"Class Reunions and Health Care Books"

Several years ago, at my forty-year high school class reunion, I quickly noticed that the most frequently discussed topic was “health”---my health or a classmate’s health. Of course, I found it interesting to share information on my health. But, what I found particularly surprising was my sincere interest in learning about the ailments, surgeries and “procedures” encountered by my childhood friends.

None of us felt the invincibility we once did when we were in high school. There had been six deaths out of a class of 50 seniors. All of us had suffered in one way or another from the indignities of an aging body. Wrinkles and grey hair were abundant even though the lights in the banquet hall had been dimmed.

The star quarterback was now overweight and had bad knees. The “Barbie” look-a-like was as glamorous as ever but was now a diabetic on insulin injections. Our student-of-most-promise was now infirmed and crippled from “Agent Orange” experiments he had conducted in the late 1960s while a grad student at an Ivy-League college. Forty years had taken its toll. But, we were kinder to one another and genuinely solicitous of one another’s health.

To address this common concern of the millions of aging baby-boomers, bookstores and public libraries are adding scores of new books to their shelves on health-related issues.

One of the most widely syndicated medical columnist, Dr. Peter H. Gott, has recently published a book entitled, “Live Longer, Live Better, Taking Care of Your Health After 50”. A general internist in practice in Connecticut since 1966 (must be about my age), Dr. Gott offers the general reader a straightforward primer for all-around better health.

Chapters address a wide range of common health concerns such as hypertension, anxiety and depression, sex, diabetes, stroke, cholesterol, osteoporosis, memory loss, senility and dementia, and much more.

Presented in a simple question-and-answer format, “Live Longer, Live Better” offers health advice to the over-50 crowd. In today's era of skyrocketing health insurance and medical care costs, an ounce of prevention is worth much more than a pound of cure.

Other new books on the topic of healthier living in old age include, “50 Simple Ways to Live a Longer Life” by Susanne Bohan; “The Perricone Promise” by Nicholas Perricone; and “Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever” by Ray Kurzwell.

Recent donations to the Columbus Library Foundation include those in memory of Laird Loomis from LaVerna Malmstrom, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schaufelberger, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Hall, Dr. and Mrs. Fred Bellum, Rogene Brown, Frank Knox, Gloria Olson, Mary L. Sharpe, Dr. and Mrs. Ervin Heiser, and Jolaine Nielsen. Mr. and Mrs. Mike Wray presented a memorial in honor of June Loseke. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Luebbe presented donations in memory of Greg Wiseman, Ryan Jablonski and Joe Fischer.