DR. WEIL: I'm the same way, but this may be more to do with individual taste.  For me, outer organization reflects inner organization.  I can't write, for example, unless my desk and office are together.

I have heard conflicting reports about the sun.  Some say, yes, get sun for up to fifteen mintues per day others say avoid it at all costs.  What amount of sun is considered "healthy"?
Tracey Nast
Wheaton, Ill.

DR. WEIL: Sun exposure allows us to make Vitamin D and lifts our spirits.  I do not avoid the sun at all costs, but I'm always aware of where it is in the sky and protect myself when it is at a burning angle.

I am a female in my late twenties. What should I do now to age gracefully?
Sofia Serra
New York, NY

DR. WEIL: Congratulations!  This is the time to be thinking abolut how to affect your aginfg.  Work to develop a healthy lifestyle, attending to all components: diet, exercise, stress relief, rest and sleep, quality of work, play, and relationships.  Spend more time in the company of people who have the habits you want to develop.

My boyfriend was thinking about starting the raw food diet, and so far has been unable to find much information regarding long term effects of eating whole raw fruits, vegetables and nuts. I was wondering what your thoughts on this diet are? Is it healthier than being vegan, or do you lose a lot of nutrients this way?
Callie
Norman, Okla.

DR. WEIL: I do not believe all raw food diets are healthy.  Some micronutrients (like carotenoids) are much more available to the body from cooked foods than from raw foods.  Many raw vegetables (like beans and mushrooms) contain natural toxins that are broken down by simple cooking.  And the main argument for raw foods  - preserving their content of enzymes - is silly.  Enzymes are destroyed by stomach acid just as thoroughly as by cooking.

Doctor Weil, What is a person my age to do when exercise hurts so much, its hardly worth it t do it? Arthritis, plantar fascitis, aching muscles, bad shoulders and a touchy back.
Cheryl Lee
Tukwila, Wash.

DR. WEIL: Find a form of exercise that agrees with you.  I'd suggest swimming or a water aerobics class in a heated pool.

Dear Dr. Weil, I am a 47 year old female who is feeling more like 77. I have been recently diagnosed with osteopenia. I am very overweight, stressed, have high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, and sleep apnea. I was not always like this. I have been in a downward health spiral since my mid-30's. I want my health and my life back. I want to age gracefully and be healthy. What would be your suggestions for the steps to take and in what order? I am under close physician care but am looking for more natural complementary methods. Please help. Thank you in advance.
Laura J. Paris
Pembroke Pines, Fla.

DR. WEIL: I'd start with diet and exercise, maybe using my book 8 Weeks to Optimum Health as a guide. Make sure you are in thyroid balance (see your doctor for that) and use a CPAP machine at night if the sleep apnea is severe. If you lose weight by adjusting diet and increasing activity, most of your problems will get better.

Could you please tell me the benefits of drinking juices like "Naked Juice" and Odwalla drinks as far as antioxidant and vitamin value. Are they safe and do you recommend them? If so, is it possible to overdo this type of juicing? Thank you.
Dina Howland
Antioch, Calif.

DR. WEIL: You can overdo fruit juicing—too much sugar! Vegetable juices are OK but not substitutes for eating vegetables, which also provide fiber.

In the article, under Carbohydrates, you say to eat more whole grains, not whole wheat flour products. I thought whole wheat was good for you. Could you please explain?
Kathleen Murphy
St. Louis, Mo.

DR. WEIL: Whole or cracked grains are digested more slowly, raise blood sugar less, and are less likely to promote weight gain than products made from pulverized grains, even pulverized whole grains as in whole wheat flour.

You suggest avoidance of palm and hydrogenated oils, yet some supposedly beneficial non-hydrogenated margarines use palm oil, and many baked goods use hydrogenated oils. What is the healthful approach?
Melvin Tierman
Fort Lee, N.J.

DR. WEIL: Stay away from them. Read lables and get products without the unhealthy fats. (Palm oil is OK; Palm kernel oil is not.)

You talk about yoga being good for meditation. What are your feelings on Tai Chi as an exercise and meditation program?
Pete Rademacher
Wilson, N.J.

DR. WEIL: I think it's great—particularly good at improving balance and reducing risk of falls.

I would like to ask Dr. Weil his feelings about the flu shot. Do I get one for myself and my two daughters, who are both under the age of three? Thanks!
Robin McNabb
Fremont, Calif.

DR. WEIL: A good idea. I get one myself.

Dr. Weil, I have read many of your books over the years. I just read the article in TIME. In it you talk about diet, calories, etc., and yet you seem to be overweight. I have a problem with this as I constantantly struggle with weight; I exercise, and eat right, and yet you advocate diet and weight but don't seem to "practice what you preach."
Caroline Suycott
Brookfield, Wisc.

DR. WEIL: I'm certainly not skinny and never will be. I'm healthy and fit as a result of eating right and being very active physically. Excess weight is more of a problem when you're young than when you're older. In fact, it may be associated with better health and lower disease risks in later life. If you can't get down to some "ideal" body weight, make sure you do what I do: eat right and exercise regularly. I do not tell anyone to do anything I don't do myself.

I am curious about your thoughts about treating menopause like a glandular malfunction, because unlike our mothers and their mothers, so many women are not slowing down at menopause but going full speed into their 70s, even 80s, using HRT from the time a woman begins menopause until she is ready to slow down to support metabolic health.
Linda Carpenter, Ph.D.
Portland, Ore.

DR. WEIL: Menopause is a natural phase of life, not a glandular malfunction requiring treatment. Symptoms of menopause, if severe, may require treatment, and natural therapies are available. Menopause also does not mean that women need to slow down. You can support metabolic health by following a healthy lifestyle.

Do you think stomach reduction surgery for a person over 65 is dangerous if that person is overweight? I have a big belly that I think if I have reduced would reduce my overall weight by more than 20 lbs.
Stephanie
Carlsbad, Calif.

DR. WEIL: In my view it's a last resort that should only be considered for obesity that seriously threatens health or interferes with activities of daily living.

My husband is very sad, resigned and depressed. He does not take any medication for that. I advice him to take SAM-e and he does. However, he does not believe that it may help him. He does not have any faith in getting better. What should I do to help him? Thanks.
Wanda Jacak
Waycross, Ga.

DR. WEIL: I would persuade him to see a good psychiatrist for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Next to diet, how important do you consider sleep in the process of aging?
W. Bauer-Hermle
Heidelberg, Germany

DR. WEIL: It's very important—quality as well as quantity. My book Healthy Aging has a whole chapter on the subject.

What can I, as a 55 year old woman, do about thinning hair?
V. Higgins
London, Ontario, Canada

DR. WEIL: Try taking supplemental black currant oil or evening primrose oil, sources of a fatty acid called GLA that nourishes skin and hair. Give it a two-month trial.

Where does exercise fit into all of this? I remember walking past you on a hilly trail on Okinawa several years back. Extract any health secrets from the Keystone Islands?
J. Jackson
Kansas City, Mo.

DR. WEIL: Maintaining physical activity throughout life is one of the main keys to healthy aging, and walking is a best form of physical activity.

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