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Indigenous Cultures Provide Insights Into Modern Medical Mysteries
Do you ever wonder why there are so many medical conditions which are now prevalent, but unknown just a hundred years ago? Fibromyalgia is just one example. Diabetes is rampant, with childhood diabetes on the rise. ADHD, RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) and autism are now recognized as serious widespread conditions.
Despite our current focus on healthy lifestyles, these conditions remain a mysterious and growing threat. Do you remember when your grandparents ate bacon and eggs every day, with plentiful amounts of butter and dairy products? The rate of heart disease has dramatically increased in the past 50 years, notwithstanding the curtailment of these foods in our diets. Perhaps an in-depth look at indigenous cultures can provide some clues.
One of the most destructive medical conditions is diabetes. Diabetes is a condition where the body is unable to regulate the flow of insulin. Native Americans are particularly prone to this disease. In the indigenous culture of the Native American, sugar was almost absent from the diet. It's well known that Native Americans are particularly vulnerable to the effects of sugar. A case in point is a lack of tolerance for alcohol, which converts to sugar. Before Western influence took over, the typical Native American diet was heavy on salt and fat. Sugar in the form of corn, converted gradually as a complex carbohydrate, was the main source of sugar. It's interesting to note that this indigenous culture's diet, heavily laden with salt and protein, produced no adverse health results. Today, Native Americans who follow the modern, processed-food Western diets, are afflicted with diabetes at many times the national norm. A recent study revealed that there is a gene which causes insulin resistance.
A study of the traditional diets of indigenous cultures reveals that when the people become assimilated into modern society, they begin to suffer the effects of modern diseases. The Eskimo, surviving mainly on fish and salted foods, enjoys a long life in good health. When introduced to fast food and sugar laden, processed foods, the people are suddenly afflicted with diseases previously unknown in the indigenous culture. The same holds true in Asian cultures, with traditional diets consisting mainly of rice and fish. Once the people adopt Western diets, rates of disease rise exponentially. Yet no one seems to make the connection.
Besides the genetic factors, we must also consider refined foods and food additives. Refined foods, such as flour, strip many essential nutrients for the sake of appearance or convenience. As for food additives, a quick look at the effects of any one of the dozen or so found in almost every processed food is enough to curl your hair! Such chemical preservatives were never part of any indigenous culture's diet.
A closer look at the genetics of indigenous cultures and the deleterious effects of food additives seems warranted. Such research might well provide answers to some of these medical mysteries.
Summary
Some cultures are more adept at consuming ceertain foods with no adverse affects at all. Diets high in salt and other ingredients which are though to be bad for the body seem to suffer no ailments. The culprit seems to be in in adopting western diets which are higher in food additives than traditional fare of other countries.
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