Herbs and Longevity

[emattson]

One teaching I really respect in George Mattson's classes is his teaching of the importance of longevity. This brings up a potential serious flaw in ancient medicine. When Kanbun Uechi was born in May 5, 1877, Okinawa, Japan's life expectancy was only about 37 years. With life so short, karate masters could prescribe toxic herbs that briefly increases muscle mass and endurance, but shortens his life in the long run. Nobody will notice because he will probably die from other causes before the side effects start showing up. Herbs that enhance flashy muscles and the ability to smash 111 concrete blocks in 35 seconds can tempt anyone to purchase them, ignoring the safety risk. Overtraining can wreck one's health. A man encouraging a boring lifestyle plan that enable one to enjoy a long life as an ordinary citizen will probably not sell much. Grabbing attention is what get people jobs and promotions.

I would love to see a change of focus. Instead of "Ancient Heath Wisdom for Modern Times", let's use, "Elderly's Health Wisdom for Modern Times."