posted
Awesome folk with incredible physical capabilities... These people, living in Chihuahua, Mexico, run all the time...they live in mountainous areas and can run for so long, hundreds of miles, that their hunters, chasing deer, eventually capture the deer as the deer collapses from sheer exhaustion!!!
So, what does this have to do with Lyme?
Well, scientists have determined it is not inherent genetics that produces such incredible physical endurance in the Tarahumaras...
It's mostly their diet.
They basically live on a diet that's 80 percent carbs, 10 percent fat and 10 percent protein, mainly from corn, beans, squash, and some other fruits and veggies, with occasional goat meat, fish, or other small wild animals. And of course, absolutely no processed foods- all foods are whole and natural. And notice too, NO dairy products, margarines or oils.
I'm very concerned that it seems the current trend for treating Lyme disease is low carb, high protein and high fat, just the complete opposite of the Tarahumara diet.
Think about it- if these people can perform such incredible physical feats (and if you don't believe me, just do a google search and find out for yourself, there are even medical journal articles on these people and their physical abilities) with such a low fat, high carb diet, then shouldn't Lyme patients, who need the most optimal diet available, be following the same diet???
I've tried a diet similar to this, in the past (before I had Lyme), and I noticed that it helped me to think much quicker, speak much quicker, and have more energy, especially for exercising (walking or jogging). I'm pretty much recovered from Lyme, but still some lingering symptoms...but I think I'm going to try this diet too, see if it helps...I just read about the Tarahumaras today...
posted
fascinating! i just finished reading the lehigh-link article. awesome.
i agree taht its conditioning, but i believe that with them its more so mental conditioning.
i saw these indians on a globetrekker tv series, where the host, who looked approx 25y.o., and approx. twice the height of the avg. height of the indian,and in good shape, if a little out of tune; probable former high school/college athlete. after several attempts, he gave up lifting a 3X5-6ft. tree trunk for the campfire. the guy gave up after the third attempt!
with that, a 40-50+y.o. indian, approx. 5'5" then, semi-impatiently went over to the log,hoisted it over his shoulder, and almost breathlessly carried the log 10-20 feet to the area of the campfire.
watching this guy made me sit up on the couch to watch him closely. i was almost amazed watching him.
posted
a good contender for the indians would be some good high school wrestlers. their physical training has the same rigor as demanded by copper mountain area of mexico, esp. if the training requires running up and down 6 flights of a corporate stairwell for 15 min., and running laps.
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
Wow. I really believe diet is key to health. But I am somewhat confused. Their diet sounds very acidic and I'm reading so much about how important an alkaline diet is to our disease.
Am I wrong about the acidity of their diet? Beans and corn, aren't they acidic?
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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treepatrol
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 4117
posted
There building them a childrens hospital I guess there doing so hot.
Heres the mission statement:
The Tarahumara Children's Hospital Fund was established in 1983 as an independent, non-profit, tax deductible organization. Our purpose is to raise money in the United States to support vital services provided to the Tarahumara Indians in Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico.
The 60,000 Tarahumara Indians who live in the Sierra Mountains maintain life styles much like their ancient ancestors. Many still live in caves, without electricity or running water. Their dire poverty results in malnutrition, parasites, and many intestinal diseases, which still claim 40% of their children before their fifth birthday.
The mission Tarahumara, headed by a compassionate Jesuit priest, provides a range of services to the Tarahumara people. First, a medical clinic was created. Today, it has 75 beds, 2/3 for children. The mission also has been responsible for digging water wells which provide safe drinking water to many villages. A boarding school has been developed which teaches Indian children about their own culture, the Spanish language, and teaches them skills to make a living as farmers, craftsmen, and teachers of their people.
Obviously, the Tarahumara people do not have the currency to pay for services themselves. The mission must rely on the support of foundations and individuals who recognize the importance of both preserving a cultural heritage and ensuring the healthy future of a tribal community. Father Luis Verplancken, the Mission's administrator, believes strongly in helping people help themselves. The Mission does not just provide charity today. It trains and uplifts the Indian people so that they can provide for themselves tomorrow.
The additional site information will tell you more about the Mission Tarahumara. Thank you for considering this request for assistance.
-------------------- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember Iam not a Doctor Just someone struggling like you with Tick Borne Diseases.
lymie tony z
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5130
posted
Go ahead and be a guinea pig for the rest of us...
Personally, carbs and I(and my strain of chronic lyme) do not agree.
Carbs in my diet always bring on pain and fatigue.
zman
-------------------- I am not a doctor...opinions expressed are from personal experiences only and should never be viewed as coming from a healthcare provider. zman Posts: 2527 | From safety harbor florida(origin Cleve., Ohio | Registered: Jan 2004
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lymemomtooo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5396
posted
Sounds also like a Spartan existence. Survival of the fittest. Others die.
Posts: 2360 | From SE PA | Registered: Mar 2004
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The totally alkaline foods are fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted grains and legumes, in other words raw foods.
The Book alkalyze or die has lots of good charts of relative acidity of foods.
This is a quote from on of the above referenced articles
"One example of this is illustrated in recent years. The government has been illegally taking away the Tarahumara's land to expand logging practices. In response to this, the indians simply stand idly by and let it happen and retreat further into the Barranca del Cobre into even more harsh environmental conditions."
Which would explain why some of their population is getting frail and needing assistance.
It is common for previously very healthy populations to start having lots of health problems post contact with the industrialized rest of the world. It does not mean that their traditional diet or way of life was off balance, it just shows how easily it is messed up with contact.
With alot of these diets while the bulk was corn/beans, the other variety of traditional greens and fruits was very key to health.When people try to join our industrialized society form a traditional society they are often then buying food, usually just the beans/corn--very little now expensive greens etc... Also, traditional local grown corn has trouble conpeting with the cheap agrobusiness chemicalized corn at the market, so they are not even getting the same corn they used to. And, sugar and alcohol and oil have now generally been added to the diet.
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
My doctor just yesterday gave me information on how to eat alkaline. On this list, dry beans and corn were listed as acidic.
I totally agree that eggs, dairy and all meats are acidic. Green veggies and most fruits are alkaline (other stuff too).
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
My doctor just yesterday gave me information on how to eat alkaline. On this list, dry beans and corn were listed as acidic.
I totally agree that eggs, dairy and all meats are acidic. Green veggies and most fruits are alkaline (other stuff too).
I try to eat alkaline and bloodtest always come up PH 7 so I must do pretty good. Beans are in my diet as well as some meat sometimes. I avoid corn because I suspect a food allergy.
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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Sparky
Unregistered
posted
Interesting point, treepatrol.
What about the deer? My (off duty) service dog cornered a sickly deer in Colorado. She bit its hindquarters trying to bleed it. I got her away, but my dogs face had 5-6 ticks just that quickly. I wouldn't want to be chasing down a vector borne disease! Bad enough I caught it on a leisurely stroll out to my tent in a state park (Annadel--Santa Rosa, CA.) while living homeless. (Still am by the way, but I'm not here today to glorify poverty! It's a rough way to live, however relative.)
Another thing:
Tree Patrol wrote:
"Their dire poverty results in malnutrition, parasites, and many intestinal diseases, which still claim 40% of their children before their fifth birthday."
Sounds like us! Terrible infant mortality rate, only its greed that's the monster here. (See my letter below with reference to U.S. infant mortality rate)
I just read the Spark Notes of "Les Miserables". Looks worth reading. Any feedback?
To the Editor:
The U.S. ranks #1 in amount of healthcare spending per person yet 37th in healthcare performance (World Health Organization). Of all industrialized countries listed, we are second-to-last in disabled persons earning capacity (annex to Society-at-a-Glance 2002).
Furthermore, New York Times editorialist Nicholas Kristoff cites the C.I.A. World Factbook listing the U.S. 42nd in infant mortality, a "national disgrace....that the average baby is less likely to survive in the U.S. than in Bejing or Havana" (The New York Times; 1/12/05).
And according to Dr. Kenneth Liegner's testimony before the New York State Assembly Committee on Health (11/27/01), a 7-year-old Lyme disease patient was kept alive on expensive medication until, due to insurance company policy, "she died within one month of cessation of intravenous antibiotic treatment".
Although the U.S. is the only industrialized country with no pharmaceutical price cap, "The National Institutes of Health said rules designed to reduce conflicts of interest at the agency went too far. So instead of barring thousands of employees from owning stock in pharmaceutical and bio-technology companies, only about 200 senior employees will be affected...." ('NIH Revises Ethics Rule on Stock Ownership'; USA Today; 8/26/05).
Tragically,"Right-to-Life" proponents oppose universal healthcare, practicing socio-economic Darwinism in creating more American road kill.
posted
the malnutrition, parasites, etc. partly explains the avg. age of death of 45y.
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
People who live at high elevations live longer. They tend to rapid breathe, since there is less oxygen at higher elevations.
This is also playing a part.
In the news after the last Olympics...athletes used to bulk up on complex carbs (pasta, etc.) to supply energy.
Now they drink chocolate milk to supply the other alkaline nutrients to offset the lactic acid produced when exercising.
Think about WHY we are sending powdered chocolate milk and peanut butter to Africa. Besides malnourishment.
Posts: 9424 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
Another point -- the nutrient requirements of a healthy person and a sick person are totally different.
Requires protein to rebuild and repair tissues.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
Main Category: Hypertension News Article Date: 10 Jan 2006 - 18:00pm (PDT)
"People who eat more protein from vegetables tend to have lower blood pressure, according to a new study in the January 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals."
posted
Almost any "primitive" - and I use this term with respect and even awe for how advanced many of these people were/are - peoples have health far beyond what any of us can even understand. I'm not talking about malnourished, starving tribes in Africa or North Korea - I'm talking about tribes that live in completely non-industrialized areas where their lifestyle and diet hasn't significantly changed for thousands of years.
Now, with that said, there are SO many factors contributing to health, it is almost impossible to isolate the "one thing" responsible for a healthy group of people. Case in point: the Japanese live longer, have lower rates of heart disease and cancer than Americans, and they eat soy, so . . . soy must be a healthy food! Right? Soy clearly isn't the miracle food the 'natural health' community would have you believe (and I have authority to say that because I used to believe it).
Might there not be other factors, including but by no means limited to their consumption of fish, or fermented/pickled foods, or less food in general, or even non-dietary issues such as exercise (many ride bicycles, perhaps?), climate (especially exposure to sun), environmental toxicity (indoor and outdoors), and my own personal favorite, not wearing shoes in the house (assuming they still do this).
Could even be a genetic thing, although this is unlikely since immigrant Japanese who resort to American lifestyle seem to mirror our statistics pretty closely.
So I'm definitely in favor of the native Tarahumara diet since it is devoid of processed foods and is clearly contributing to their good health. Wait. I mean I'm definitely in favor of the Tarahumara diet for the Tarahumaras! I know that if I tried it I would get very sick. I used to eat an all organic, all natural diet with ratios very similar to those given, and despite watching acid/alkaline balance, food combining, and all of the other conscientious dietary modifications, I got very sick until I switched over to a very "acidic" diet loaded with grass-fed red meat, free-range eggs, raw kefir, cultured veggies, and coconut oil/milk, at which point my health stabilized.
What I'm saying is there are certain principles we all should agree on - processed foods are bad for you, organic is best, trans fats are Satan's sweat - but there are other things that are unique to each of us, and that includes our age, gender, global location, metabolic type, and level of neurotoxicity.
I do great with extremely high levels of "good fats" and protein with a minimum of carbs, but I'm 21, male, I live in Northeastern US where there's little sunshine, I'm clearly a protein type (see Mercola.com for metabolic typing), and I'm as neurotoxic as they come - which means my cells are congested and the cell membrane doesn't function properly, thus necessitating the constant supply of good fats.
If you do well with the Tarahumara diet then you are almost certainly a 'carb' type. Just make sure you get the fats you need (especially arachidonic acid), both to stimulate the production of bile (your body's first defense against neurotoxins) and to literally repair the cell membrane.
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