Healthy Old People

During the middle part of the twentieth century Jensen devoted fifteen years of his life to seeking out and visiting with the world’s oldest people to learn what he could about their healthy lifestyles. His travels took him to Russia, Asia, China, India, the Middle East, Europe, New Zealand, Tahiti and to a few of our southern states here in the U.S.

His goal was to discover the secrets to their healthy lifestyles and bring back to the ‘civilized’ world the keys to living a long, productive, healthy and happy life. What Jensen found out was not at all what he was expecting.

Far from the space-age, super food formulations and expensive exercise programs that were gaining popularity in western countries at that time, these happy, healthy old people had long ago adopted simple, healthy lifestyles that carried over into every corner of their lives. They apparently knew nothing about vitamins or minerals and never engaged in any ‘special’ exercise programs during their entire lives. 

This came as a shock to Jensen. Popular scientific wisdom of the day insisted that anyone wanting to reach advanced age - in good health - had to walk a narrow path in life. Among many other considerations, this supposedly consisted of taking specially formulated food supplements every day, getting annual physical examinations, walking at least three miles daily, exercising eternally and adhering, fastidiously, to the framework of a healthy lifestyle. Not to mention keeping up on all the wonderful research being conducted by the health and longevity gurus prevalent throughout most western countries.

While visiting with these old people Jensen made a few startling observations:

• None of the old people had any kind of arthritis - not one of them
• Arthritis was not a disease of old age
• None of them ever took any food supplements of any kind
• All of the centenarians he met did some kind of physical activity everyday
• Most of them had a garden to grow some of their own foods
• Almost all of them were actively involved with their communities
• They ate whole, organically grown grains, seeds, legumes, berries, fruits and vegetables
• The small amounts of flesh products consumed were chemical-free
• They consumed some form of raw or clabbered milk product almost daily
• They expelled waste daily without signs of constipation or incontinence
• They were happy and content with their lot in life
• They were invariably compassionate, altruistic and spiritual

This was not at all what Jensen expected to find. He was certain that the world’s oldest and healthiest people took some form of super foods and supplements, engaged in special exercise programs geared for the elderly, were cared for by others and that they were careful not to over exert themselves physically, mentally or emotionally.

The world’s oldest living human - Shirali Mislimov

What a shock it was for Jensen to discover that a man named Shirali Mislimov, a citizen of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, celebrated his one hundred and sixty eighth birthday by working in his garden!  At Jensen’s request Mister Mislimov handwrote a letter to him that was dated February 15, 1973. Within its contents he described his keys for a long, healthy and happy life:

• Eat plain food – particularly clabbered milk products, raw milk, rice, vegetables, some honey. (Mister Mislimov also consumed some flesh products)
• Keep your legs and arms moving every day for good circulation
• Rise early and don’t stay up too late at night
• Enjoy friends and family
• Be generous to all and less nervous
• Take care of your health and that of others
• Living a good life is more important than observing any special rules to be old

The amazing Shirin Gasanov

Imagine Jensen’s utter surprise when he personally interviewed a man on Moscow television, Shirin Gasanov, who was certified to be one hundred and fifty-three years old and looked like a man in his 60's! Prior to the interview a Physician by the name of Kiamal Mirzoev examined Mister Gasanov at the request of the Russian government. Dr. Mirzoev claimed that Mister Gasanov was in better health than a normal middle-aged man! His blood pressure was 130 over 80 and his pulse was 75 beats per minute.

During the nationally televised show Mister Gasanov told Jensen his long life secrets consisted of the following: 

• Living simply and humbly
• Eating wholesome foods – including clabbered milk products and raw milk
• Not eating anything after 6:00 in the evening
• Really caring about others and helping make their lives more fulfilling
• Participating in community activities
• Not getting angry too often
• Doing some kind of physical work daily or taking a leisurely walk in the morning to keep the blood moving properly (Mister Gasanov rode a horse daily until the age of one hundred and forty-eight!)
• Enjoying life with his family and treating them all well

Dr. Jensen’s keys to health and long life 

After further visiting with the oldest people in such far away and obscure places as Hunzaland, various countries of the Mid East and Europe, China, India and New Zealand, Jensen developed the basis of his world-acclaimed formula for health and longevity. The basic tenets of the program were stated as his personal code for living a long and healthy life: 

• Most important of all take care of your mental, emotional and spiritual life
• Be kind, charitable and helpful to others
• See yourself as being happy and you’ll be happy
• Restrict or entirely eliminate consumption of alcoholic beverages
• Severely restrict or entirely eliminate the intake of any chemicals or other foreign, inorganic substances
• Learn to breathe properly
• Distance yourself from tobacco smoke - first or second hand
• Do something physical every day to ensure good blood and lymph circulation
• Re-establish a bond with nature by growing a garden or even a few plants
• Eat a sensible combination of raw and cooked foods daily
• Have some form of raw or clabbered milk product daily if possible
• Take food supplements only when you suspect your organically grown foods are not supplying necessary nutrients
• Participate in civic activities that are important to your community
• Be someone young people can turn to for advice and inspiration
• Don’t be too fanatical or overly strict about this business of getting old - nobody will take you seriously
• A long life lived may not be good enough but a good life lived is always long enough

How well did Jensen himself follow his own advice? Well, he was given up for dead at age twenty-nine, pursued a nerve-wracking schedule of daily patient encounters for many decades, had speaking engagements almost monthly in one of the 65 countries he lectured in throughout his career, ran Hidden Valley Health Ranch and sanitarium for some 50 years and yet he still lived to the ripe ‘old’ age of 92.

Is it any wonder Jensen was unable to, or perhaps unconcerned with, reaching the century mark? Certainly his was a fitting example of a good life lived being long enough.

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