Following the passing last week of Gertrude Baines aged 115, the oldest person in the world mantle now passes to Japan's Kama Chinen. At 114, Ms. Chinen is one of 457 centenarians living in Okinawa Prefecture - the collection of islands in Southern Japan that as well as being home to Yaeyama Chlorella - boasts the highest life expectancy in the world.

Inhabitants of these sun-blessed islands average an incredible 81.2 years. Scientists are naturally keen to discover the secret of this remarkable longevity. Research points to the high quality air and water that are rich in minerals, as well as dietary and social factors.

Okinawans have a saying that 'food maketh the man', and end each meal with the thanksgiving 'nuchi gusui' - or 'medicine for life'.
Seaweed is an important part of the islander's diet. The seaweed Kombu is easily absorbed and offers a wealth of minerals and vitamins, dietary fibre and essential fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Almost 100 grams of seafood are consumed on average per day.

Healthy cuisine stretches back centuries in Okinawa with some festival pork dishes employing a process known as akunuki, where the the subcutaneous fat is carefully removed so that these healthy pork dishes are made with almost no saturated fat content. The Satsamu sweet potato has been a staple in these parts of many years and provides fibre, minerals, calcium, potassium and vitamins B1, B2 and C.

All of these factors, combined with an active lifestyle and a strong sense of purpose results in a vigourous and long-lived people. The pristine natural bounty - clean air, water and year-round sunshine make Okinawa an ideal location to grow chlorella. That's why this Ishigaki Island was chosen, and continues to produce the finest chlorella available.

In our first blog posting we wanted to share with you the chlorella experiences of Michael. His story really shows the powerful healing effects of chlorella, and the importance of spreading awareness of this extremely useful health tool.

"I started taking chlorella in August 2006. It was a tough time back then as I had just had invasive surgery to remove a malignant tumour in my mouth. I was just getting ready to undergo chemo and radiotherapy treatment at the start of August when I met with a friend who told me I simply must take chlorella. He managed to get me a very good quality supply to try and as treatment began I also started taking my daily dose of chlorella. I started off taking about 5 or 6 tablets a day and gradually built up to around 30. I was surprised that I instantly liked the taste. chlorella tastes healthy. If health was expressed in a taste, it would taste like chlorella. Quite acquired I would say and it's what I imagine grass to taste like. It tasted green! Like really good quality Japanese green tea, only a deeper, fuller, richer taste.

So, chemo and radiotherapy began. I had 6 weeks of radiotherapy planned for me and two sessions of intensive, all day chemo placed somewhere in the middle. I had to go to the hospital every single day for the whole six weeks and two of those days were spent all day at the hospital hooked up to a big bag of cisplatin, the chemical they were using for chemo. I think the first chemo treatment took place about two weeks into daily radiotherapy sessions and the last one was about a week before the 6 week treatment course finished.

I took my dose of chlorella every day. Depsite being blasted with toxic chemicals and radiation, I felt suprisingly okay during the 6 week treatment. I even worked on one of the days, presenting a local authority management seminar! I suffered practically no side effects from any of the treatments. There was no vomiting, no other illnesses like colds or viruses and although I did get some redness on my face it was not sore or uncomfortable. I think I had a sore throat a couple of times but really nothing to whine about. I actually felt quite energised for someone who had been through so much.

My friend continued to send the chlorella for some time after the treatment and I attribute my good health during and after to that. But that's not quite the end of the story. Around about January or February 2007 I stopped taking chlorella as my friend could not get hold of the supplier in Japan. I tried some other brands of chlorella but the quality was really quite poor and it did not have the same positive effects. I later found out that the way chlorella is grown, harvested and prepared is very important. Not all chlorella is made equal. So, in the absence of the best quality chlorella, I stopped taking it. I supplemented with a few other vitamins for a while and then around about the start of 2008 I went back to my normal diet and regime.

I was having (and still have) regular check ups with a team of doctors at the hospital. They continue to be very pleased with my overall health and I'm thankful the cancer has not returned. And then this year, January 2009 disaster struck. No, not in the form of cancer but quite a serious episode of mental ill health. I've had problems with mental health before and I had thought I was over the worst of it. I was mentally and emotionally strong all through the cancer. I'd even got back some lost confidence as I entered a new love relationship (the first after 5 years of singledom) so to find myself dropping all the pieces just after Christmas 2008 was devastating. In a way, dealing with the cancer was much more straighforward. Everyone understood that I was ill then, we could see the scans, even see the tumour before the surgery. This time, with mental illness, I felt utterly alone.

I saw a psychiatrist, had medications adjusted and started on the slow road to recovery. I took some time off work and did my best to remove all stress from my life. My family were hugely supportive and my friends too. Things were tough though, and I made the very hard decision to end the relationship that a few months earlier had brought me so much joy. I just couldn't cope. After about four months, I was feeling ready to start work again and get back on my feet. It was at about this time a very intense, heavy and persistant depression took hold. I managed a graded return to work but found I really could not get motivated, interested or work for very long. The only way I can describe it is to say that I just felt very, very unhappy, very alone and my self esteem had hit rock bottom.

I'd not heard from my friend who gave me the chlorella for some time. But in June of 2009, we met up and I learned that he had been working very hard to get a supply of the very best quality chlorella. I instantly wanted to help. And wanted to buy some! So, he sent some my way and my journey with chlorella began again.But, I was not prepared for the results this time.

After months of mental ill health, low feeling and lack of interest in life and after only 2 to 3 weeks of taking chlorella things improved. The first thing I noticed was a feeling I can only describe as 'clean inside'. Then, my mood gradually began to lift. The passionate, talented, motivated lover of life that I and others really knew me as returned. In addition, my minor IBS symptoms have all but disapeared, I can work for longer, I'm losing my excess weight and most importantly for me, I feel mentally much sharper. And, that important person I'd said goodbye to when I was ill has come back into my life and we're very happy.

I should probably mention that the chlorella my friend sent to me way back in 2006 was actually Yaeyama Chlorella. So, I wanted to let you know just how much of a difference this amazing green superfood has made to my life."