Toledo has the most villages in Belize and lots of the further villages
near the Guatemalan border, which are Corazon, Santa Rosa and others are
the major ones. There is not only the issue of malnutrition but the issue
of parasitic diseases, there was a study conducted down south late last
year and there are about 500 or more children who were de-wormed in the
Toledo and Stann Creek Districts, their height and weight were checked as
well as blood samples taken in order to assess their iron levels and
nutritional status. Of course an informed consent form was signed by their
parents/guardians and the results were that more female than male children
are infected by parasitic diseases especially the hookworm was the most
common in all. As you may know, the Mayan houses in the villages are
thatched roof with earthen floor and since most of them walk bare feet,
that is one of the ways parasites are transmitted. The study is called
Geo-helminthes also known as soil-transmitted helminthes.
>

Just to also share that the Mayan people have been taught to also raise their
own pigs and chickens, life has improved for them considerably.
>
=======================
Response:

Your right on the parasites -- same symptoms -- same results -- and often
worse. Combine the two and you have true health misery - -as parasites
overwhelm the malnutrition same as wolves take the weakest in the herd --
"culling"

Ray mentioned way back then their lack of animal protein and how he made
sure he always packed some can's of corned beef when he went visiting.

but that was 25 or more years ago (I'll bet Ray -- who seems to have memory
problems -- has forgotten all of that now though)

Anyway -- Hookworm has always been a major problem for this area.

When i first bought my house here in Xaibe in 1991 I notices and
interesting bush growing under the eves.

The owner said it was epazote and they always put leaves in when they
cooked their beans.

I checked that further and found it was another of the ancient Yucatec Maya
traditions.

Anyway -- if you Google "epazote" you will find out all about it.

Here is but one excerpt:

Note -- epazote is "Chenopodium ambrosioides"

Chenopodium ambrosioides (Family Chenopodiaceas) originated in Central
America, though it has been distributed to much of the world. It has been
used as an anthelmintic (medicine for controlling internal parasites) for
many years. In the early 1900s it was one of the major anthelmintics used
to treat ascarids and hookworms in humans, cats, dogs, horses, and pigs.
Usually, oil of chenopodium was used. It was sometimes referred to as
Baltimore Oil, because of the large production facility in Baltimore that
specialized in extracting the oil from the plant. Chenopodium was replaced
with other, more effective and less toxic anthelmintics in the 1940s.

Chenopodium is still used to treat worm infections in humans in many
countries. In Honduras, as well as other Latin American countries, the
whole plant or the leaves are ground and added to water. This mixture is
then consumed. In a few areas in Latin America, the plant also is used to
treat worm infections in livestock.

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The above from:


A another article that goes into great depth on this subject is at:

http://www.rain-tree.com/epazote.htm

Belize has mention:

WORLDWIDE ETHNOMEDICAL USES

Belize: for digestive problems, hangovers, intestinal gas, intestinal
parasites, and as a sedative

Liz -- when I first came to Belize intestinal parasite "super" infections
were rare in these local Mayan villages here in Northern Belize -- but the
Mennonites had huge problems with them in all their colonies.

I remember reports of a few children dying from hookworm.

I introduced Ketrax to the Mennonites and that was the end of that problem.

Ketrax = Levamisole

That treatment cost less than $1.00 Bz then.

In those days we did not do studies Liz -- we just diagnosed and treated
and stopped the problems -- when and as required.

Course -- niether epazote or Levamisole are FDA approved -- and as Belize
is a signatory to that bit of repulsive legislation -- ignore everything i
mention above.

However -- we found the american medicines recommended for hook worm having
to terrible side effects -- and worse -- not effective.

In those times in Belize -- life was more important than political
correctness.

How did we find out about Ketrax??

A British Doctor turned me onto it -- it was being used by the British
soldiers here at the time -- and known effective.

The British still refuse to stop giving it to their soldiers in tropical
service.

And the British military has not the funds to pay the Billion or so and
wait the ten or more years to get it FDA approved.

Course -- any legitimate "study" is not "allowed" to suggest any therapy
not FDA approved.

We have that same problem with malaria therapy.

Artemisia extracts are known as the safest and most effective medicines for
any kind of malaria.

But as it is not FDA approved --

However -- the US Navy uses it -- as well as the British armed forces --
they have serious work to do and no interest in playing politically correct
"games"

And of course -- all of Africa and the Asian countries -- and most of South
america.

But it is illigal to use here in Belize -- or even Mexico --

It is actually a herb that resembles epazote -- looks the same -- but larger.

In places that are poor -- like Thailand -- Vietnam -- Malaysia -- they
actually encourage the people to grow the herb and tall them how to use it
as such for curing any Malaria.

Also in large areas of Africa now and South America.

This Url for more info:

http://www.anamed.net/English%20Hom...nglish/clinical%20results%20english.html