Weston Price

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Weston A. Price, D.D.S. (1870-1948) was a dentist and nutritionist. He was the chairman of the Research Section of the American Dental Association from 1914-1923,[1] but was later marginalized by the American Dental Association for his outspoken views on the detriment of root canals.

Contents

[edit] Biography

In 1939, he published Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, a book that details a series of ethnographic nutritional studies performed by Price across diverse cultures.

Some of the cultures studied include the inhabitants of the Lötschental in Switzerland, the inhabitants of the Isles of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, the Eskimos of Alaska and Canada, the Native Americans, among the inhabitants of New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, Rarotonga, Nukuʻalofa, Hawaii, the Masai, Kikuyu, Wakamba and Jalou tribes of Kenya, the Muhima of Uganda, the Baitu and Watusi of Rwanda, the Pygmies, and Wanande in the Congo, the Terrakeka, Dinka and Neurs of Sudan, the Aborigines of Australia, the inhabitants of the Torres Strait, the Māori of New Zealand, the Tauhuanocans, Quechua, "Andes Indians", "Sierra Indians" and "Jungle Indians" of Peru.

In his studies he found that plagues of modern civilization (headaches, general muscle fatigue, dental caries (cavities), impacted molars, tooth crowding, allergies, heart disease, asthma, and degenerative diseases such as tuberculosis and cancer) were not present in those cultures sustained by indigenous diets. However, within a single generation these same cultures experienced all the above listed ailments with the inclusion of Western foods in their diet: refined sugars, refined flours, canned goods, etc.

[edit] Criticism

In 2002, Stephen Barrett of the website Quackwatch published an internet essay a portion of which criticized Weston Price's premises and conclusions [2]. Price's espousal of "ideal" facial features (round faces, "well developed" nostrils) strongly suggests a racial bias favouring certain "primitive" cultures. But his assertion that these differences are produced by diet alone is at odds with the wide variety of facial features seen in cultures which have had little exposure to "modern" diets. Most geneticists agree that the facial features of different peoples have more to do with genetics than diet, except in extreme cases of malnutrition. There remains non consensus on why modern people have more malocclusion, or if this is indeed the case at all.[citation needed] There is some evidence to indicate that crowding has gotten significantly worse in the past 500 years, but not to the extent suggested by Price(Are malocclusions more prevalent and severe now? A comparative study of medieval skulls from Norway)

[edit] Foundations

[edit] Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation

Originally known as the Weston A. Price Memorial Foundation, the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation (PPNF) was established in 1952 as a non-profit organization that serves as the guardian for the archived material from the research of Weston A. Price, DDS and Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., MD.[3]

[edit] The Weston A. Price Foundation

The Weston A. Price Foundation was co-founded in 1999 by Sally Fallon and nutritionist Mary G. Enig to disseminate the research of Dr. Weston A. Price by publicizing health-promoting approaches to nutrition and the scientific validation of traditional diets. Dr. Price's research demonstrated that humans achieve perfect physical form and perfect health generation after generation only when they consume nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators found exclusively in animal fats.

The Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism. It supports a number of movements that contribute to this objective including accurate nutrition instruction, organic and biodynamic farming, pasture-feeding of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies. Specific goals include establishment of universal access to clean, certified raw milk and a ban on the use of soy formula for infants.

The Foundation seeks to establish a laboratory to test nutrient content of foods, particularly butter produced under various conditions; to conduct research into the "X Factor," discovered by Dr. Price (now believed to be vitamin K2); and to determine the effects of traditional preparation methods on nutrient content and availability in whole foods.

The board and membership of the Weston A. Price Foundation stand united in the belief that modern technology should be harnessed as a servant to the wise and nurturing traditions of our ancestors rather than used as a force destructive to the environment and human health; and that science and knowledge can validate those traditions.

The Foundation's quarterly journal, Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts, is dedicated to exploring the scientific validation of dietary, agricultural and medical traditions throughout the world. It features illuminating and thought-provoking articles on current scientific research; human diets; non-toxic agriculture; and holistic therapies. The journal also serves as a reference for sources of foods that have been conscientiously grown and processed.

[edit] Works by Weston Price

  • Weston Andrew Price, Forewords by Earnest Hooton, Granville Knight, and Abram Hoffer (2004). Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, 6th edition, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. ISBN 0916764087. 
  • Dental Infections, Oral and Systemic & the Degenerative Diseases, Vol. 1 & 2

[edit] References

  1. ^ GE Meinig , Root Canal Cover-up, p. 10-17
  2. ^ Stephen Barrett, M.D. Stay Away from 'Holistic Dentistry'. Quackwatch. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  3. ^ Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation website

[edit] Further reading

George Meinig, DDS, FACD, has written a book summarizing Dr. Price's exhaustive research into the complications that root canals can cause, in order to make it accessible to the lay reader.

  • George E. Meinig ((January 1994)). Root Canal Cover-Up, 2nd rev. edition, Bion Pub. Ojai, CA. ISBN 0945196199. 

[edit] External links

Degeneration"]

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