Ageless Spine, Lasting Health
The Open Secret to Pain-Free Living and Comfortable Aging
By Kathleen Porter
Synergy Books, 2006
ISBN 10: 1-933538-40-6
ISBN 13: 978-1-933538-40-2
Reviewed by Angela Evans - March 5, 2007
"Sit up straight!" "Stand up straight!" We've all heard these admonishments time and time again - and we should have listened to them. According to Kathleen Porter, in her book Ageless Spine, Lasting Health: The Open Secret to Pain-Free Living and Comfortable Aging, many of the ills that plague many of us in the West can be traced directly to poor posture. In this unique book, Porter, a yoga instructor and massage therapist, examines the importance of posture, how you can improve your posture and your overall sense of well being. As important, Porter explains that while many practitioners and therapies are directed at treating the symptoms caused by back pain, stiff necks, and tension related pain, they should in reality be working to correct the underlaying causes of these problems, which is, according to Porter, poor posture or postural alignment.
In researching this book, Porter traveled extensively, contrasting the postural habits of residents of several Western countries to the postural habits of people in countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Burma, and Thailand. Her thesis contends that less technologically advanced cultures maintain a more natural, and beneficial postural alignment than those in more industrial countries, and that as a consequence they suffer less from back pain and associated problems. I can't say that I agree with her research methodology, which seems to rely more on incidental data and personal observation rather than controlled studies. However, I cannot fault her idea that maintaining good posture is essential to good health and in helping to eliminating the source of many of the muscle related pain experienced by those in the West.
Ageless Spine, Lasting Health is abundantly illustrated, and Porter explains in clear and easy to understand language how the human body is constructed and what constitutes a natural alignment of the body, and how you can regain this natural state. She also examines the numerous health problems that can emerge due to poor postural alignment, and how it can aggravate conditions such as osteoporosis, herniated discs, and even some respiratory disorders. Most important, Porter explains how to put the lessons offered in this book into practice.
Ageless Spine, Lasting Health is an intriguing book, one that may well open your eyes about the need to practice good postural habits in all aspects of your life from standing to lying down, and why it is essential to train your children in them, before poor posture becomes an ingrained habit. Reading this book has defiantly made me take a closer look at my own posture and has made me more aware about how I carry myself, and her advice has made sitting in front of the computer all day a much more relaxing experience!
