Page 6 - Spring2009

Letters

throughout the islands (mostly from After having recently completed brought Nourishing Traditions along,
Babelthuap), and I’m sure were exposed a certification in Nutritional Therapy, and there were a dozen special-needs
to varying amounts of processed and based on the teachings of Weston professionals in attendance, taking notes
adulterated foods, although their diets Price and others, I realized that I had a and fascinated by the entire concept.
were generally much more traditional number of photos that I took showing They were astounded by his “behavior”
than most of the other Palauan students mostly traditional people (my students) changes.
who went to school in the capital of with excellent tooth and jaw structure. Before changing the diet, he was
Koror (which had food markets, was I now use these photos in my nutritional subject to hallucinations. After the
near an airport, and catered heavily to classes instead of the ones that Weston change, he finally became potty-trained
the tourist trade). Price took, because they are more per- and the auditory and visual hallucina-
Freshly caught seafood of all va- sonal to me. tions vanished. He had been headed
rieties, manioc (tapioca) and taro were Jack Leishman, NTP toward a psychosis-nos, or “autistic psy-
staples of their diet. Ibobang was an Talent, Oregon chosis” diagnosis. It’s now been nearly
isolated village (the only way in was five years and he continues to make huge
by boat), and a core part of our cur- A FASCINATING CONCEPT leaps in his progress.
riculum was teaching natural, local, A big thank you to WAPF. Your My son is adopted and received
traditional and sustainable methods so work and efforts have meant a great deal nothing but sugar-water and formula
that our students would not be reliant on to our family, especially to our autistic until we brought him into our home
a monetized economy from outside the son. Within thirty days of putting him on when he was eleven months of age.
islands. raw goat milk, grass-fed meats, cod liver Developmentally, he was like a two-
While the villagers used processed oil and fermented foods, I received an month old—no muscle coordination for
sugar in some of their cooking, there inquiry from our school district asking grasping foods, unable to sit or crawl,
was little else in the way of processed me why I’d not informed them I’d put my screaming nonstop, and engaging in
and adulterated foods in their diet (at son on psychotropic meds. When I told some pretty severe self-mutilation. It’s
least as far as I remember, even though them I had not put him on meds, they been a long road, but now he’s doing
that wasn’t a focus of my attention in challenged me, requesting a meeting. I great. One of his doctors, Dr. Martha
those days). Herbert, (Cambridge) took a nutritional

HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMEN FROM THE VILLAGE OF IBOBANG, ISLAND OF BABELTHUAP, REPUBLIC OF BELAU

4 Wise Traditions SPRING 2009