Laurie Robin Rosenthal
Editor
It’s virtually impossible to say “acupuncture” in Santa Monica without Dr. Maoshing Ni’s (Dr. Mao) name coming up. It’s more than six degrees of separation; with Dr. Mao, it’s more like two degrees. Both my husband and I go to the Tao of Wellness and enjoy the treatment, though I have been slacking off in my tea drinking lately (please don’t tell Dr. Mao). I tend to really trust anyone who is 38th generation of anything, and Dr. Mao and his brother, Dr. Daoshing Ni, are 38th generation doctors of Chinese medicine.
This Saturday evening, June 10, in celebration of Dr. Mao’s latest book, Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways to Live to be 100, there will be a fundraiser at a private home in Venice to benefit both HIV/AIDS patients and the Venice Family Clinic. The celebrity-studded host committee includes Sheryl Crow, Danny De Vito, Rhea Perlman, Anjelica Huston, Robert Graham, Reba McEntire, Paul Reiser and Dylan McDermott.
Secrets of Longevity gives hundreds of tips on how to live a healthy and long life, from keeping Alzheimer’s at bay to why it’s good to go to bed later in the summer, and many topics in between. In the book Dr. Mao writes, “In Chinese medicine, orange peel has been traditionally used to improve digestion of fatty and rich foods, and in Chinese cuisine it is often found in dishes with red meat. Orange peel may actually lower cholesterol better than some current medications, and without the side effects.”
Dr. Mao once told me in the olden days Chinese doctors were paid when the patients were healthy. He is a virtual encyclopedia of health. Here are a couple of commonly asked questions:
Question: What about genes, disease and natural disasters? Aren’t these all primary predictors of longevity?
Dr. Mao: Of course they are. But the one thing we can control is probably the single greatest determinant of how long we will live and how well we will live, and that is our own behavior. What we eat. When we eat it. How much we eat. Where we eat it. How we work. How we rest. How we play. How much we laugh. How we start our day. How we end our day. How we give and receive love. These are the things that will help us live to be 100.
Question: What are other things we should do?
Dr. Mao: Meditate, Don’t Medicate. With about a quarter of a million people dying in America every year from drug-related complications and medical errors, it is imperative to get a handle on your health as naturally as possible. One of the best self-healing techniques is meditation. Meditation teaches you to breath properly, which is critical for eliminating up to 70 percent of your body’s toxins and wastes. It also quiets your mind and lowers your stress hormones. It teaches self-control and self-discipline, which are necessary attributes to achieving your health and longevity goals.
To purchase tickets for the fundraiser, contact Jessica, at 310.577.3000 x10. For more information on the Tao of Wellness, go to www.taoofwellness.com.
