Shigeaki Hinohara: The 97-Year-Old Physician's Advice On How To Live Well

The Japan Times Online:

At the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara's magic touch is legendary: Since 1941 he has been healing patients at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke's College of Nursing. After World War II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo; thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation's top medical facility and nursing school. Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations. Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one "Living Long, Living Good" that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself.

Read the whole story: The Japan Times Online

Comments

[Einstein44]

Read the book "The Okinawa Program", you will not regret it.

[orangepetal]

Interesting perspective and incredible person.

[joshu]

euthman... buddhism does not teach blandness.­. nor does it teach prudeness.­.. only non-attachment. i.e. non-clingyness to the things we enjoy.... a bear drunk in full awareness is more enjoyable and more filling than a binge in mental stupor... so moderation becomes a result of being more present in the moment, not an obligation­... same goes for sex.

buddhist teaching can be summed up thus... do good( to yourself and others), avoid evil( to yourself and others) and cultivate your mind/spirit( develop an awareness of your life)

all in all a recipe for long life.

[brooklyncitizen]

Great story.

[JnrNorman]

Goldenseal removes radio-active material from the body.
Kelp removes lots of stuff too.

http://www.chemtrailcentral.com/forum/album_showpage.php?pic_id=2&slideshow=5

[AngieMom57]

Cooked the pinto beans in the pressure cooker today and added a thumb size piece of Kale to impart minerals :-)

[MsIrisMG]

Frankly, I'm surprised to find out that there is ANYBODY who has lived their entire life on an island that has suffered nuclear attack and still managed to live to a ripe old age and be healthy! This is not at all to be snarky but how in the world is that possible? Unless the after-effects dissipate awfully fast, I would have thought that there would be unusually high radiation in what, three generations of people by now on that island.

[Senseimilla]

You do know that the Japanese have pretty much the longest life expectancy in the world based on census data...

Okinawans only eat until they are "80% full" and live to 90 on avg i think is the latest number.

Which reminds me... why is US ranked like 26th...

[ianrmcdonald]

An important, technical note: Japan did not suffer a nuclear attack. The U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, not nuclear bombs. As terrible as the atomic bombs were, a nuclear bomb would be far more devastating.

[brooklyncitizen]

Incorrect.

A nuclear device derives its explosive force from a fission or a fusion reaction and both are nuclear reactions.­The USA is the only country to have detonated a nuclear device offensively in a war- the first was an uranium enriched bomb dropped on Hiroshima and the second was a plutonium enriched bomb dropped on Nagasaki. Nuclear and Atomic warfare are the same thing.

To address MissIrisMG's question - about 250.000 people were killed but for decades after people died or developed illnesses due to radiation poisoning.

[jayes]

>

[Keo]

wind.

[whatsthatsound]

Japan is a group of islands that is roughly the same size as California. What you are suggesting is that people in Mendocino or Phoenix would be radiated by an atomic bomb in Los Angeles. No doubt there ARE devices today that could cause that, but the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, despicable though they were, could not. Nagasaki is an interesting case in point, in that it is a city of many hills, like San Francisco, and the majority of the survivors were living on the side of the hills facing away from the blast.

[aliceautumn]

My grandfather, the handsome sailor in the photo, lived to be 97 1/2 years old. He was rarely sick with more than a cold. He practised piano and singing almost every day, lived alone, did his own yard work, cut wood, shopped for bargains, read everything and traveled. He told me he stayed alive because he always had so much left to do. He never felt done or complete. He never followed teh crowd, had no debt and lived simply. He was the happiest person I ever met.

[MightyMeno]

Nice story. My grandmother lived to be 100 and I attribute it to being surrounded by family; she was the championship babysitter of the neighborhood, and had 15 grandchildren of her own. When she wasn't taking care of kids, she was crocheting slippers for Christmas ... with 15 grandkids, that was a lot of slippers! She grew up in poverty and although she married a doctor, they lived simply. She never took anything for granted and was grateful for what she had.

[Keo]

I knew a man, a good teacher of mine, who lived to be 103. He drank about half a bottle of scotch every day. He also used to smoke marijuana regularly. Didn't eat any red meat, though, or junk food, or fried food. He was a peaceful man, very bright and accomplished, but not ego-driven. Lived simply. Was an atheist. Had a lot of sex. Went on a lot of long walks. Breathed clean air. Considered himself a "Jewish Buddhist." Did he have the secret?

[AngieMom57]

Reading a great book right now; "The Altruistic Species" by Michael Flescher and Daniel L. Worthen.

Not on topic at all...suri­...

[jazzyfizzle]

Uplifting! I like stuff like this.. I am always willing to listen and learn from someone with obvious wisdom.

[euthman]

Great common-sense article with no mention of pseudocscience, mysticism, or other phoniness. Thank you, Dr. Hinohara! --Ed Uthman, MD

[AngieMom57]

Stay mindful.
Stay sober.

Sing a happy song, being silly should not just be for children.

[Aabby]

so true.

[AcidAlkalineBalance]

From: http://acidalkalinebalancediet.info/category/alkaline-diet/
Mr Shigeaki Hinohara is a great example of how we can look after ourselves and live a long and healthy life. Having suffered from ill health for many years, I began to do indepth research into illness and wellbeing. I discovered that eating a diet of mostly alkaline foods is what the body needs in order to fight of disease - including cancer. Those that eat an alkaline balance diet live for longer and don't suffer from illness or disease. Needless to say I have been free of ill health for 2 years now and my energy levels have never been better.

[Happyexpat]

Spam

[UNCLEJOE]

Fortunately, when I spent a couple of weeks hitch-hiking from Brooklyn to California in 1947, I had a lot of spare time waiting for hitches, and I laid out some of my goals in life, the first f which was choosing a profession where the practitioner were long lived, although I had no dancing talent at all, I chose dancing as a possible profession.

Among my goals was to learn about art and music so I would always have avocations that were enjoyable and cost free. Strangely enough, I did not list among my goals owning my own home or becoming financially independent or raising a family. After two unsuccessful marriage, I learned to stay away fron anxiety causing situations, and finally got rid of my twenty year nicotine and alcoholic addiction. At 46 years old I became celibate and at 80 I became a vegetarian.

Of all the decisions I made that I attribute to my longevity are, abstinence from all drugs, sex and avoiding all or any anxiety caused by bad relatives, false friends and getting caught up in the money frenzy. Good Genetics helps.
Am I happy? Indubitably!

[discourse jockey]

"abstinence from all drugs, sex" -- Those two things have given me happiness enough for two or three lifetimes already. Good if it works for you, but for me it's totally out of question.

[lillibelle]

My Grandma lived to be 100 and was a big believer in sex (yes, that made me cringe on many occasions) and moderate alcohol consumption. Paradoxically, her many daughters died very young. To have been raised by this godess/woman born in 1900 was the greatest blessing of my life. To me she spoke Shakespeare and Elizabethan English. (And I am not yet 50.) I only wish I could write her story.

Clearly, something else...gen­es, luck, etc, is at play. Of course, we all try to live a healthy life style. The rest is a draw.

[euthman]

Sounds like Buddhism, seeking a state of absence of desire. I'm happy you're happy, but I don't think I could buy into that myself. I prefer a moderately long life of moderation to an extremely long life of terminal blandness.

[brooklyncitizen]

Blandness is a judgement. A simple life and simple living doesn't mean life is bland.

[aliceautumn]

Good advice. Drugs, sex and the anxiety from bad relationships and wanting material are caused by chasing the dragon that can never be caught. Those things make life complex. A complex life causes tension. Being happy with who you are not what you think you should be is the way to go. May you have 50 more good years.

[gevan]

1. Get an extension on the Social Security trust fund. 2. Put at least two million dollars away in a retirement account invested in stocks that only go up in value. 3. Stop ageing at forty.

[tchoupitoulav]

Good one Gevan!!!