Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever

Total Health and Longevity Program 2010-04-07

Reviewer: J.W.K

What do you get when you put a doctor that specializes in preventative medicine and the founder of the singularity concept in front of a typewriter together? A book about how to live forever. "Live forever? But that's impossible," you say. And perhaps it is. Then again, perhaps it's not.

In 2003, scientists finished collecting the human genome. The cost? A whopping one billion dollars. Now, in 2010, anyone can have it done for 350,000 dollars. And if you wait another ten years, you can probably have it done--all 25,00 genes--for 500 bucks. But why would anyone care to have his genome mapped, you might be wondering.

Already today, scientists can turn off particular genes using RNA interference (imagine turning off the gene that causes every unused calorie to be stored as fat); they can add new genes using gene therapy; they turn proteins and enzymes on and off at will--and they can even transform one type of cell into another. This is no small thing. Imagine being able to turn some of your skin cells into brain cells after suffering a major head injury in a car accident.

The future gives us even more reason to be hopeful. Doctors are rapidly working on techniques to delete the genes for telomerase that cancer cells need in order to kill us; to attack and kill undesirable `toxic cells' by activating the immune system; to move mitochondrial genes into the cell nucleus, where they will be more protected from damage; and to replace worn-out or damaged cells, and thus help us retain youthful vigor. In other words, they are unlocking the tools that will allow us to rejuvenate and extend the life of our cells.

And that's just on the genetics front. Through advances in nanotechnology, doctors will be able to remove bad cholesterol from our blood, monitor hormone and nutrient levels, remove toxins and destroy pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, cancer cells and prions. Nanobots (robots that are smaller then a human blood cell) will even be able to "perform a range of surgical procedures from inside the body, requiring no incisions and leaving no scar. Injected into a patient by the millions and operating synergistically, each nanosurgeon will perform its work one cell at a time, removing cancerous tumors, mending broken bones, or clearing blocked arteries with more precision than any human surgeon ever could." (405) Think of it: the end of diseases like caner, pulmonary heart disease--and even AIDS.

The catch? You have to live long enough for these technologies to emerge. The good news is that it won't be that much longer. With the mapping of the human genome and the birth of nanotechnology (they already have proto-nanoscale devices, called BioMEMS, that can release blood-clotting factors, monitor blood insulin levels, release dopamine into the brain of Parkinson's patients and monitor the electrical activity of patients suffering from neurological disease), health and medicine became an information technology--and information technologies double power every year. "This means that the ability to understand, model, simulate, and reprogram the information processes underlying disease and aging processes will be a thousand times more powerful in 1 decade and a million times more powerful in 2 decades." (xvii) So if you can prolong your life by even ten years, you stand to see improvements in medical science that just might save your life--and allow you to live another ten years!

Thus the Transcend program outlined in this book: a total health and wellness plan aimed at extending your life expectancy and helping you stay young. From simple exercise methods to nutrition and supplementation to health assessments, detoxification tips and even health food recipes--this book covers it all. It is quite literally the kitchen sink of health books, with all the up-to-date information you will need to live a long, healthy and happy life.

It's a first step! 2010-04-02

Reviewer: Mike F

Following just some of the advice in this book can really improve your health. I gave up coffee for green tea. I also cut down on sugar, and I started using Smart-Balance to raise my HDL. And now I feel a lot better than I used to... no more being tired and sliggish, and best of all no more headaches.

There is also a lot of info on supplements that they don't try to sell you, but there is a website listed in the book where you can find them.

The authors list their sources and they are from some good medical journals and studies.

About as good as it gets 2010-03-16

Reviewer: Kieran Fox

This is a book well worth reading (and paying for). The in-depth version came out a few years ago as 'Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever' and with Transcend most of the speculation about future technologies (MOST) has been cut out, and the focus instead is on "Bridge One", i.e., getting your frickin' act together TODAY. The themes are fairly obvious (exercise, stop eating crap, don't chug coffee every day), but the greatness is in the many details and specific recommendations (and substitutions for all those terrible foods and habits you enjoy indulging in). I have read all of Ray Kurzweil's books now (except his one on managing Diabetes, since it doesn't exactly concern me) and every one has been enlightening and provocative.

The book is clearly aimed at the middle aged, those who (according to the authors) have the most to gain and who are at the most risk, but even if you're my age (26 years old) you can get a lot of benefit from following this book, especially in the nutrition section. I've found many guys (and girls) my age are fairly active physically and intellectually, but because we haven't really begun to feel the effects of aging yet, diet is of very little interest to us. I have good friends who smoke regularly because: "So what man, I can run 10 miles!" This book makes it clear what is going on subtly, behind the scenes as you pump your body full of toxins and bad food, daily!

Because of this book and Fantastic Voyage, I have (over the last couple of years) become a vegetarian (from being a lifelong, HEAVY carnivore), gone from being a total coffee fiend to drinking about one espresso per day and mostly just green tea, begun to appreciate the value of at least some supplements and vitamins in pill form, and started reading a lot more extensively about future technological developments and the real potential of what we can do and experience if we live healthfully for the next 30-50 years. I originally bought these both for my 60-something father, but he never read them and I did, and I can say not only that I feel better but indeed I feel at 26 to adopt these measures I am WAY ahead of the game.

Get it, read it, consider it - and if you find it makes good sense, follow it.

Must read. 2010-03-08

Reviewer: Cerj Lalonde

A must read, like all Kurzweil's book.
Where to start: The Singularity Is Near.

Fundamentals, Fundamentals, Fundamentals 2010-01-26

Reviewer: Bradley E. Near

The authors are right: it's our DAILY choices that'll decide how long we live. That is, until "bridge two" comes along, the biotechnology tools to help us live longer, fuller lives. Bridge three, the nanotechnology revolution, is not far behind. For those who take their lives and health seriously, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It will offer the tools and tips to help you live long enough to live forever!