Letters, Fall 2016

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ON THE WISE TRADITIONS JOURNEY IN KENYA
“I know and I promise that there will be a very huge u-turn for my community. We will be turning to where we came from.” Dickson Gisa, a leader in his Maasai village, spoke these words to me in a conversation in his home this past May. Dickson, you may remember, is the Kenyan who took the initiative to contact the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) a few years ago. He had come across the WAPF Wise Traditions principles and they resonated with him to such a degree that he asked WAPF to send someone to his community because, as he put it, “We are all getting sick.” So WAPF honored his request, and in 2015, as part of the WAPF international outreach program, they sent Mary Gerke and me to his remote village in Matapato, Kenya, not far from the Tanzania border.

This past May, I returned to Kenya and to Dickson’s community to follow up. There I was able to observe the changes they had already implemented as a result of the previous year’s visit. Nowhere was this more evident than in Dickson’s own home. In the past year, his wife Joseline had given up her job as a preschool teacher to cultivate an extensive garden on their land. (Dickson told me that Joseline made this choice very deliberately so that their family could avoid purchasing food from the shops and grocery stores.) On their land, she grows traditional greens, kale, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, bananas, cassava and much more! Her harvest is so abundant that she has enough for her own family and then some. Members of her community often buy her surplus food to sell at market.

There were more promising signs everywhere I went. On Saturday morning, the community’s youth group, comprised of eighteen- to thirty-year-olds, affirmed that they wanted to continue the traditional foods “campaign.” That afternoon, following a presentation, the pastor stood up and suggested that all women present begin cooking traditional foods again “starting now.” And the next morning at church, the pastor spoke of incorporating Wise Traditions principles into their church programs. There was general agreement, and a church elder even stood up to show his support, saying, “Just like we need to change our attitude toward God, we need to change our attitude toward feeding and health.”

Shortly after my visit, Dickson agreed to become a chapter leader for WAPF in his village. I am convinced that he will navigate the u-turn well, and will lead his Maasai brothers and sisters toward better health.

Back in Nairobi, I found more opportunities to spread the word about WAPF. I addressed a group of Rotarians from East Kenya at the Nairobi Club. The Rotarians were intrigued by my message about wellness through traditional diets and promised that their next meeting would be over a more traditional meal. They peppered me with questions and at the end of my talk, they urged me to become a Rotarian to gain a broader audience around their country and the world.

Later that week, I caught wind of an organic farm that made weekly deliveries to the capital. I knew I had to visit it. When I arrived at Mlango Organic Farm, it seemed like paradise to me. The glorious rainbow of vegetables covered the hillside, which was green and lush—quite a contrast from dusty, dry Nairobi. A Kenyan, Kamande and his Dutch wife Els established this farm in 2007. At Mlango, they are committed to organic, sustainable practices. They use no chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Visitors to the farm can harvest a basketful of veggies for a flat (affordable) rate. We reaped a cornucopia of fresh vegetables to share with our friends in Nairobi. And from that day forward, we spread the word about this wonderful resource to our Kenyan friends.

I made other wonderful connections before leaving Kenya but a highlight was definitely my time at By Grace, a boarding school and orphanage about an hour from the city. There, elementary-aged students through high school-aged receive instruction and guidance. When the lead educators asked which group I wanted to address, I pleaded for both, and thankfully, they conceded. I read Sandrine Love’s book The Adventures of Andrew Price to the younger students and used it as a visual aid with the older ones. Adults and children alike were interested in what I had to say.

The truth is, wherever I went in Kenya, I felt their signature karibu welcome. And it made me happy to have something to give them in return. I spread WAPF brochures (and podcast postcards, too) far and wide! I can say with certainty that many Kenyans are now benefiting from WAPF resources. Thanks to your donations and membership contributions, I’d say that the Wise Traditions journey in Kenya is off to a tremendous start.
Hilda Gore, chapter leader
Washington, DC

BRINGING BACK THE MILK CURE
I first became interested in a dietetic career after my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer about eighteen years ago. With the advice of a local naturopathic doctor in my hometown, he adopted a diet of raw fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meat and raw dairy products while eliminating carbonated, sugary drinks; he also cleaned his digestive tract fairly well by incorporating colonic cleanses. His prostate cancer went into remission, and his PSA count decreased from 5.5 to 1.1 in several months.

Current technology and medicine have a role to play in today’s world of health care, but society has become too dependent on their limited successes in dealing with chronic diseases. I must confess my increasing frustration with the lack of education our medical system is receiving and in the teaching of sound nutritional principles. True story: a registered nurse went to her doctor seeking medical advice on her pre-diabetic condition. The doctor’s response was that she “didn’t need to do anything until she had diabetes.” Then, once a person gets diabetes, the doctors insist that it is progressive and irreversible. Another example: an “experienced” dietitian found my discussion on lactose intolerance and raw milk “concerning,” dismissing the peer-reviewed scientific research on raw milk reducing asthma and allergy risk among a sample size of over twenty-three thousand children as “controversial.”

It is my desire to work in a setting that will allow me to provide healthy, real-foods nutritional advice to bring about true healing, an area where I can promote solid, WAPF/PPNF principles; mainstream hospitals just do not seem to support this ideology at this time, though there are signs of improvement.

What we need is a return to the old ways, the true ways, the healing ways, of our wise ancestors and their generation of highly intelligent doctors (in actuality, nutritionists) to bring about effective yet inexpensive treatments like the milk cure. We also need health practitioners to use their clinics and clinical experience to produce solid scientific proof that the milk cure, which uses one of God’s greatest comestibles, may truly be our saving medicine.

Does anyone know of a clinic or sanitarium already in existence (somewhere in the U.S., preferably on the East Coast) where this protocol is currently in action? If so, I would very much like to hear from you and see what can be done (and possibly join your team) about putting this sustaining, non-toxic protocol on the medical map again.
Daniel Andras, MS, RD
Greenville, South Carolina

A TREATMENT FOR CONCUSSION
I recently noted Wise Traditions had an article on concussions. As a natural health practitioner for many years I want to share what I have used for numerous concussions with success. Simply have the injured person hold a zinc-plated bolt (preferably a five-inch one) in their right hand for ninety minutes. The concussion generally heals within that time frame. The person notes a dramatic difference.

Of course this is anecdotal. This is not scientifically validated. It has only been my experience. One example: A child fell about four feet onto pavement. The mother heard the skull crack and could see the child was not eye-tracking well, which is evidence of one or more concussions. She held the bolt in the child’s hand as the child was too young to be trusted to do this herself. Followup CT scans showed nothing—to the amazement of the doctor.

I have used zinc-plated bolts as therapies for many situations. The results have been excellent when appropriately used and very consistent for concussions. If it doesn’t work you aren’t out much. If it does and no one believes you, that is okay too. The issue is about getting well, not waiting on the studies to see whether it works! Zinc-plated bolts appear to change the energy field of the body to increase the potential for healing greatly. I have also used this remedy to clear up skin problems and to offset exposure to uranium. There are many amazing stories!
Connie Newcome
Inman, Kansas

LOVE THOSE PODCASTS!
Thank you for producing such great podcasts. Listening to the Wise Traditions podcast is definitely my “Monday treat” and something I love to share about. I thought it might be fun for you to know how our pasture-based Botany Bay Farm has promoted your podcasts recently.

In every carton of eggs we sell we include a paper insert that fits neatly under the carton lid. These inserts are different each week and they always incorporate some sort of health concept or quote that I (the “Farm Mom”) illustrate. The more folks listen to your podcast, the more they are encouraged to look for farmers like us. When your listeners thrive, farmers thrive. It’s a win-win! Thanks again for your interesting, informative and helpful work.
Cherie Sturtevant
Brush Prairie, Washington

REAL PURPOSE
I am a retired FDA employee. I have a friend I worked with at the FDA—also now retired. He is a PhD microbiologist. His opinion is that the real purpose of vaccinations is to dumb down the population in order to make the population easier to control.
Name withheld
LAWSUIT
I am a California resident and recently read about the lawsuit against SB277. I can’t even begin to express my heartfelt gratitude for the Weston A. Price Foundation stepping up as one of the founding plaintiff organizations supporting this lawsuit. There has never  been a more important time than this to  protect our individual rights for health freedom.

With this in mind, many of us are wondering how we can support you in this effort. There have been so many scam fundraising activities around various campaigns we want to make sure we put our money to good use and we trust the Weston A. Price Foundation more than anyone else. Do you have a fundraising campaign that we can contribute to supporting these lawsuit activities? If so, please let us know so that the information can be sent to all California chapters.

Many blessings to all of you for standing up for us in this important fight.
Stephanie Vargo
Los Altos, California

CHLORIDE
I read the letter to the editor called “Thyroid Malfunction,” by Roger A. Wacek (Summer 2016). He says that fluorine, chlorine and bromine (all halogens) will replace iodine in a chemical reaction. This is true but we need to realize that in the body chlorine (or chloride, in its inorganic state) will not try to “push” iodine out of the  thyroid, like bromine and fluorine do. The reason is that chloride is used to make hydrochloric acid in the stomach (H+Cl-), so it never really gets a chance to get all the way up to the thyroid and cause havoc, like bromine and fluorine can and will do. Just a minor point; otherwise the letter is correct.
John Garbarini
Canar, Ecuador

RAW MILK DOES NOT SPOIL
Thank you Cindy Ashy for writing the article on raw milk in Humboldt County (Winter 2015). It is very informative for all those who were not there. One minor point: the article states that milk has to be frozen to “prevent spoilage.” Good raw milk does not spoil, but sours into a wonderful new product.

There is a woman in our milk circle who had severe osteoporosis in her late seventies. She joined our circle and began drinking clabbered milk. About three years later she brought me her test results and they showed great improvement! Personally I pretty much only drink fermented or clabbered milk. It is great for my long travels and one of the best foods on the face of the earth. For my husband though, I have to put his milk on ice for the four-hour pickup journey and then freeze once I get home, as he does not like the taste of sour milk.
Judith Mudrak, chapter leader
Southampton, New Jersey and Bern, Switzerland
NUTRITION AND DENTAL ARCHES
I just returned from a visit to my home town in Minnesota. Going home stirs up emotions, especially when I see the unhealthy people there. It makes me sad. Looking at the children, even those in my family who have fish and venison in the diet, I see narrow arches, not enough room for the teeth, and girls who are all legs, but have narrow faces, glasses and even scoliosis.

I have talked with them about this, but they just don’t get the fact that this is nutritional. Also we have an additional challenge, which Price did not witness, and that is the toxins in kids today from so many vaccines. These prevent proper nutrient absorption, especially of the fat-soluble vitamins.

Since Price’s main discovery was about teeth, dental arches and bone structure, I would love to see more articles with photos of today’s kids, with good and bad development, which I can then show my family. The parents just don’t get it that these structural problems can be prevented with diet, and are not genetic. Maybe along with healthy babies, we should show children with less than optimal structural development—then clearly list foods to eat and not to eat.
Laura Snyder
Bridgeman, Minnesota

BIRTHDAY FEAST
Many years ago when we were living on the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada, one of our neighbors was an Inuit family. As things turned out Jacob, the father in this family, was raised by his grandparents who were still living the traditional Inuit lifestyle. He had polio and was sent to live in a hospital for several years. When he finally came home, he couldn’t relate to the noise and confusion of his big family and his parents sent him to live in the “bush” with his grandparents. There he was an only child, a treasure. Jacob was the lucky one living the traditional life of his ancestors. For this reason, Jacob knew that on his son’s first birthday, he would need to hunt a seal and prepare it for this important milestone in his precious son’s life. Carefully he carved a beautiful wooden harpoon and prepared himself for hunting. He also took his twenty-two rifle. This celebration called for raw seal liver. He did this without a word outside his family.

On the day of the celebration, a potluck, I sent our two sons, two and four years of age, to trundle on over the trail that led to Jacob’s house. The boys were raised walking the trails and knew exactly where they were going. I was to follow with our potluck dish shortly. Walking up to the house, I could hear gleeful laughter, happy chatter and hurried on in to join our friends. What I saw is etched in my mind forever. Jacob, quiet, gentle soul that he was, was holding his son on his lap. On either side of him, all the neighborhood children were crowded together sitting at the long wooden table, their faces smeared with bright red blood. Jacob had his side knife, a huge blade as was valued by wilderness folks, with a small thin dark red piece of seal liver. He had two candles lit and was carefully inspecting the raw meat. Then he deftly held the blade over his son’s mouth and dropped it in. All the children were begging to be next, like little birds lined up to receive their share, mouths gaping wide. No hands, no touching the giant knife and they all clamored for more. Jacob seemed to know the right amount and each child was happily slurping the liver. It was a sight to behold!
Victoria Schneider, chapter leader
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

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