Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What got you interested in writing a book about healthy aging?
A. As I watched my mother age, I became determined to find ways to make the experience of aging more positive. I could not stop the process, but I believed there were many things I could do to improve it. I searched for, found, and incorporated many youth-enhancing practices, remedies, and products into my daily regime. My physician brother, Sam Yue, provided information and many useful suggestions that I was unable to find in any of the wellness books I read along the way. Today I am happy to say I feel a lot better than when I was younger. Because of my positive results, others have urged me to share what we’ve learned.
Q. How did you come up with the keys to feeling and looking young that you discuss in your book?
A. For more than a decade, Dr. Sam and I searched for ways to better aging, looking at ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as the techniques of Western medicine. We set out to learn how some people, especially those living in Asian countries, have been able to lead vibrant lives to a ripe old age. We met with hundreds of people in dozens of focus groups and medical workshops in several countries. We carried on research, interviewed experts, and personally used the steps presented in our book. These “keys” are like the five fingers of your hand—they work together as a whole even as they perform separate functions. And if one of them is disabled, it disrupts the functioning of the others.
Q. What makes your book unique?
A. This book presents common-sense concepts and findings—some of them controversial simply because no popular books on wellness have presented them before. Beyond ancient wisdom and current popular thought, May Yue’s Tao of Youth contains many new findings based on Dr. Sam Yue’s years of work with thousands of patients at his pain clinics. Furthermore, the book’s step-by-step path to aging well makes it easy to begin. Many people attending our workshops said they found other books and methods intimidating but that they could follow this path easily, starting with one or two of the keys. And they quickly saw results!
Q. What else makes your book unique?
A. Instead of focusing on the body alone, or even just the body and the mind, we address issues of the soul. The balance of all humans’ three-part being depends on the consideration of all three. Matters of the soul include spiritual identity, life purpose, relationship to a higher power, evolution, spiritual growth, and destiny. In this book we share the stories of our path toward incorporating all the aspects of being.
Q. Tell us about the remedies included in May Yue’s Tao of Youth.
A. Among the remedies we suggest are healing soups, drunk by the Chinese people for centuries, I found that many of the herbs in these soups are known to help skin and hair. The recipes for some of these soups, handed down from one generation to another, especially in the southern part of China where I grew up, are included.
Q: How do I get started on the Tao of Youth?
A. You can implement the keys one at a time, depending on where you are in life. No one claims the path is easy, but you can start in an easy way. I recommend downloading the CD included with the book into your iPod—listen to the music! Once you feel relaxed, take another step like drinking Oolong tea. Then take another step by cutting your intake of gluten and casein. Many participants have almost instant results. They feel calm, yet energetic, lose water weight, see their skin glow. They start with small steps and find success as they add another. And they feel good doing it!
Q. I don’t have time to cook. How can I take this path?
A. Once you understand which food groups are hard for you to digest, you can develop an eating strategy, so that even when you are at a restaurant you will know what to order and eat. Given an understanding of what breaks down your body’s systems, you can decide whether and how to repair and enhance them with natural remedies. You make the informed, conscious choice.
"Beyond ancient wisdom and current popular thought, May Yue’s Tao of Youth contains many new findings based on Dr. Sam Yue’s years of work with thousands of patients at his pain clinics."