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SECRETS OF THE CENTURIANS |
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Commonality Comment 13 10 6 4 4 4 3 3 2 3 2 1 1 1 1
SECRETS OF THE CENTURIANS
CONCLUSION:
"Physical activity" and a
healthy "mental attitude" are the primary "commonalities" among the centurians studied
below.
Copyright © JKL Company Case histories of 20 Centurians
.
Occurances
Staying active
Life is movement - lack of movement is death
Mental attitude
You are as you "think" - you can be nothing else.
Working Past Retirement
People need to work - they are happiest when they are doing enjoyable work
Eating healthy
Putting poisons in your body cannot be good for you.
Stress reduction
"Things go better with a relaxed attitude" (relates to "mental attitude" above).
Moderate alcohol
Scientist' tell us that 2 drinks a day will stimulate the heart in a beneficial way.
God
Relates to "stress reduction" and . "mental attitude".
Limited eating / slender
Relates to "stress reduction" and . "mental attitude".
Parental longevity
Genetics or self fulfilling prophecy?
Music
Music can alter moods.
Excessive sleeping
Sleeping probably relates to health & longevity..
Eating fish
Japanese centurians surely eat fish and increases "occurances"...
Resist over-indulgence
My great-grandmother used to say, "Everything in moderation."
Sunlight
Too much sun is bad - about 30 minutes a day is good..
Worcestershire sauce
Probably the vinegar and garlic.
JEANNE CALMENT
AGE: 122.(authenticated) France
SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: Calment stayed active even in her last years - she rode a bicycle and lived on her own until she was
110. Madame Calment officially gave up smoking at 117, but resumed having the occasional puff after her 118th birthday. Well into her
hundreds she drank a glass of port before lunch and another before dinner. She once said: "I have an enormous will to live
and a good appetite, especially for sweets." Mme Calment's father lived to 94 and her mother to 86. She once said that she is
interested in everything, but nor really passionate about anything."
SHIGECHIYO IZUMI:
AGE: 120 years, 237 days (authenticated). OCCUPATION: Isumi
worked until he was 105, drank sho-chu (firewater, distilled from barley) and took up
smoking at age 70. SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: He attributed his long life to "God, Buddha and the Sun."
KAMATO HONGO
AGE: 116.(authenticated) Japan. OCCUPATION:
She was raised on a small, rural island on Japan's southern ridge. Hongo grew up tending cows and farming potato's.
FOR LONGEVITY: Hongo was famous throughout Japan for her habit of sleeping for two days and then staying awake
for two days. Hongo attributed her long life to "not moping around".
MAUDE FARRIS-LUSE
AGE: 115.(authenticated) U.S..Michigan OCCUPATION: SECRET
SECRETS FOR LONGEVITY: Luce reportedly credited an intake of boiled dandelion greens and fried fish as the reason for her
long life.
JOAN RIUDAVETS MOLL
AGE: 114 (authenticated) Spain OCCUPATION: A retired
Spanish shoemaker. SECRETS FOR LONGEVITY: He attributed his long life to doing everything in moderation, including
smoking "but not too much".. He used to sleep up to 14 hours a day but also enjoyed playing football and the guita.
CHARLOTTE BENKNER
AGE: 114. (authenticated) Ohio. SECRET FOR
LONGEVITY: Her physician, Dr Charles Wilkins, said Benkner has a sharp mind and that her outlook on life is a key to
her longevity. When asked the secret to a long life, Benkner replied, "There is no secret. I just live each day the way the
Lord gives it to me." The petite woman still takes walks three times a day and goes to church every Sunday. She also
gets her hair done every week.
MITOYO KAWATE
AGE: 114.(authenticated) Japan.
OCCUPATION: Was a farmer in Hiroshima until she was 100. A Hiroshima city official told The Associated Press that
Kawate survived the atomic blast that hit the city on Aug 6, 1945. She was on her farm about six miles from downtown during
the blast, but entered the city two days later to search for relatives and became exposed to radiation. She had a weakness
for custard cakes and liked to sing a caretaker said.
HENDRIKJE VAN ANDEL-SCHIPPER
AGE: 114 (authenticated) from
the Netherlands.
. OCCUPATION: Needlework instructor. SECRET OF LONGEVITY: Though she's watched how cars have changed the world, she never learned to
drive herself, instead remaining loyal to her bicycle - which helped her stay fit. "People keep asking me how I have managed
to reach this age and still be healthy," ... "the answer is, I have never smoked or drunk too much alcohol. I eat well and just
keep breathing. "She's a great believer in the power of positive thinking."
She is really interested in what's going on i the world and listens to the news on the radio most days." Longevity did not seem to be
in the cards when Van Andel-Schipper was young. She was sickly and underweright as a child, and her parents were so concerned
about her health that they kept her out of school ... she was home schooled. Despite the shaky start, Van Andel-Schipper has enjoyed
robust health ever since. She even sailed through a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 100.
VERONA JOHNSTON
AGE: 114. Ohio. SECRET FOR
LONGEVITY: Johnston lived a wholesome life, rarely visited doctors and never used the
deductible on her health insurance policy, relatives said. The secretary at her doctor's
office said Johnston had the thinnest file on record.
ADELINA (ENGARGIOLA) DOMINGUES
AGE: 114 (authenticated). U.S..
OCCUPATION: Expert seamstess SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: Adelina attributed her longevity to her daily
regimen of eating vegetables and beans and her life-long abstinence from any form of alcohol or tobacco.
YUKICHI CHUGANJI
AGE: 114 (authenticated). Japan. OCCUPATION: Retired
silkworm breeder. He also worked as a bank employee and a communioty welfare officer. SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: He
attributed his longevity to healthy eating and an optimistic personality.
GRACE THAXTON
AGE: 113 (authenticated).Kentucky. OCCUPATION:
SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: Grace Thaxton's mother lived to 109.
ANNIE SAMSON
AGE: 113 (authenticated). OCCUPATION: She spent her life
teaching. Samson died in the Convent of Les Filles De Juses, where she has lived since 1985
after breaking her hip. "She was mobile until she was about 110. On her 110th birthday,
her request was for a headset so she could listen to music."
GIOVANNI FRAU
AGE: 112 (authenticated) Italy.. OCCUPATION:
Farmer.in Sardinia. SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: He attributed his longevity to homegrown food. "He farmed all of his
food. the bread he ate was his bread, the wine from his vineyard," said Raffaele Mol, Grau's grandson. Sardinia has the
world's highest ration of residents over the age of 100, acording to Guinness World Records.
BENJAMIN HARRISON HOLCOMB:
AGE: 111 (authenticated) OCCUPATION: Farmer
SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: Keeping stress to a minimum ... put his longevity down to his ability
to "weep freely," which he said stopped him from ever getting stressed, and regular glasses
of "good wine" . He was also an avid supporter of outdoor activity , particularly field sports which he
enjoyed since he was a boy. In 1998, aged 109, he became the oldest known man to
stalk and shoot a deer. Mr Holcomb lived most of his life in Oklahoma, where he farmed
every day until his retirement in 1996 at age 107 .Mr Holcomb remained a fit and
athletic until 1998 when he started to become frail. A spokesman for the nursing
home said, "Mr. Holcomb died peacefully in his sleep over the weekend. He died of old age.
He was a wonderful and kind man." "You take one day after the other, you
just go on." he once said. "Just love your brother and drink a glass
of good wine."
SIDNEY AMBER:
AGE: 109 (authenticated). SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: Worcestershire sauce ... "a teaspoon full a
day does the trick", he said. Amber's hair may be gray and sparse, but his skin is relatively unlined. He does not
wear glasses and his wit is shart. He stands perfectly erect and moves easilty around downtown
San Francisco's downtown restaurant area, where he always orders Worcestershire sauce with his meals.
Worcestershire sauce is a generic condiment from the English county of Worcestershire, typically contains vinegar,
molasses, corn syrup, water, salt, carmel,color, garlic powder, sygar, spices, anchovies, tamarind and natural flavor.
ROSE KENNEDY
AGE: 104 (authenticated) SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: Walking three mile
a day ... And in a relentless quest to stay stylishly thin, she ate very little.
ROYER KERR DeCHENNE
AGE: 104 (authenticated) OCCUPATION: He only retired at the age of 83 from his carpentry business. Because he has children
throughout Canada, he has enjoyed bouncing between then, staying with one for a few months and then moving on. SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: "He doesn't
take any medication of any kind, he takes any kind of food you give him. DeChenne's
daughter, Patricia, calls her dad, "the most wonderful dad in the world." He could
easily be mistaken for a man in his 80's.
KATHLEEN KILBORN:
AGE: 103 (authenticated). OCCUPATION: Her husband Reg died about 15 years ago.
They met in Windsor and went on to build a life that included an ice-cream store they operated in
Canada and a dry cleaning business in Miami, where they eventually retired.SECRET FOR
LONGEVITY: "I'm very content. I think that's the secret to anybody's life." "I walk. I never make trouble." "I haven't
an ache or pain, and I'm very, very thankful." Born in Vienna, she was the youngest of five children. That contributed much to her
longevity, she thinks, because she gained a sense of fun and enjoyment from life, as others did so much of the daily chores.
She mentions that she uses olive oil to keep her skin soft.
As far as medicines ... she does not take so much as an Aspirin, but she makes sure to take vitamins and eat well. What remains
a priority with Kay is walking and meeting and greeting everyone in sight.
She says she lets others worry and take care of any of the stress in her life. She experiences
few bad days or sad moments and ... little or no serious health problems other than her gradual
hearing loss.
GREDERICK WILLIAM SUNDERMAN:
AGE: 101 years (authenticated). OCCUPATION:
pathologist. Doctor, musician, teacher, scientist, author, world traveller - Mr Saunderman
has not been an idle man. In 2001 he was honored as the oldest wmployed person in the United States. "He's
a very strong man ... very practical, too, and kind to others. he doesn't pull his weight on
people. I can't think of anyone who doesn't like the man." SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: Loving parents, devoted wives, worthy children.
A strong relilgious faith. A rigid work schedule. A good sense of humour. No tobacco and little alcohol. "I try to live
a careful life." he says.
PHAM QUANG GIANG
SPECIAL MENTIONAGE: 95 SECRET FOR LONGEVITY: "Always stay
happy and be optimistic. You should wipe from your mind all things that may bother you. OCCUPATION:
Cycle taxi driver still pedalling at 95. Pham pedals 40 km a day and has nnot seen a doctor in 34 years - he manoeuvers through Hanoi's chaotic traffic.
Family members have sold his cycle three times since 1985. rejecting their advice that he shuold take it easy, he asked them to buy it back each time.
"I don't want to rely on them. As long as I can work, I will," Gian said, a broad smile
showing off all his own teeth in a face with few wrinkles.