Editorial: What's in a name? || Free Paper ||

Abstract

Richard F WalkerInternational Society for Applied Research in Aging (SARA)I was recently invited by Dr. Paolo Marandola, a respected urologist with special interest in male aging, to contribute a manuscript for a new book he will be editing. The comprehensive publication, sponsored by Giovane Accademia Italiana Antieta(GAIA) Age-Management Foundation, Pavia, Italy, is tentatively entitled The ‘Manifesto’ for a Long Life. It addresses the diversity of issues associated with aging and its management. My contribution was to present some ideas on the evolution of medical practice from the “traditional” to an “anti-aging” approach. I was pleased with the subject because it seems obvious that the orientation of healthcare must evolve from curing disease to promoting wellness if it is to meet the social and economic needs of an ever expanding population of older individuals. In other words, the current reactive treatment approach must evolve to one that is more proactive.