Letters, Winter 2023

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FANTASTIC WEEKEND

As I was driving home from the Wise Traditions conference, enjoy­ing beautiful autumn foliage views drenched in sunshine across the Mid­west plains, I was moved to tears with great optimism reflecting on the won­derful people I had just met. I realized I have optimism for our country for the first time in a long time, thanks to gathering with and meeting fellow members who are top notch. I’m so grateful to be part of the WAPF family these past three months. Thank you for a fantastic weekend and the knowledge that will stay with me for a lifetime. You have blessed my family.

Emily Coello
Wichita, Kansas

CHANGED MY LIFE

The Weston A. Price Foundation has changed my life and the lives of my family members. When I was twenty-one years old and a married mom of two small children, I got sick. I got really sick. I was also depressed and had lost the joy of living. To say my future seemed hopeless and bleak is an understatement. I went to traditional doctors and received no help. The most one doctor did was take a look into my ears and tell me that it appeared that I was having an allergic reaction and to take some Benadryl to see whether I felt any better.

On a whim I decided to try a weird “witch doctor” to see whether I could get any guidance. I walked into her of­fice and was immediately surprised at her warmth and joy. She informed me that my body was in a whirlwind and the first thing I could do was get rid of inflammatory foods such as gluten and eat steak and eggs fried in butter instead while we waited on the results of my blood lab work. I was aghast! Steak and eggs fried in butter?! Give up healthy (improperly prepared) grains? She also gave me the Nourishing Traditions cookbook to take home and study. This was the beginning of a total transforma­tion in my mind, body and spirit.

I am forever grateful and happy to say that myself and my family are enjoying the fullness of life. The many resources that the Weston A. Price Foundation provides are invaluable and life-changing! Thank you soooo much!

Kristill Williams
Pensacola, Florida

TRADITIONAL AND PROCESSED OILS

Toward the end of the article “The Omega-6 Apocalypse” (Summer 2023), the author, Dr. Chris Knobbe, mentions that he doesn’t consume olive oil, and that he also does not recommend palm oil, because it contains about 10 percent linoleic acid and is subjected to heat extraction, though he finds palm kernel oil, extracted through cold pressing and with around 2 percent linoleic, to be acceptable.

I found this article to be well re­searched and presented good resources, but as olive oil (in limited amounts) and palm oil are generally suggested as “good oils” by the WAPF, the fol­lowing points and references may be of additional interest to some.

In agreement with Dr. Knobbe’s sentiments about palm oil is this ob­servation noted in an article on red palm oil (RPO) in Informed Magazine (February, 2017), that RPO [generally unrefined] contains beneficial com­ponents not present in RBD [refined, bleached, deodorized] palm oil, and does not contain two detrimental ones: 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters and glycidyl esters. These contaminants are formed during the high-temperature deodorization of palm oil. According to the article, “The hot topic in palm oil refining today is the MCPD and glycidyl esters issue. Red palm oil is, almost by definition, low in glycidyl esters and may also contain less 3-MCPD esters because it is more mildly refined. So maybe that could cause a renewed interest in red palm oil.”

However, also from this article is this statement: “. . . without any processing, crude palm oil (CPO, com­pletely unrefined) has limited utility in the kitchen. . . Red palm oil in its crude form is very strong tasting. It’s very pungent and has a smell like over­ripe mushrooms. It’s not very palatable

. . . Companies have tried to introduce crude palm oil into the market, but it has not done well because it doesn’t taste good, and it’s hard to use in the kitchen.” In addition, CPO contains free fatty acids (FFA), moisture, trace metals and other impurities that limit its shelf life.

In contrast to Dr. Knobbe’s con­cerns about heat-processed palm oils are the following citations from other sources. From Palm Oil Miracle, by Dr. Bruce Fife (viewable online at archive.inflammatory.org): “The oils that are most vulnerable to the damage caused by heating are the ones that contain the highest amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Monosatu­ rated fatty acids are chemically more stable and can withstand higher tem­peratures, yet they too can be oxidized and form toxic byproducts if heated to high temperatures. Saturated fatty acids [however] are very heat stable and can withstand relatively high temperatures without oxidation” (pages 38-39).

“Increasing consumption of poly­unsaturated vegetable oil has increased the amount of linoleic acid in the diet, which is converted into prostaglandins that increase allergic sensitization. In contrast, saturated fats do not promote inflammation or allergic sensitization” (page 129).

“When red palm oil is refined and transformed into white palm oil, some of its nutrients are removed. With a relatively high saturated fat content and fewer nutrients, some may question whether white palm oil is still good to eat. The answer is ‛yes.’ Although red palm oil is nutritionally superior, white palm oil is still a healthy choice” (page 71).

“Carotenes give virgin [RPO] its distinctive red color. When palm oil is refined, almost all of the carotenes are removed. Thus the oil becomes a light yellow when liquid or white when solid. Not all of the nutrients are lost, however. While some tocopherols and tocotrienols are removed, surprisingly most of them remain. Refined palm oil retains 67 percent of tocopherols, 73 percent of the tocotrienols. So white palm oil is still a good source of vitamin E. White palm oil is chemically stable, resistant to oxidation, and contains the antioxidant power of tocopherols and tocotrienols” (page 71).

Additionally, certain manufactur­ers mention that they minimally process RPO. For instance, one popular brand mentions on their website that their organic red palm oil is not raw, and that to extract the oil, fresh-harvested organic palm fruit bunches are steamed at around 200°F to release the oil from the fruit, then cold expeller-pressed to further separate the oil (nutiva.com/ products/organic-red-palm-oil).

Concerning olive oil, aside from its generally limited suggested use by the WAPF (such as typically only as a salad oil or for light cooking or stir-frying, mostly because it is a monounsaturated oil and doesn’t react well to high heat), due to commercial labelling regula­tions it has also become difficult to find high-quality sources for it, as has been widely reported. Perhaps both of these reasons contribute to Dr. Knobbe’s rationale for avoiding it, but it is still also traditionally considered a good oil in moderation with reliable sources.

I found this otherwise to be a well-researched and informative article by Dr. Knobbe and am looking forward to referring others to it as well. Thank you for bringing this to print as the problems with industrial seed oils and the fraudulent science behind their pro­motion and sad use in the contemporary food supply need to be widely exposed.

Glenn Serkis
WAPF Chapter Leader
Rockland County, New York

While not ideal, refined palm oil is the oil of choice in processed and fried foods in Europe—and certainly healthier than the polyunsaturated oils used in the U.S. As for olive oil, many types of olives are high in omega-6. If the olive oil does not become semi-solid after several days in the fridge—indi­cating a high level of monounsaturated and low amount of omega-6—it should be avoided. WAPF will be exploring the subject of olive oil in a future issue of Wise Traditions.

NICOTINE REMEDY

I have always had a very strong sense of smell, but it’s been gone since the morning after I was in a stuffy room with an elderly couple who had just had J&J shots (unbeknownst to me at the time). So, I am very excited to find a possible cure for the symptoms I have had from being shed on in April 2021!

Early in 2023, a friend did muscle testing and found, oddly, that I needed a homeopathic remedy involving poi­sonous insects to regain my sense of smell. We weren’t able to pinpoint what exactly this remedy was. I keep bees, and a while after the muscle testing, two bees, on separate days, stung me between the eyes. Both days, I noticed that my sense of smell came back a noticeable amount! The first day after I was stung (my birthday!), I could smell my favorite flower, the peony. Wow! I thought this was definitely a God thing.

Recently, I heard about nicotine being a solution, and today a friend sent me this amazing interview! “The Anti­dote: The Explosive Truth, Origin, and Antidote for C19” with Dr. Bryan Ardis and Jason Shurka (thedrardisshow.com/ the-antidote). I will begin micro-dosing Rugby nicotine patches. The dose is 1/6 of a 14 mg patch every day.

Ruth Amanda
Floyd, Virginia

FLU VACCINE DANGERS

Thank you for your action alert on SB 7 in Texas, which would prohibit an employer from taking adverse action against employees, contractors or ap­plicants for refusal to vaccinate against Covid-19.

I am wondering whether talking points against the flu shot could be added as well. As an RN, I have had to be very careful about my place of employment as most medical facilities require their nurses to be vaccinated against the flu every year. I refuse. I do not think that the alternative of wearing a mask is a fair choice either.

I have worked as a public health nurse in school districts for nine years. I have witnessed coworkers and students become injured by the flu vaccine. One employee developed Guillain-Barré syndrome. She has complete paralysis in her arms and it is progressing to her organs and legs, even with infusions and physical therapy. She is no longer able to work and she is not even fifty years old yet.

Just last week I had a student who received a flu shot and in less than forty-eight hours he was having repeti­tive grand mal seizures. He is now on anti-seizure medication.

We the people should not be forced to inject or consume anything against our wishes.

Anonymous
Seguin, Texas

MASK DANGERS

Thank you for being one of the few publications willing to address the psychological and physical harm caused by the use of face masks. I am a licensed health educator in Vermont, and after a decade teaching in my local school district, I resigned in the fall of 2020 because I could not make my students wear masks. Intuitively, I knew that hiding our faces and restricting our breathing were sure to be damaging to everyone’s health.

In July of 2020 I began The Ver­mont Mask Survey to collect evidence that people in our state were experi­encing all of the known harms listed by the World Health Organization’s Interim Report on the use of face masks: “Mask use in the context of COVID-19,” which was published in June 2020. The WHO’s report encour­aged decision-makers who consider the use of face masks in community settings to “evaluate the impact (posi­tive, neutral or negative) of using masks in the general population (including behavioral and social sciences) through good quality research.”

The report continues: “At the pres­ent time, the widespread use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not yet supported by high-quality or direct scientific evidence and there are potential benefits and harms to consider.”

Over the past three years I’ve brought the results of The Vermont Mask Survey to decision-makers at every level in Vermont. Last January the Vermont Agency of Education ad­mitted that they have no evidence that masks are safe for children, yet Ver­mont schools are still willing and able to impose mask requirements based on advice given by the U.S. Department of Education, encouraging schools to use special education laws to impose “protection measures” such as masks as part of IEP and 504 accommodation plans.

All of our attempts to bring ex­perts and scientific evidence to our local decision-makers had failed, and so last spring we held The Vermont Emergency Forum to Assess the Re­spiratory Hazards of Masks to bring the information to the people. The purpose of the forum was to provide people with the confidence and courage to protect themselves and their loved ones from continuing mask requirements in vari­ous community settings.

National experts who spoke at the event included Megan Mansell, a former education administrator who specializes in medical PPE and spe­cial education accommodations, and Tammy Clark and Kristen Meghan Kelly, OSHA-trained experts who have been calling out the inappropriate use of masks since 2020. Local presenters at the forum included young students, business owners, medical and legal pro­fessionals, and media who have stood up to mask mandates.

One of the local presenters at the forum was Betsy Thomason, who is known as “The Revolutionary Respi­ratory Therapist.” Betsy is the director of the Outbreath Institute, and author of Just Breathe Out. She was one of two presenters who offered “Breath Breaks” during the forum, to remind participants of the importance of caring for our respiratory system.

I want to thank Betsy for sponsor­ing my membership to the Weston A. Price Foundation. I’d also like to thank Betsy, and the other brave members of your organization, who have been

standing with me in this effort these past three years. Very few people in Vermont have had the courage to speak the truth about masks, let alone do so with a focus on high-quality scientific evidence and compassion for everyone involved. Among the groups who have, a large portion are members of your organization.

Clearly, the practices encouraged by the Weston A. Price Foundation are giving people the nourish­ment they need—physi­cally and spiritually—to walk their talk, to have the courage and confidence to stand up, with love and compassion. They are role models for us all.

I am grateful to my neighbors for their sup­port, and for inviting me to join your community. The Wise Traditions pub­lication provides a wealth of high-quality, timely information that is help­ing us all see clearly, with science and compassion, despite the abuse tactics we face.

All of my work on the science of masking and continuing mask policies, including videos of presentations given at the Mask Forum, and episodes of the radio shows I produce at local commu­nity stations (The 5H Show for adults and Amy’s Kids Show for youth) can be found on my website: vtmasksurvey. com.

Amy Hornblas, Health Educator
Marshfield, Vermont

A JOURNEY TO NEPAL

For three weeks in October, I had the privilege to join the Inner Ocean Empowerment Project on their Sacred Service Journey to Nepal. Inner Ocean brings acupuncturists, body workers, sound healers, herbal medicine provid­ers and anyone else who has a desire to be of service to treat people in rural Nepal. They also train mothers from the community in Wilderness First Aid and provide them with supplies to keep up year-round support. (See inneroce­anempowermentproject.org.)

There are many organizations that provide health care in developing loca­tions; what sets Inner Ocean apart is the dedication to the same communities year after year. The year 2023 marked the tenth year providing service to the people of the Bagmati region. In the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake, Inner Ocean primarily treated acute injuries. Over time, the work has shifted to treat­ing chronic conditions, healing trauma and health education.

Prior to the trip I had no expecta­tions. I knew from past experiences that being of service and helping others, as well as going to places with deep natu­ral beauty, can fundamentally change a person. I truly had no idea what would transpire.

I know my fellow WAPFers will ask, “How was the food in Nepal? What did you eat?” In rural com­munities, food is not a focus. The staple food, dal bhat (white rice, lentils of any kind, sea­sonal vegetable and achar [pick­les] with a spicy chutney sauce) is eaten twice a day every day. With China’s takeover of Tibet, the Chinese influence has begun to creep into rural Nepali diets. The Tibetan border has snack shacks filled with junk food like cereals, chips, sodas, crackers, biscuits and cookies. It was heartbreaking to see the Himalayan trails littered with candy bar wrappers. With this have come a host of dental issues not seen in previous generations.

For the Nepali people, nourishment goes far deeper than what is on the plate; the Nepali people get their true nourishment from community. There is a strong, core attachment to one’s self, one’s foundation, one’s community, one’s ancestry and the earth. Their spirit is their strength. They hold elders in very high regard and care and respect them for the blessing that they are. They are truly a beautiful people.

As we embraced the “Nepali way,” I think most of us volunteers realized how relaxed we had become. We took each day as it came—hands on with our patients, away from texts, emails and the other distractions of modern life. After long days treating forty or more patients an hour, we would return to camp tired but still abuzz with energy from the day. We spent evenings reflect­ing around the campfire, often feeling that we had received more than we had given. We felt truly nourished.

Cheryl Harris, MS, LAc
Co-Leader WAPF Denver Chapter
with Mindi Counts, LAc and Justin Folkestad

Insect parts and insect feces in nonfu­migated stored grains provide much needed B₁₂ and fat-soluble activators in diets that otherwise contain few animal products. (This note is not part of the push to consume insects.)

NO LONGER BRAINWASHED

I am a young wife and mother of one baby boy (almost ten months old). Only recently have I come across Dr. Price’s book and the Weston A. Price Foundation. We have been implement­ing the Wise Traditions diet for a little over one month.

The irony of my journey is that I studied nutrition for my bachelor’s de­gree! We were completely brainwashed about everything—especially against the principles that the Foundation teaches. I even consumed a vegan diet for a year or two until my body could not handle it anymore. I stopped men­struating, my hair was falling out and my immunity was horrible. After that, I changed to an ovo-vegetarian diet for about three years and remained so until my husband and I conceived.

Then something incredible hap­pened. My body’s cravings were so strong, I finally listened to them. After years of ignoring them and literally starving myself, I finally tuned into what my body was asking for. Without even realizing, I began adding butter to my oatmeal, salting foods more often, purchasing cheese and making whole milk yogurt. Little by little I started incorporating ground beef and whole chicken into our meals. Very rarely (due to expense) we would include salmon and high-quality cheeses. The amount of dairy I consumed was unthinkable for my previous self.

Since I am of Asian descent, I have always had a lactose intolerance prob­lem. This completely shifted when I be­gan my pregnancy journey. A dietician once told me that a pregnant and nurs­ing mother’s calcium absorption will double in comparison to non-pregnant and nursing persons. Additionally, the disappearance of my lactose intoler­ance is quite common. The body truly prioritizes the necessities.

I am grateful to my husband for teaching me many “wise traditions” from his upbringing in Bolivia. His mother is of Indian descent and his grandparents shared a great relationship with mother Earth and all her creatures. He had a very traditional diet where all food is respected. My fancy nutrition degree made me doubtful about the majority of his personal food choices, but I have repented and asked pardon. Reading Dr. Price’s book and all your materials has humbled me. The ar­rogance of the American Academy of Dieticians is outrageous.

My husband’s teeth are beautiful. He had no orthodontics either. My story regarding teeth is a rather sad one. In brief, I was adopted from China at thirteen months old. My only food up to that time was “congee,” a rice porridge, which was fed to all the babies in my orphanage because of no funding and lack of staff. (There were four women, caring for sixty babies. Can you imag­ine?)

To make matters worse, my child­hood was filled with Standard Ameri­can Diet foods. Of course, it was better than congee, but only slightly. I was diagnosed with the worst orthodontic case in my town and was the youngest client (ten years old) according to my orthodontic dentist, Dr. Petry. My adult teeth were coming through but had not naturally pushed out my baby teeth. I also had an underbite so bad that Dr. Petry said it needed to be addressed promptly (before puberty) due to its severity. If not, I would have problems eating throughout my entire adult life. I even overheard him say that if the rubber bands did not help my case, it would be necessary to have surgery to break my jaw and realign it. All glory to God that this was not the case and Dr. Petry truly spared me much pain.

I write all of this to tell you how right Dr. Price and you are. When I ponder the horrors of my childhood nutrition, I begin to wonder about the nutrition of my biological parents. That is why I took immediate action after finding WAPF. Thankfully, my preg­nancy and postpartum were filled with bone broths and made-from-scratch meals. Since I discovered WAPF, I have connected with a source of raw milk, pastured eggs, chicken, beef, pork, etc. I cook with lard and butter and save my meat drippings for a gravy or sautéing veggies. I give my baby one egg yolk a day, cultured buttermilk, homemade yogurt (full fat), butter and various vegetables and fruits. But I mostly emphasize the fats. He absolutely loves yogurt and all things dairy. Cod-liver oil is a breeze because I hide it in his milk, egg yolk and fruit smoothie blend.

My previous and ex-pediatrician once “ordered” me to begin supple­menting my baby with formula because he was not gaining sufficient weight. While his weight gain was not ideal, it was only one to two pounds out of range and she was attempting to scare me into her wishes. My convictions said otherwise. I did not give my baby formula. Instead, I reconsidered about giving him solids.

It turns out that the “baby-led weaning” fad I started my baby on is nothing short of just that—a fad! It is terrible. Of course, my baby was not getting adequate calories—he could not chew the food we were giving him; he had only two teeth. This was my revela­tion: how could we expect babies, who have no teeth, to chew and eat foods that we adults consume with a full set of teeth? Again, I repented and vowed to do better—purées to the rescue!

Then by divine intervention, I found the Foundation and all of your wonderful resources. By God’s grace, my baby has gained a tremendous amount of weight and surpassed his development and size since being on this diet. Occasionally, I feed him a dollop of room temperature, grass-fed butter when he is playing; just because!

My husband is also enjoying this change because this style of cooking reminds him of home. I am absolutely determined to give my baby and future children the best possible nutrition. I would never wish my experience on anyone. Even before learning about Dr Price’s work, I worried about the state of my future children’s teeth. But with this knowledge, I pray they will have strong teeth and bone structure, just like their father. Thank you!

EHM
St. Louis, Missouri

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