another small piece of paper in my wallet. In those days, the confidence and optimism of youth crowded out any serious thoughts about real-life accidents, illness or disease.

But now, decades (and decades and decades and decades) later,...Read more

When I first learned that most people begin to experience a subtle but measurable decline in memory in their 50s, I was not a happy camper. As a baby boomer, I simply couldn't understand why we can't somehow manage to stay forever young in spite of the passing years.

Then I learned about the important work being conducted by esteemed ...Read more

There used to be an old wives' tale that suggested older people needed a lot less sleep than younger people. But according to The National Institutes of Health, older adults only need one hour less sleep -- the recommended amount is 6 1/2 to 7 hours per night. Unfortunately, almost half of adults age 60 and older experience insomnia, a form of ...Read more

Did you have music lessons when you were a youngster? For most of the last century, it is reported, 15% to 20% of high school students nationally participated in some sort of music education. That means an estimated 80% of America's adult population would need beginning instruction in order to participate in a group that makes music. If you ...Read more

For four very happy decades, a substantial part of my career was spent critiquing recently published books. I'm one of those people who just can't stop recommending titles to others -- which now includes you.

One particular book was published in 2013, but it is as up to date as if it just rolled off the presses last night. "70 Things To Do When...Read more

I never run out of ideas for my column because the topic of positive aging covers so many aspects of life. But every now and then, I can't help but feel that the universe is nudging me to address a particular topic. The reason I've decided to explore strokes this month is I've recently had five different stroke encounters.

The topic first came ...Read more