The parting chapter of the Longevity Project summarises the life lessons echoed throughout the entire of the book. It reiterates that good social ties, active lifestyles, and being contentious about one’s actions with regards to one’s health are key factors in increasing longevity. However, above all, it stressed the importance of individual variance on one’s lifespan – there is no one ‘right’ way to live and there is no single path that one must take in order to live a long time. There were over a thousand participants in Terman’s study and over the course of eight decades, many went on to live long and prosperous lives despite the many varying routes in terms of socialisation and career opportunities taken. Many of the factors affiliated with longevity where, in the end, not at all surprising.
The epilogue discusses the pharmaceutical culture we live in. Every condition is too easily classified as a ‘disease’ and the search for a ‘magic’ and ‘all-curing’ pill is endless. There may be many alternative remedies that have been proven to be highly effective both as a treatment and as a preventative measure compared to drugs. However, due to the drug dependent culture operating in modern day, many individuals immediately look toward pill based remedies to ‘cure’ all their illnesses because it has the potential for near immediate gratification and is low effort. On the other extreme, my friend is very adamant about not touching drugs for anything, regardless if it is as harmless as taking Advil for a headache or more potent as taking medication for his depression. On one hand, I can see his point about not being drug reliant, but I believe to some degree drugs can help and they can be a stepping stone to higher energy remedies.
I agree that turning to medications for every wellness issue is not healthy and also not smart financially. Reiterated in our class, there are biological, psychological and social factors interplaying in one’s health. Therefore, poor wellness should not be addressed from strictly a biological standpoint. Treating illness solely with medications, neglects to understand the underlying factors of some issues.
Similar to you, I also have a friend in which his religion does not believe in taking any medication. He depends on alternative treatments for health issues. I respect his religious beliefs, however, I know that I do not believe in a complete absence of medication.