WEBVTT
1
00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:10.720
Welcome back to Chasing Eden Natural Health God's Way. I'm
2
00:00:10.759 --> 00:00:16.000
your host, Carolyn Thompson, and today we're taking a fascinating
3
00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:20.359
journey into the lives of some of the most extraordinary
4
00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:27.000
people on Earth centenarians, men and women who live to
5
00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:31.359
be one hundred years old or more. What's their secret?
6
00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:38.439
Is it genetics, the food they eat, their mindset, their environment,
7
00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:43.119
and most importantly, what can we learn from them to
8
00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:48.439
help us live longer, healthier and more joyful lives. Let's
9
00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:52.799
explore what the research says and what's some leading voices
10
00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:57.039
in natural health, like doctor William Lee, doctor Berg, doctor
11
00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:01.359
Josh Ax, and doctor Barbara O'Neil, as well as famous
12
00:01:01.399 --> 00:01:07.799
biohacker Dave Aspury have to say about longevity. So who
13
00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:14.120
are the centenarians. A centenarian is anyone who reaches one
14
00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:18.000
hundred years of age or older, and around the world
15
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:24.920
these people are rare, but their numbers are growing. Japan
16
00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:31.040
alone now has more than ninety thousand people over one hundred, Italy,
17
00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:37.280
Costa Rica and Greece have more every year. And what's
18
00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:43.239
amazing is not just their age but their quality of life.
19
00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:47.239
Many of them live independently, cook their own meals and
20
00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:53.799
are still social and active. Scientists from Boston University's New
21
00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:58.760
England Centenarian study found that most centenarians share something special.
22
00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:03.480
They don't necessarily live longer because they avoid all diseases,
23
00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:08.919
but because they delay them. In other words, they stay
24
00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:12.680
healthy for longer, and when they finally do get sick,
25
00:02:13.240 --> 00:02:16.800
it's near the very end of their life. That's what
26
00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:22.840
you call quote compressed morbidity unquote, and it's one of
27
00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:28.680
the clearest signs of longevity. So this is a bit
28
00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:32.919
controversial and some people have different opinions about this for
29
00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:39.199
various reasons. Where do the longest living people live? As
30
00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:44.560
you have may have heard of the Blue Zones, these
31
00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:48.800
special areas in the world where people regularly live to
32
00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:59.599
be one hundred or more. They include Achinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Italy, Ikaria, Greece,
33
00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:07.080
the Nakoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, and a unique community
34
00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:13.199
in Loma Linda, California made up of mostly Seventh Day Adventists.
35
00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:19.879
Now what do all these places have in common. They're
36
00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:24.400
not full of high tech gyms or fancy diet plants. Instead,
37
00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:31.960
they're simply places where people move naturally every day, walking farming, gardening.
38
00:03:33.080 --> 00:03:38.120
They eat mostly fresh, local plant based foods. They have
39
00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:43.280
strong family and community ties. They manage stress well and
40
00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:48.159
have a sense of purpose, something to live for. That's
41
00:03:48.199 --> 00:03:54.240
the foundation for what we call a longevity lifestyle. So
42
00:03:54.439 --> 00:04:01.120
how do centenarians live well? When researchers visit centinai in communities,
43
00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:06.599
they don't just look at diet. They look at daily rhythm.
44
00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:10.919
Most of these long lived people wake up early with
45
00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:17.560
the sun, spend time outside, and stay mentally engaged. They
46
00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:23.720
don't overeat. In Okinawa, there's even a saying harda hotchibou,
47
00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:29.519
which means eat until you're eighty percent full. Their meals
48
00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:37.519
are simple beans, sweet potatoes, olive oil, vegetables, fruits, nuts,
49
00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:44.439
and fish. Meat is often occasional but not daily, and
50
00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:48.360
many grow their own food, which means fewer pesticides and
51
00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:53.720
more nutrient rich soil. They also tend to drink clean water,
52
00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:59.240
often from natural springs. Now, I want to mention something
53
00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:04.839
about the nutrient rich soil and the spring water. If
54
00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:09.560
you think about it, our bones are made up of minerals.
55
00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:16.560
We need minerals for our electrolytes to function, for our system,
56
00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:21.639
for our brain, and if they're getting minerals from nutrient
57
00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:25.680
rich soil, and they're getting natural minerals from spring water.
58
00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:31.279
They're going to have on average more minerals in their
59
00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:34.560
system flowing through their system than the average person living
60
00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:38.759
site in the United States drinking filtered water and eating
61
00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:45.160
food from nutrient depleted soil. Depleted soil. Now, they also
62
00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:48.639
live in places with low pollution and low stress. This
63
00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:52.199
is huge. The pollution we're inhaling the stuff in the
64
00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:55.079
air all the time and taking into our bodies, and
65
00:05:55.120 --> 00:06:00.120
we're hitting our immune systems with toxins, plus the stresses.
66
00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:05.399
People oftentimes will underestimate what stress can do to a person.
67
00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:09.600
Stress can actually aid you, like in a couple of years,
68
00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:11.920
a couple really tough years can aid you a lot.
69
00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:14.560
But you know what the good news is, you can
70
00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:18.680
reverse this through diet and lifestyle as well. This plays
71
00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:22.519
a much bigger role than people think. Now here's something
72
00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:29.879
that really stands out. Most centenarians have a positive calm attitude.
73
00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:35.399
They've lived through wars, recessions, and personal losses, but they've
74
00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:40.759
learned to adapt and they keep moving forward. So that's
75
00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:47.319
something to consider. Do centenarians see doctors well, when I
76
00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:49.920
was doing the research on this. I was really curious
77
00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:53.160
because a lot of people on social media these days,
78
00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:56.720
they're putting out memes and they're making videos and they say, hey,
79
00:06:56.759 --> 00:06:58.519
you know, if you want to live a long time,
80
00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:03.759
stay away from the doctor because well, for obvious reasons, right,
81
00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:07.199
you could end up taking multiple prescriptions, you could end
82
00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:10.439
up having to take all of these different tests and
83
00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:13.720
different biopsies. You could end up getting radiation from all
84
00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:16.360
of the X rays they might want to take of
85
00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:18.879
you to find out what's wrong, and it costs a
86
00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:25.759
darn fortune, right, which is also stressful. So interestingly, many
87
00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:29.360
centenarians didn't spend their lives running to the doctor. Right. Well,
88
00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:34.000
they do see physicians when needed, especially in old age,
89
00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:40.279
but typically they go decades without relying on medications. H Well,
90
00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.560
why is this? Because they stay well for a long time.
91
00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:49.800
But we can also if they're going to be staying
92
00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:51.480
well for a long time, we can attribute that to
93
00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:54.879
the things that they just talked about. A positive calmatitude,
94
00:07:55.439 --> 00:08:01.360
keep moving forward, learning to adapt, healthy food, all of
95
00:08:01.399 --> 00:08:04.800
these wonderful things. These the people, they surround themselves with,
96
00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:10.279
the bonds that they have with friends and family, so
97
00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:15.079
their blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight tend to remain steady,
98
00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:20.759
partly due to diet, partly due to activity, and partly
99
00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:27.720
due to genetics. But here's an important detail. They're not
100
00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:32.000
anti doctor. They just live in ways that reduce their
101
00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:40.960
need for constant medical intervention. Prevention is their medicine. So
102
00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:44.759
when asked what keeps them going, centenarians often say something
103
00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:50.200
simple like my family, my faith, or my friends. They
104
00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:56.320
are rarely alone. They live surrounded by people, children, grandchildren,
105
00:08:56.679 --> 00:09:02.720
and neighbors, and studies show that strong social connections can
106
00:09:02.759 --> 00:09:08.480
add years to your life. Loneliness, by contrast, increases stress hormones,
107
00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:16.519
weakens immunity, and shortens lifespan. Faith and purpose matter. Many
108
00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:20.679
of these elders pray daily, attend church, or have a
109
00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:25.480
personal belief that gives meaning to their life. That belief
110
00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:32.559
system often reduces anxiety and promotes peace, both powerful longevity tools.
111
00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:39.919
Now here's what science says and what it doesn't say.
112
00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:45.480
Researchers have discovered a few things that seem consistent among centenarians.
113
00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:51.919
Genetics because they play a role, but only about twenty
114
00:09:51.960 --> 00:09:56.559
to twenty five percent of longevity is genetic, according to studies.
115
00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:03.279
The rest comes from lifestyle and environment. They also discovered
116
00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:10.480
that moderate consistent movement is better than occasional intense workouts
117
00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:17.600
think walking, gardening, or working outdoors, not hours in the gym.
118
00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:23.240
Another thing that sets them apart is real food. It
119
00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:33.639
makes a difference, whole, unprocessed, colorful, natural. They also have
120
00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:38.600
sleep and stress management as one of the keys. Most
121
00:10:38.759 --> 00:10:43.039
centenarians rise with the sun and sleep when it sets.
122
00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:50.399
They rarely suffer from chronic insomnia or burnout. They also
123
00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:54.919
have community and love. They feel needed and connected, which
124
00:10:55.159 --> 00:10:59.360
just might be as vital as food or exercise. So
125
00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:05.759
paints a picture longevity is a lifestyle, not a lottery.
126
00:11:08.519 --> 00:11:11.480
So I want to talk about what some of the
127
00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:20.240
health experts say. Doctor William Lee spelled like Li. He's
128
00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:24.320
a medical researcher and author of Eat to Beat Disease.
129
00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:29.840
He says that longevity isn't just about avoiding illness, It's
130
00:11:29.879 --> 00:11:34.360
about activating the body's own defense systems. And this is
131
00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:38.279
so interesting. If you want to go see him talk,
132
00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:42.360
go to Instagram and just type in his name and
133
00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:47.200
they'll pop up some reels of him just giving some
134
00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:53.919
really awesome information about health. Now, doctor Lee focuses on
135
00:11:54.120 --> 00:12:02.840
five key systems immunity, stem cells, DNA protection, and the
136
00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:12.080
gut micro biome, as well as your circulation. World renowned physician, scientist,
137
00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:19.320
and author, doctor Lee discusses a study from Bologna, Italy
138
00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:24.279
where researchers tested the gut microbiomes of people over a
139
00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:30.960
wide range of ages all the way to centenarians. Researchers
140
00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:39.480
identified four distinctive bacterial species. The names are a bit
141
00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:42.159
awkward to pronounce, but I'm going to give it my
142
00:12:42.200 --> 00:12:52.080
best shot. Oderibacter or it looks like odor Ibacter, Oscillobacter,
143
00:12:54.159 --> 00:13:03.399
kristen Sanella, and aker Mansia. Some of the bacteria boost
144
00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:10.080
the immune system, defend against bacteria and viruses, improve blood lipids,
145
00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:18.320
improve cardiovascular and metabolic health, lower inflammation, help fight cancer,
146
00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:24.799
and improve brain health and cognition. Foods which can help
147
00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:34.720
grow Achermansia are pomegranate, dried cranberries, concord grapes, chili peppers,
148
00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:43.279
black raspberries, and Chinese black vinegar. Foods that promote the
149
00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:49.240
growth of the other bacteria are resistant starches. These include
150
00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:52.080
rice and potatoes that have been cooked and then left
151
00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:56.960
to cool in the fridge overnight. The cooling process alters
152
00:13:57.039 --> 00:14:02.080
the chemistry of the food, converting the starch into resistant starches.
153
00:14:03.080 --> 00:14:08.720
Certain foods like berries, green tea, mushrooms, olive oil, and
154
00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:15.600
leafy greens turn on the body's ability to repair and regenerate.
155
00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:21.000
Doctor Lee also says that only about five percent of
156
00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:25.440
longevity is genetic. The rest is up to how we live.
157
00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:34.720
So very very interesting information there. Doctor Josh Ax emphasizes
158
00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:38.600
gut health and natural nutrition. Well, Doctor Lee was just
159
00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:42.759
talking about the different bacterias in the gut that they
160
00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:48.879
found in the centenarians that promote longevity. Doctor Ax says
161
00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:52.320
that a healthy gut equals a healthy body, and since
162
00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:55.159
seventy percent of our immune system lives in our gut,
163
00:14:55.679 --> 00:15:01.120
it makes sense Fermented foods, bone, broth, herbbs, and spices,
164
00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:07.600
all staples of long lived cultures, support this idea. When
165
00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:11.159
was the last time you ate Sauer kraut or kombucha?
166
00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:14.879
Those are some really cool things to keep in your
167
00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:20.840
fridge and to snack on throughout the day. Doctor Eric Berg,
168
00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:25.440
who's famously known for the ketogenic diet, He believes that
169
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:29.679
focusing on keeping your insulin levels stable through low carb
170
00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:35.279
or ineminent intermittent fasting are the best approaches. He believes
171
00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:37.360
that chronic blood sugar spikes are one of the biggest
172
00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:41.840
drivers of aging, and that fits the centenarian pattern because
173
00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:47.519
they rarely eat refined carbs or sugar. Now. The famous
174
00:15:47.559 --> 00:15:52.600
biohacker Dave Asprey, known as the father of biohacking, says
175
00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:59.559
that aging is a quote unquote programmable condition. He teaches
176
00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:02.919
that you can slow it down through better sleep, clean nutrition,
177
00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:09.799
managing stress, and optimizing your environment. While his methods can
178
00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:14.039
get high tech, his overall message is the same as
179
00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:19.200
the centenarians. Take control of your biology before it controls you.
180
00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:26.759
Doctor Barbara O'Neil teaches about the importance of natural living, sunshine,
181
00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:34.679
fresh air, good food, hydration, and forgiveness. As you may remember,
182
00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:42.120
centenarians are positive people who live life, moving forward and
183
00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:45.759
adapting to their environment. She reminds us that a healthy
184
00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:52.639
life isn't just physical, it's spiritual and emotional too. Bitterness, stress,
185
00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:57.559
and anger age just faster than almost anything. So her
186
00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:02.879
approach clean living and a clean heart aligns beautifully with
187
00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:08.839
what we see in long lived people. So what about
188
00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:13.119
water pollution and toxins In the regions where people live
189
00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:18.240
the longest, the air and water are generally cleaner. Their
190
00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:22.680
food is grown locally without pesticides or heavy chemicals. They
191
00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:27.480
often drink from wells, springs, or mountain sources rich in minerals.
192
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:33.440
Now contrasts that with many modern urban environments process food,
193
00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:40.279
polluted air, chemically ridden water over decades. That kind of
194
00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:45.079
exposure can take a toll on your body. Natural health
195
00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:50.319
experts often encourage filtering your water, avoiding plastic containers, and
196
00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:54.759
choosing organic or locally grown produce when possible. These may
197
00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:59.079
seem like small changes, but they add up. And I'm
198
00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:00.960
going to add in here that if you're going to
199
00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:03.839
be filtering your water, don't forget to add back the
200
00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:07.559
nutrients by putting a healthy salt in there, like a
201
00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:11.920
Himalayan or a Baja salt or a Celtic salt. Just
202
00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:14.680
a pinch is all you need, Stir it up and
203
00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:21.240
drink your water like that. Are centenarians happier? Most of
204
00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.160
them are, but maybe not in the way that we
205
00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:29.279
think now. This obviously comes from research and interviews with centenarians.
206
00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:34.119
They're not necessarily laughing all day or living without problems,
207
00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:38.799
but they have peace, a sense of contentment, and gratitude.
208
00:18:38.920 --> 00:18:43.680
They focus on what they can do, not what they can't.
209
00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:47.440
You know, there's that famous quote, and I don't remember
210
00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:49.319
who said it. I think it was one of our
211
00:18:49.319 --> 00:18:54.440
past presidents where he said, do what you can with
212
00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:58.839
what you have where you're at, and I try to
213
00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:03.359
remind myself of that when times get tough. So centenarians
214
00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:06.720
they forgive easily, They let go of grudges, and they
215
00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:10.599
don't dwell on the past. In a sense, their happiness
216
00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:14.839
is rooted in acceptance and purpose and not in material
217
00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:20.319
wealth or status. What can we learn from them? Here's
218
00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:25.640
some takeaways that we can apply today. Eat simply and naturally,
219
00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:30.680
real food, close to nature. If it has a label,
220
00:19:30.759 --> 00:19:33.680
you probably don't want to eat it. If the label
221
00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:36.200
has more than one ingredient, you probably don't want to
222
00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:44.880
eat it. Move every day, walk, stretch, garden, stay active naturally.
223
00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:51.319
Remember to pay attention to your sleep habits. Go to
224
00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:55.200
bed earlier, wake up with the sun and let your
225
00:19:55.240 --> 00:20:03.039
body reset. Reduce your stress wherever you can think about
226
00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:07.880
breathing deeply throughout the day. Pray and try to let
227
00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:12.559
go of your small worries. Don't worry about everything. This
228
00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:14.920
is important and it's a tough one. It requires you
229
00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:19.079
to really put yourself out there. I remember one famous person,
230
00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:23.160
Angelina Jolian an interview, said if you want a life,
231
00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:27.599
you gotta work like hell for it. And I'm paraphrasing,
232
00:20:27.640 --> 00:20:29.240
but you have to work really hard if you want
233
00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:33.599
a life. Right, So, stay connected, call your friends, visit family,
234
00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:40.640
join a community, have a sense of purpose, know why
235
00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:45.240
you're getting up in the morning, avoid talksin's wherever possible,
236
00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:52.519
clean water, fresh air, less processed food. And this one
237
00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:59.680
mindfully be grateful. Gratitude reduces stress hormones and increases joy.
238
00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:02.680
These habits don't just add yours to your life, they
239
00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:08.000
add life to your years. There's always something to be
240
00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:12.200
grateful for. So stop yourself when you're feeling negative during
241
00:21:12.279 --> 00:21:16.319
the day and just think about the things that you're
242
00:21:16.359 --> 00:21:19.680
grateful for. Take note of them, and you're going to
243
00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:24.839
be surprised how that starts to increase your joy. So