in atlanta. they're playing georgia tech. 80 straight regular season wins. it is unheard of. they've survived a scare against baylor on tuesday night, as you know. number two ranked team. they beat them by just one point. the women's record, long since theirs. the men's record, 88, ucla, they're closing in on that. alexander coliseum in atlanta, they're thinking about even a sellout today for women's basketball, which is hunl. very important to you, being a women's and men's basketball effort, my friend. >> rick horrow, as always, thanks so much. enough of the good sports guys. time for the good doctor now, sanjay. good morning. i'm dr. sanjay gupta reporting to you from kobe, japan, for a very special edition of "sgmd." health officials have converged here from all over the world to discuss a very important topic, urbanization. it's thought that more than half the world's population now lives in cities. that number is expected to grow. a lot of attractions living in a

city, but there are health challenges as well. for example, how do you disaster-proof your city? what about the air that you breathe? how do we make it cleaner? finally, all the sights and stimulations, what does that do to your brain? some of these areas are outlined, and most importantly, some of the solutions. let's get started. we start with this startling statement, the air in many cities around the world is simply too dirty to breathe. in fact, more than a billion people around the world are breathing in toxic air. this captured the attention of the w.h.o., and the question becomes, what can communities do to try to protect their citizens, and what can individuals do to try to protect their own health? what you're looking at is urbanization, or at least the consequences of it. big factories as your neighbors. here in kobe, it's a beautiful city, but they suffer from pollution problems like so many

cities do. you've got 15 factories in this small area, and you add to that the exhaust from cars, trucks, and buses, and you get that smog that hangs over so many cities. the problem is the air is just too dirty to breathe. here's the most frightening part. you're likely to not even notice it. your body becomes accustomed to this after just four days of breathing it in. these tiny particles are smaller than a strand of hair and inhaled almost like a gas. it constricts the muscles around the airways. think of it like breathing through a straw. all of it can impair your airway and cause increases in blood pressure, heart attack risk, and the chance of heart disease. you may think health impacts from breathing in toxic air would take years to develop. that's just not the case. on days when you have particularly bad pollution in cities, they say emergency room visits spike over the next 24 hours. it's not just adults that are at risk either. there are studies that show that babies,ing born pre-polluted with more than 230 chemicals in the system at the time of their birth.

truth is progress is starting to be made. in fact, there are places in china that i visited where they're starting to move the coal fire power plants outside the big urban areas into more rural areas, where fewer people are around. also in new york, there are new laws on idling of buses and trucks. of course, there are things we can all do to try to make our lives a little bit better. for example, driving less, using public transportation such as this. that can really help. also keeping in mind when pollution is at its worst. hot days are going to be worse. also during the midday, if you're exercising at these times, you're taking seven to ten times as much air and seven to ten times as much pollution as well. here's something else that may surprise you. indoor air quality can often be worse than outdoor air quality. sometimes 50% worse. open a window or at least make sure you have good ventilation. urbanization is here to stay, no question about t these are tips for individuals and for society to try and make the beautiful city that you live in a safe and healthy one as well.

you can't help but watch something like that and wonder what's the most polluted city on the planet? it's in china. imagine spending one day there is like smoking three packs of cigarettes. back in the united states, los angeles and phoenix are among the most polluted cities. there are good news. pittsburgh used to be one of the most polluted cities in the country. their numbers have gotten better, and people can expect to live about ten months longer on average as a result. coming up next, how do you disaster-proof a city against earthquakes and floods? we found out. ( woman ) even with an overactive bladder, i don't always let the worry my pipes might leak compromise what i like to do. i take care with vesicare, because i have better places to visit than just the bathroom. ( announcer ) once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle, and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks, day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder,

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we are back with a very special edition of "sgmd" from kobe, japan. i spent a lot of this year in the aftermath of disaster zones, after the floods in pakistan and after the earthquake in haiti. really got me thinking, how do you reconstruct a country after it suffered so much devastation? perhaps how could you prevent some of that devastation in the first place? those are the questions they're trying to answer here in kobe. a good model because an

earthquake happened here 15 years ago. so would you even know what to do if you found yourself in the middle of that? what we're experiencing here is a 6.9 magnitude earthquake. go into a corner of the room, structurally the most sound. stay away from glass as much as possible. also, cover your hands, cover your face, get underneath the table, if you have to. just something to protect yourself. of course, all of this is just a simulation, and that's what you need to do as an individual. but given that so many people live in urban centers all across the world, how do you recover and rebuild after something like that? that's exactly the question they were asking themselves in kobe, japan, in 1995. a 6.9 magnitude earthquake just like that one, 20 seconds in length, 200,000 buildings gone, 5,000 lives lost, and a lot of work to do to try to rebuild this place. kobe did it in less than ten years. now they serve as a model for

the rest of the world. a lot of lessons have been learned. for example, don't put all your disaster resources in one particular area. also, try to engage the survivors of the earthquake as much as possible in the rebuilding process. finally, hospitals, they have to be able to stay open and functioning even after an earthquake. of course, there are the buildings, the awful images like this one. remember, 200,000 went down. this was one of them. we'll take a look at what it looks like now. this is the same building, rebuilt quickly after the earthquake. what did they do specifically? they used materials here to try and isolate this building from the ground and the shaking that accompanies an earthquake. they also used metal plates to allow the building to move, as well as materials that sort of allow this building to sway if the ground is shaking. it is by no means perfect, and if you ask kobe officials, they say about 80% of the city is now rebuilt. there are some problems still. narrow thorough fares like this would be tough to navigate in the middle of an earthquake, and these buildings could come down into the streets, making rescues

that much more difficult. but the balance is always there, trying to maintain that japan has been for hundreds of years in the middle of all this reconstruction. one of the things is it's very much human nature to wait for a tragedy to occur before you do anything about it. it's true of things like earthquakes in terms of preparedness, also true of our own bodies. sometimes we wait for an illness before we're reminded to take care of ourselves. that's exactly what they're trying to address here in kobe, japan. preplanning to try to reduce the impact of any kind of natural disaster, whether it be an earthquake, floods, or all of things that are happening around the world today. there's things about living in cities that are quite attractive to people, but it does come at a price to some extent as well. what can you do to try to keep your brain as uncluttered as possible? i'll give you a hint. the answer is right behind you. fiber one chewy bar.

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life in the concrete jungle. that's what they call it. if you live in a city, you're probably used to something like this. problem is with so many different distractions, it's very hard to focus on one particular thing. it's called controlled perception, toggling back and forth between so many things, and it can leave you feeling mentally exhausted. there's no question that living in a city has a lot of advantages. shops open all hours of the day. you can buy things. there's also lots of cultural attractions. what we're finding more and more is that all of that comes with a price. there's an impact on the brain as well. in fact, here in japan, it's a big topic of discussion. they're talking about the fact that mental illness is one of the biggest health problems here, and they attribute it to this complex, high tech environment. suicide rate here in japan, no secret, is among the highest in the world. and the thing is that more people live in cities than ever before, and they're living in cities longer than ever. all of this is expected to get worse. here's why. all that stimulation, it can cause spikes to the stress

hormone known as court sol. as a result, it can be very difficult for the brain to hold things in memory, reduce your self-control, dull your thinking. it may even speed up cognitive decline just from living in a city. think of it as your brain more rapidly aging. but here's the part i like in all this, getting away from the stress associated with the chaos of the big city can be as simple as finding a place like this. in fact, recent studies have shown just glimpses of green areas can make a huge difference in your overall cognitive function. makes you less distracted, less stressed, and more relaxes. in fact, just a few minutes away from bustling kobe, japan, we found this place. it's a very old park. a lot of people come here for a few minutes a day. there are slihrines, and there ared good opportunities to find green space. that seems to be the key. find green space in your city and use them as much as possible. while i was here, i decided to

explore another interest of mine, acupuncture. i've been fascinated by this for a long time. it's a traditional chinese medicine that's been around for a couple of thousand years. here in japan, they have 40,000 people practicing this particular art. i decided to visit one of them. back in the united states incidentally, it's also become much more popular. about 3 million people using acupuncture regularly. 150,000 of them are children. insurance covering this for a lot of people as well. we decided to come and say hello. thanks for having me. appreciate it. >> nice to meet you. >> this is where you practice? >> yes, that's right. >> how long have you been practicing here? >> ten years. >> so patients come in here obviously. these are the needles? >> all of them disposable and different thickness. and different longs. >> patients come to see you for what? >> muscle l pain and joint pain, i see quite frequently. and any other internal problem, like digesting problem, allergic problem, and even psychological

problem, like a depression or something. >> headaches even, i understand, as well? >> yes. >> this is a model, right? this is what you use for your pressure points. >> that's right. >> can you talk me through this a little bit. >> you mentioned a migraine, right? >> yes. i suffer from migraines. >> okay, okay. i might use this point to approach around here to make your circulation better. >> so these meridians are what you really focus on. >> that's right. >> so you find a pressure point that could be well away from where something hurts, but actually putting needles in there seems to make a difference. >> that's right. >> let's take a look at my specific issue. i do suffer from headaches. you were showing me the pressure points. what would you do? >> for example, i have to check some acu points. >> so can i try this? can you just show me what you would do? >> yeah, sure, sure.

>> you want me to lie back? >> can you lie down, lie on your back? i'm just checking the condition of the points. so it's a quite common example for migraine. the thickness of the needle is like your hair. so very thin. >> very thin, okay. >> very thin. you're okay? >> i feel fine. >> okay. it's coming now. >> so i feel it, but it did not really hurt going in. >> okay. but you feel it? >> i feel it. >> and pain? >> it's sharp, yeah. >> can i give another one? >> sure. >> all right. >> i say hesitantly.

so kind of most people wouldn't get any benefit right away. it would take some time? >> well, sometimes right away, and sometimes it takes some time, next day. or even in a couple of days. >> all right. so that's a good example of what -- >> yes. and those points are on your meridian, which is the large -- >> the line that's going all the way up. >> that's right. >> just really quickly, why do you think this works? >> why? okay. we have so many meridians, like 14 meridians.

and 20 kinds of meridians. and all the meridians goes to all your organs, almost they cover the whole of your body. so now i give you this in at this, and at this point and this point, and those two points are very popular for, you know, our problem up here, located up here. >> and you're trying to restore balance, is that right? >> yes, that's right. >> so you got yin, you got yang. >> yeah, yeah, you know well. that's right. >> is that whatupuncture is really about, controlling that balance? >> that's right. >> this is fascinating. i know people will put dozens of needle in for one particular treatment, but we'll see if this works. thanks a lot.

♪ we are back with "sgmd" reporting to you from kobe, japan. very special show today, looking at the urbanization of our planet. one thing i've always been curious about is why do people in some parts of the world live so much longer than in others. here in japan, they have one of the highest life expectancies of

anywhere in the world. and what doctors will tell you, it doesn't have to do with genetics as it does with the environment and specifically diet. fish. it's a big part of the diet here. in fact, fresh fish available in markets like this every single day. and people come up and eat a lot of this fish. there are certain types of fish that people pay particular attention to. but you have obviously crab over here, big clam, small clams, but there are certain fish that are particularly good in terms of increasing people's life expectancy. mackerel for example lots of omega fatty acids, salmon, another great fish. but fish people eat every single day, one to two servings a day, compared to the united states where they eat a serving per week. what they're focused on is something known as omega 3 fatty acids. think of thises is a longevity substance. something that decreases risk of heart disease, decreases your chance of developing clogging in the arteries, decreases your

chances of stroke. by the way, tuna, as well, over here. tuna another good source of the omega 3 fatty acids. the price is expensive, about $8 to $10 for that piece of tuna. but it's the omega fatty acids that seem to make a difference. here in japan, people start eating fish at a young age and they continue eating that fish throughout their entire lives. also, other types of foods, seaweed, for example. you would be hard pressed to find that in many places, many grocery stores in the united states. find it pretty easily over here. it's a great source of antioxidants. a lot of people hear about omega 3 fatty acids and say great, but i simply don't like to eat fish. there are other sources. soy products, tofu, walnuts, flaxseed can help meet your requirements for omega 3 fatty acids. but keep in mind again one to two servings per day here in japan as compared to one serving per week. heart disease the biggest killer of men and women in the united states. here the rates here are about half of what they are back in the united states. you know, there's something else

they told me about here in japan, which i think is really important, as well. and that is this idea that you push the plate away before you're entirely full. you never stuff yourself. here in japan, they call that hara hachi bu. push that plate away. it's good advice whether you live here in japan or anywhere else in the world. we have much more "sgmd" right after this. [ male announcer ] montgomery and abigail haggins had a tree that bore the most rare and magical fruit, which provided for their every financial need. [ thunder rumbling ] [ thunder crashing ] and then, in one blinding blink of an eye, their tree had given its last. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable.

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♪ and we are back with a very special edition of "sgmd" reporting to you from kobe, japan. what a fascinating week it's been trying to look at lessons learned. to afly cities all over the world. the concept is urbanization. it's this idea that more people live in cities now around the world than do not. and by the year 2030, they expect that number is going to go up to 60%, 3 out of 5 people living in cities. so how do we make ourselves safer, healthier, more prosperous? like i said, there's lessons all over the world. for example, in mumbai, they recognize that simply being a pedestrian, even not during an earthquake, can be a dangerous

thing. so creating walkways, sky walks, like the ones you see there, keeping those pedestrians safe. that's a model. also in brazil, recognizing you can't always find green space and places of tranquility all over a city, so they're going to the second largest city in brazil into some of the poorest neighborhoods and giving those neighborhoods more than just a fresh coat of paint and lagos, nigeria, recognizing that sanitation so important you've got to protect yourselves and the air and water pollution that is such a big problem in so many cities. mobile toilets like the ones you've seen there can help with that. and back here in kobe, you know, again, they suffered a significant earthquake 15 years ago. the rebuilding has been such a process here, but they did it, they did it quickly, and they made the city safer and better than it ever was before. one of the things it's a little bit non-intuitive is this idea of incorporating communities. after the earthquake, they incorporated the survivors and always really respected the elderly, making sure, for ex