From: Sandra Jenson

Hi dear Paul,

David and I just watched a good documentary on aging -- and one of the experiments was particularly interesting --  a group of elderly men lived for one week in an environment similar to when they were young, and they were left on their own without carers and so on, basically doing things as if they were 'youthful'.

They were told " not to reminisce about the past, but to actually act as if they had traveled back in time." the results were extraordinary, even after one week - eyesight and hearing improving, blood pressure, mobility and so on.

As I thought you would be interested, I did a google search and came up with this article about Ellen Langer, the scientist who did the study, seems she has a book out:

Just Say No to Aging?
http://www.newrealities.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=649&Itemid=1108

"A provocative new book from a Harvard psychologist suggests that changing how we think about our age and health can have dramatic physical benefits.

...Her theory, argued in her new book, "Counterclockwise," is that we are all victims of our own stereotypes about aging and health. We mindlessly accept negative cultural cues about disease and old age, and these cues shape our self-concepts and our behavior. If we can shake loose from the negative clichés that dominate our thinking about health, we can "mindfully" open ourselves to possibilities for more productive lives even into old age."

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."  - Howard Thurman

Much love,

Sandra