Video Dispatch
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Travel with us to an isolated Greek island in the Aegean Sea to determine exactly why this place became home to some of the longest living people in the world.
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Radioactive Vitamins?
I wish I could say we are the first ones to break the story that Ikaria is perhaps the world’s premier health destination but I’m afraid I’ve been beat to the punch—by at least two thousand years.
Since at least the 500 BC. Ikaria has been known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as a place for rejuvenation and healing. The nexus of all of this health was found on the southwestern tip of the island in a town of Therma and the famous radioactive baths that flank the town on both sides.
First off, the baths are found only in the southwestern corner of the island, near the town of Arghios Kiliioso. To the east, steaming water burbles out of the ground in a series of caves that billow with steam. Local opportunists have enclosed the caves and commercialized the waters. For a few dollars, you can buy your way in and sit enveloped in “healing” vapors.
Just west of town, anyone with the courage to descend the steep switchbacks down a precarious cliff can bathe for free, right where rocky beach meets the cobalt blue waters of the Aegean. A crescent of boulders encloses a small pool where hot mineral water and cold seawater mix to create a tepid bath.
As Dr. Anthony Papalas, wrote in his book, "Ancient Icaria", Romans, were the first recorded visitors to the baths. They believed that these waters relieved pain as well as cured partial paralysis. Today, they mostly draw people who suffer from rheumatism, arthritis and skin ailments. We interviewed an orthopedist on the island who cited hundreds of cases wherein patients found relief from bone and joint pain. (I should also note that a therapist of traditional Oriental medicines sent me an email claiming that consecutive bath soakings cured her of several cancers and tumor and bettered her eyesight.)
But of course, our big question is: do the baths have anything to do with Ikaria’s longevity?
Radon is the key ingredient in these baths. Radon is a hugely dangerous radioactive mineral that the earth emits constantly. When inhaled, it can penetrate the lung's lining and “ionize” cells—essentially scrambling the DNA and potentially provoking cancer. In fact, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. Radon not only issues from the baths but from the entire island. Several schools and houses in the northeastern part of have been tested for radon and they all report high levels.
How could high levels of radon explain longevity? A few papers published in the The British Journal of Radiology [both in Issue 78 (2005)] argue that constant low level exposure to radiation can actually be helpful in repairing out DNA—a process call radiation hormesis. The argument is complicated but it is essentially analogous to how trace elements in small amount are good for us (copper, zinc, selenium, etc.) but are toxic in high dosages.
So, if Ikarians are constantly dosed with low levels of Radon radiation, could it explain healthier DNA? Most nuclear scientist would say no, that radiation at all levels is bad. But you never know. For many years, scientists believed that the world was flat.
Live Large,
Dan
Image Gallery
Our professional photographer, Gianluca Colla, tells the story of three exceptional men from Ikaria. To see the photos larger or read the captions, click on the image.
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Daily Data
Print Daily DataWhat's new with the team today?
Expedition Team Daily Data
Gianluca Colla
Name: Gianluca Colla
Title: Photographer
Age: 32
Pedometer Reading: 19,494
Favorite Exercise: Motor biking, taking pictures, and walking
Hours of Sleep Last Night: 3 hours
What I Had to Eat Yesterday
Breakfast - Small can of chocolate Biscuits.
Snack - Male goat meat, fried veggies, spinach pie, salad
Dinner - Rice, bread and feta cheese
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Dan’s Dilemma
Upcoming Weekend
Thanks for you response the other day. We asked Thea for help confronting the smoking and it's helped.
Here's our question for you today: as the team travels from event to event we are often served a special dinner of greek salad, rice and boiled goat by our hosts. Though it is really tasty, some of the members of the team are vegetarians and do not know how to respond. On one hand they don’t want to be rude to our hosts, but on the other hand, being a vegetarian is something they really believe in. What do you think we should do?
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Mystery Photo
What is this?
- Kokoretsi
- A traditional greek speghetti dinner
- A prehistoric sea serpant
Answer is Kokoretsi
Kokoretsi is a dish traditionally served on holidays such as Easter, the holy "name days" for the saints and weddings in Greece. It is prepared by arranging the heart, liver and lungs of a goat or lamb on a skewer and then wrapping it with up to 30 feet of intestines. These intestines are cleaned well because they contain a lot of the waste from the animal. After barbequing it for an hour (or longer depending on the size) it is cut into small pieces and served as a course after the main dish. When asked how it tasted, we were told, “It tastes like seasoned soft goat meat.”Ask A Question
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Your Questions Answered
Today we provide some questions answered by our video producer, Sabriya Rice.
What is it like to work and travel with the team of scientists? What is your role?
As a journalist it's not unusual for me to speak with medical researchers and healthcare professionals over the phone, or even to interview them in person. But to actually travel with them and see exactly how they do what they do is a very unique opportunity. Traveling with the team of scientists really opened my eyes to the intricate details of their work. My role with Blue Zones is video producer, which basically means I help visually tell a story. Experiencing the expedition from "behind-the-scenes" with the scientists really helps enhance the story-telling and make each Blue Zone a one-of-a-kind learning experience.
What is your favorite part of participating in the Quest?
Being part of a Quest is like being a part of a daily adventure; every day brings something unexpected. Online, students from across the country guide us to help decide what area we should tackle the next day. The suspense waiting for their daily vote and the excitement of embarking on each new topic are my favorite parts of participating in the Quest.
Which is your favorite type of feature to write for the Quest?
My favorite types of features to write are the profiles. I believe everyone has a story, and if you sit and talk to people long enough, you'd be shocked by how amazingly interesting their lives truly are. As I was growing up, my parents always told me (like any good parent would), "Don't talk to strangers!" But, being the social butterfly that I am, I just couldn't help myself... and now, talking to strangers is somewhat of a prerequisite of my job. Have you ever chatted with a friend, learned some new detail about them, and thought "Wow! That's so cool!" Well, I feel like that with every new person I talk to. And chancing upon those gratuitous moments are what makes the profiles so fun, and so interesting, to write.
What is the number one thing you hope students get out of participating in the Quest?
The #1 thing I hope students learn from participating in the Quest is that YOU can influence your destiny. There are little things each of us can do everyday to live longer and healthier lives. Choices we make - whether it's choosing an apple instead of fries, or simply spending a little extra time with family - can not only add more years our lives, but make each day a happier one. So, I hope the lessons learned from the Quest travel with each student on their journey [hopefully, a nice long journey] through life.
The Bottom Line
Families continue to engage in many traditions together, like shepherding goats, on in Ikaria.
Educators & Students
Expand your Blue Zones experience with ePALS around the world. Find Longevity under the purple Projects tab at www.epals.com and connect with classrooms on the right. You don't need to do the whole Longevity project, just find each other and Skype or email about your Quest adventures.
Educators
For ideas on how to present the Blue Zones content each day, check out the Daily Discussion.
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