Debunking the Myths of Aging and Illness
I propose, based on research evidence from the fields of cultural psychoneuroimmunology, cultural neuroscience, functional medicine, biocognitive science, and cultural anthropology, the following: Illnesses are culturally learned and the causes of health are inherited. Growing older is the passing of time, and aging is what we do with our time based on the culturally-learned premises we use to interpret our experiences. Family illnesses are propensities rather than genetic sentencing. Growing older does not have to be a progressive and uncontrollable deterioration. Addictions and other behaviors of excess are not illnesses: they are socio-culturally learned strategies to avoid fear of accepting…