A<\/span>ccording to Dr. Mao Shing Ni, author of <\/em>Secrets of Longevity, Hundreds of Ways to Live to Be 100<\/a>, \u201cthe causes of aging-related ailments encompass everything from genetically preprogrammed cell death to the ravages of environmental toxins and the buildup of blockages within our bodies. Each of us carries genes that can be influenced by our lifestyles and environmental exposures. Longevity hinges on whether we express our favorable or unfavorable genetic predispositions during our lifetime \u2013 this is the exciting domain of the science of epigenetics.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Ni shares many easy-to-do practices for better health and aging well. Here are ten tips from Ni adapted from his chapter Where You Are\u2026Environment, Ecology, and Community.<\/p>\n Seeking longevity means protecting ourselves from products in the home that can compromise our health. Household cleansers containing bleach or chemicals are harmful when inhaled. Luckily, in the last decade natural cleaning products have been developed that are safe and do not pollute the environment.<\/p>\n Some can even be made at home. For example, diluted vinegar is an effective cleanser for kitchen and bath tiles, toilet bowls, windows, mirrors, and carpets. The acetic acid in vinegar also inhibits bacteria and mildew. Just mix 1 cup of distilled white vinegar with 1 cup of water and use as you would any cleaning product. For scouring, scrub with baking soda instead of chlorinated powder.<\/p>\n There is nothing more aggravating than finding a moth hole in that new sweater you bought last winter. Don\u2019t resort to mothballs, though\u2014they contain a benzene compound that causes cancer. Natural alternatives include cedar balls or panels and dried marigold, lavender, citronella, and pennyroyal, all available in herb shops. The safest option is to place your clothing in vacuum-sealed plastic bags for storage.<\/p>\n Numerous studies have linked noise pollution to increased risks for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and mood disorders. Studies show that people exposed to noise pollution were found to be significantly more likely to have heart problems like atrial fibrillation compared to those unaffected by noise.<\/p>\n Other studies found that living near airports and high-traffic roadways was associated with a 28 percent increase in anxiety medication use. Background noise includes appliances, always-on TV, and exhaust fans that may trigger your body\u2019s \u201cfight or flight\u201d response, raising levels of the stress hormone cortisol and adversely affecting your health. Turn off the TV when not watching, go to another room if your dishwasher is on, and replace your bathroom fan with a quieter, low-decibel one.<\/p>\n Our homes should be our havens, places that nurture our health and soothe our spirits. These days, however, the synthetic materials found in buildings, furnishings, and electronic devices emit volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) into our home environments. These toxic gases include formaldehyde from plastic bags, benzene from wall coverings, and xylene from computer screens.<\/p>\n Such indoor air pollutants aggravate allergies and fatigue; in severe cases they can lead to cancer and birth defects. Mother Nature to the rescue: Plants are our best air purifiers. They produce oxygen and eliminate VOCs at the same time. Most effective are indoor palms, English ivy, ficuses, peace lilies, and chrysanthemums. So fill your home with houseplants and bring fresh air indoors!<\/p>\n Lightweight, durable, and versatile, plastic is a ubiquitous material in our modern conveniences. Many plastics, however, release vinyl chloride and other dangerous gases that can cause cancer, birth defects, and lung and liver disease. They also mimic estrogen in the body, leading to hormonal imbalance, especially in women.<\/p>\n Besides the obvious plastics we can see\u2014in our TVs, computers, telephones, coffeemakers, water bottles, and food containers\u2014hidden plastics are found where you might least suspect them: in cosmetics, upholstery, carpeting, chewing gum, sanitary napkins, tissues, toilet paper, mattresses, building insulation, and polyester clothing. Cut your health risks by minimizing the use of plastic: Use glass water bottles, wooden toys, paper products from recycled fiber, personal care products and cosmetics made with natural ingredients, and cotton or wool clothing, bedding, and mattresses.<\/p>\n Within our beings, energy and blood traverse hundreds of miles of meridians and vessels. Disease, according to Chinese medicine, is the result of stagnation and blockage in either energy or blood. In our living and working environments, too, energy can stagnate, creating disharmony and disrupting health. Arrange furniture to promote natural movement throughout your home, with special attention to corners, which tend to become stagnation points and collect dust. Proper flow also includes good airflow and cross-ventilation to clear away stale indoor air.<\/p>\n Just as healthy, positive, flowing environments benefit our bodies and our homes, a human community with similar characteristics benefits our lives. Being surrounded by family, friends, and associates who are loving, uplifting, and helpful to your well-being can add years to your life.<\/p>\n A negative, depressing social environment, on the other hand, can sap the pleasures from life and rob you of the desire to go on. If you find yourself in the former situation, congratulations! Do everything you can to sustain it. If you\u2019re in negative surroundings, take whatever steps are necessary\u2014only you can identify them for your particular case\u2014to extricate yourself and develop a more life-affirming situation.<\/p>\n Having fallen from a three-story rooftop, I can tell you firsthand that I am lucky to be alive. But most injuries and death from falling come not from dramatic incidents but from simply tripping over objects, slipping in the shower, or falling down stairs. You can take precautions to prevent falls: Install devices such as motion detectors for lighting a dark hallway, use nonslip shower mats, and put handrails in the bathroom and along stairs. Get rid of clutter, tack down rugs, and rearrange furniture to create clear walking space throughout the house.<\/p>\n Commercial insect repellents will save you from mosquito bites, but many contain dangerous chemicals. Studies show that some ingredients can combine with other compounds, such as prescription drugs in your system, to cause brain cell death and other neurotoxic reactions, including seizures. A natural substance, lemongrass oil, also called Indian oil of verbena, is a better choice for keeping bugs at bay. Look for products in health food stores that use lemongrass oil to protect you from biting insects.<\/p>\n One of the substances commonly found in jewelry cleaner is cyanide\u2014yes, the potent poison that can affect you via fumes or skin contact. These small toxic exposures add up, compromising our well-being over the long term, weakening us, and launching us into premature old age. Luckily, easy nontoxic replacements can be found right at home.<\/p>\n To clean gold, use toothpaste or baking soda and a soft cloth. For silver, line a glass bowl with aluminum foil and fill with 3 cups of hot water; add 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar (available in the spice or baking section of your supermarket) and allow it to dissolve. Soak silver jewelry in the solution for one hour and then rinse with plain water.<\/p>\n Dr. Mao Shing Ni, thirty-eighth-generation Chinese medicine doctor, shares ideas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[201,202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summer-2025","category-spring-summer-2025-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16072"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16383,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16072\/revisions\/16383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. When You Clean Your Home, Don\u2019t Pollute Your Body<\/h3>\n
2. Let Nature Fight Moths<\/h3>\n
3. That Background Noise May Be Making You Sick<\/h3>\n
4. Grow Fresh Air Indoors<\/h3>\n
5. Make Your World Less Plastic<\/h3>\n
6. Flow Within, Flow Without<\/h3>\n
7. Well-Being Booster: People<\/h3>\n
8. Pride Goeth before a Fall\u2014 Precaution Prevents One!<\/h3>\n
9. Bug Off with Lemongrass<\/h3>\n
10. Jewelry . . . to Die For?<\/h3>\n
Dr. Mao Shing Ni,<\/a> popularly known as Dr. Mao, is a thirty-eighth-generation Chinese medicine doctor who specializes in the field of integrative and anti-aging medicine. Based in Southern California, he is the co-founder of two centers for health and traditional Chinese medicine: Tao of Wellness and Yo San University. Ni is the author of more than a dozen books, including Secrets of Longevity, Hundreds of Ways to Live to Be 100<\/em>,<\/a>\u00a0 Secrets of Longevity, Second Spring,<\/em> Secrets of Longevity Cookbook,<\/em> and Live Your Ultimate Life<\/em>.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"