Living In The Blue Zone: Longevity And Healthcare In Costa Rica

Good morning, this is Dennis J. Easters of PLD Atenas Realty in Atenas, Costa Rica. Today I want to take a moment to discuss with you two topics which I find very interesting and that are actually interrelated when pertaining to Costa Rica. The first is the topic of Blue Zones and the second will be healthcare in Costa Rica. Somewhere around 2008 or 2009 I stumbled across an article, I think probably either National Geographic or some other related type magazine on a guy who had written a book. His name is Dan Buettner, about Blue Zones around the world. And Blue Zones are these pockets in various areas of the world where people live to be advanced ages, into their 90s and sometimes 100 or more. So they consider these centenarians, supercentenarians. And those Blue Zones they had identified, that Dan and some of his colleagues identified were, um, Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Ikaria, Greece, Yorba Linda, California, and Nicoya, Costa Rica. So Nicoya, Costa Rica became a particular interest to me because I was already living in Costa Rica at the time. And I actually found that in my small village of Atenas, many of the people I met were well into their 90s and even above 100, living very healthy, active lives still. So this was of particular interest. But my interest in it actually goes back further than that because the small town that I grew up in, in Florida, I was surrounded by a lot of older people of my great-grandmother's generation, and they too were living into their 90s and over 100. So this is something that has piqued my interest for years. A couple of the things that, uh, Dan pointed out in the book The Blue Zones, uh, there were sort of these, uh, characteristics about these different areas of the world and how the people live that they felt contribute, or they feel contribute to their longevity. And at the top of the list was pure natural water, a healthy diet, lots of sunshine, hard work, lower levels of stress, the concept of family first and faith. Well, interestingly enough, uh, natural water sources and healthy diet are something that is really common here in Costa Rica. Most of our water source, or all of our water source, is highly protected here in Costa Rica. So no matter where you're living, especially if you're living in the countryside, chances are your water source is going to be from a well or a natural spring. And The water in Costa Rica has high calcium and high mineral content, which, as we all know, add to the quality of life and quality of health. We also have good source of food. Um, it is kind of a running joke in a way, but a lot of times people from the United States and Canada and Europe complain about, for example, beef being of a lower quality or a different quality in Costa Rica. Than other areas of the world. But the truth is, it is for two reasons. It's the breed of cattle, and secondly, it's because Costa Rican beef is grass-fed. It's a natural diet, which means that they are less likely to be given antibiotics, immunizations, and other things like that that keep them healthy from eating an unnatural diet, which is corn and grains. So having a natural grass-fed product, beef, is much healthier in Costa Rica. Another interesting thing is here we have over 360 days a year of sunshine, so you get the natural vitamin D that you need, and it just makes you healthy. Hard work. Here in the countryside, it is really common to see people going to work 5:30 or 6 o'clock in the morning. They're going out to tend their fields, take care of their livestock, and in the afternoon they'll stop and have a small break and then they'll go back to the fields and work. So this gives them natural exercise, sometimes quite strenuous, but it really gives them a good workout. So this is another factor that Dan Büttner contributed to long, healthy living, a great lifestyle. Lower stress. Costa Rica is known as the land of pura vida. And another concept in Costa Rica and other Latin American countries is this idea of siempre mañana. It's always tomorrow. So nothing is so urgent or so pressing that you can't do it tomorrow. So you don't have to stress about it today. If you don't get to it, you just don't get to it. That's life. We'll do it tomorrow. And if it doesn't happen tomorrow, it'll happen the next day. So lower stress levels, family first. Costa Rica and a lot of other Latin American countries really have a great focus on family. It is still common to see a household that is a multi-generational household. You will either have in the same house or on the same family compound, grandparents, their children, and their grandchildren and sometimes great-grandchildren. So you can easily see 2, 3, or 4 generations living under the same roof, or at least on the same family property. Great interconnectedness. They all take care of one another. And another point that, uh, Dan Butner pointed out when their research is faith— no matter what your religious background was, having a deep sense of faith, having those strong roots in your faith made a huge difference. And I see all of these things on a daily basis here, uh, living in Atenas, Costa Rica. But another thing that I think is vital to a healthy lifestyle and a long-lived life is your healthcare. And that is something else that we have, uh, in abundance and of good quality here in Costa Rica. We have a two-tiered healthcare system here in Costa Rica. We have a private and a public option. And what this two-tier system does is gives you easy access and affordability for healthcare. So it wouldn't be uncommon, especially for older people, if you're in the public system, to have your medical checkups every 3 months. You will have blood work done. You will— after your blood work, you will go for your doctor checkup or your doctor's appointment. You will typically spend anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes discussing things with your doctor. They will see how you're doing. They will ask how your family's doing, etc., etc. It's a little bit more social and less business. And then they'll check your blood work. Of course, they have checked your vitals. And they will give you your prescriptions for the next 3 months. So they're very proactive here with their healthcare. This keeps everyone healthy and keeps you a little bit more on top of things. Um, affordability is another key factor here. And if you're using the private system, then if you're coming from the US, you know how expensive healthcare has gotten. And while Costa Rica is more expensive than it was 15 or 20 years ago, it is still way more affordable than it is in the United States. You can have a private doctor's consultation here for anywhere from $60 to $90 for a private consultation, and, uh, I know that when I was visiting in the United States a couple years ago, I had to go to the doctor and, uh, I spent spent close to $300 for the office visit, and then I had to buy my medication. So it's still a fraction of the cost here in Costa Rica. I think these are really important factors, and, uh, as Andrew Henderson with Nomad Capitalist pointed out, you know, the United States is one of the most unhealthy places to live in the world. So if you're considering relocating somewhere in the world, why wouldn't you consider one of the healthiest places in the world? And that one of those places happens to be Costa Rica. So I have written extensively about these two subjects. I'm going to put links in the description of this video below to an article that I've written about Nicoya and the Blue Zones of Costa Rica, as well as healthcare in Costa Rica. I hope that you find this information useful, and we look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Have a great day from Matanzas, Costa Rica.