AboutThoughts
Have you ever heard of a doctor who lived to be 105 years old and was still practicing medicine?
This amazing man, Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, who left this world on 17th July 2017, wasn't just Japan's oldest working doctor, but many folks consider him one of Japan's real treasures.
I was super impressed when I found out he has written over 150 books! Can you believe that? One of his absolute best-sellers, "Living Long, Living Good," sold more than 1.2 million copies. I mean, that's incredible for a book about healthy living, right?
Coincidentally, Dr. Hinohara was born way back in 1911, and after all the chaos of the 2nd World War, he didn't just sit around.
He went ahead and established a top-notch hospital - St. Luke's International Hospital, and a really sought-after school, St. Luke's College of Nursing, both sitting right there in Tokyo, Japan.
I was skeptical initially that one person could accomplish so much in a lifetime!
I decided to research more about his secrets to longevity and found that he shared valuable advice on living a long and happy life. Upon reading more about his philosophy, I felt there was hope for all of us as well.
Therefore, here is his advice on how to live a long and happy life:
Dr. Hinohara says kids are so caught up in having fun, they’ll forget to eat or even sleep. His advice? If you want to stay young, be more like them. Don’t stress too much about strict mealtimes or bedtimes. Just focus on enjoying life and having a good time.
According to Dr. Hinohara, people who live the longest usually aren’t overweight. He keeps his own diet balanced and makes sure to include olive oil regularly. He swears by it for keeping his arteries in good shape and his skin healthy too.
Dr. Hinohara says he always keeps himself busy. He even plans his schedule a whole year ahead! Between giving lectures, supporting hospital projects, and mentoring students who come to him for advice, he’s always on the move.
Dr. Hinohara believed that if you love what you do, you should keep doing it and not feel pressured to retire at 65. In his view, people should keep working well beyond that, as long as it brings them joy.
Dr. Hinohara gives more than 150 lectures a year, many of them to school kids. He genuinely loves giving back to the community. In fact, he even stands for the full 90 minutes during his talks because it brings him so much joy.
Dr. Hinohara believed that doctors don’t have all the answers and they can’t cure everything. That’s why he encouraged patients to get personal and ask their doctors a simple question: “Would you recommend this treatment to your own loved ones?” If the answer is no, it might be worth looking into alternative options.
Dr. Hinohara believed that music and spending time with animals can help people heal often in ways modern medicine hasn’t fully recognized yet.
Even though Japan is full of elevators and escalators, Dr. Hinohara always chose the stairs - he believed that little things like that extra bit of movement really add up.
The poem “Abt Vogler” by Robert Browning provides deep inspiration to Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara throughout his life.
The poem talks about drawing such a huge circle that there’s no way you could ever finish it in your lifetime and that’s exactly the point.
You can only see the arch, the rest is beyond your vision, yet it is always there in the distance.
He believes the best way to relieve pain is by forgetting it through having fun. He explains that if a child has a toothache, after he begins playing a game with that child, they immediately forget the pain.
At St. Luke’s, Dr. Hinohara’s hospital, they offer things like animal therapy, art classes, and music therapy, all aimed at bringing joy and tapping into the creative, emotional, and spiritual sides of healing.
He says that no one knows when they run out of time, and we won’t be taking anything material with us.
Science lumps all humans together medically in the same category, however, illness varies from individual to individual.
Dr. Hinohara believed that every illness is different, and often deeply tied to a person’s emotions and what’s going on in their heart.
To be able to cure their illnesses, they need more liberal and visual arts, not just prescriptions and pills.
Dr. Hinohara went through his fair share of tough times, but he chose to see those moments as experiments. By doing that, he found his body could actually slow down and adjust, helping him get through even the hardest situations.
One of Dr. Hinohara’s biggest role models was his father, who studied at Duke University way back in 1900. He believed we should aim to go even further than those who inspired us. Pretty uplifting advice, isn't it?
And whenever he felt stuck, he’d ask himself: “How would my role models handle this?” It helped him find clarity and keep moving forward.
Dr. Hinohara believed that living a long life is a true gift and that our later years should be spent giving back to society in whatever ways we can.
He started volunteering at 65 and never slowed down. In fact, he kept working 18 hours a day, seven days a week and he genuinely loved every minute of it.
And there you have it...
The 14 secrets. I hope they have inspired you to live your life to the fullest like it has done for me.
The information provided on this website is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or before starting any health or wellness program.
