Earthwatch – Malaria – Part 1

Matthew 24:7 “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences…”

PESTILENCE

Malaria is still the single most important disease hazard facing mankind, particularly travelers and affecting our missionary workers in most tropical countries. It is a serious, debilitating and is usually neglected public health problem. Malaria is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of mosquitoes. Worldwide, at least 1600 million people and upwards are constantly at risk from malaria. Between 200 and 300 million people are affected by the disease each year and the numbers are rising at an alarming pace. Each year, around one million infants and children die from malaria in just Africa alone.

Malaria affects at least 105 countries, but many of these countries under-report their cases of malaria, maybe so as not to harm their image or trade.

BZZZZZ

There are 3,000 species of mosquitoes in the world: no matter where you go, mountain or valley, Keokuk, Iowa, Timbuktu or Long Branch, New Jersey—some of them are sure to find you. Last year, scientists isolated a mosquito that lives only in the London Underground; the subterranean version of a species that lives solely on birds, it has evolved into a voracious biter of subway riders. Although some species live as long as eight months, the life of the average mosquito is two to three weeks. If it’s any consolation, mosquitos will meet a violent end long before they have a chance to bite—death by drought, death by barn swallow, death by windshield.

BLOOD BROTHER

You have what mosquitos need to breed: the protein in your blood is essential for their egg production. Accordingly, it’s the female mosquito that bites you. Only she has the proboscis to plumb your veins; only she will inject a tiny amount of saliva (which later makes you itch) to keep your blood from clotting in her tube or straw.

With every bite, she drinks five microliters of blood. At that rate, it would take roughly a million mosquito bites to suck your body dry. A mosquito takes at least one blood meal a week; she needs several days to digest, then another one to lay her eggs. Given her short time on earth, Dr. Jonathan Day, a mosquito expert at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, that is usually the end of her output. “If she can lay another batch, that’s gravy.”

THICKER SKIN

Mosquitos find the thinnest skin on your body, a knack aided by tiny sensors on their feet. And different species have different predilections. Some, the Psorophora ferox, a species common in New Jersey, attack the shoulders or above. Others, such as the ubiquitous Aedes aegypti, favor the back and around your ankles – making it harder for you to swat them; ever notice? (Indeed a study found that Aegypti’s (decendedent of the plagues in Egypt?), preferred hanging on the underside of sofas. Another study, involving dirty socks and Limburger cheese, suggests that ankle-biting mosquitos may actually be drawn to the smell of your feet – the more rancid the better.) So, (2 Cor. 7:1 “let us cleanse ourselves”), and (Is. 1:16, “wash you, make you clean.) And then there is Wyeomyuia mitchellii, which prefers the tip of your nose. It’s very quiet and makes no sound, and its bite is initially painless.

WHY ME?

Many might ask, why can’t she bite someone else? Why me? Well, it all starts with your breath. As you exhale, a trail of carbon dioxide wafts away from you like a trail of ribbon; the lucky mosquito stumbles across it, then zigzags back and forth and zeroes in. As the mosquito gets closer, she picks up on other clues: warm, sweaty body, dark clothes, and high concentrations of lactic acid (secreted in perspiration). In short, what makes you appealing are mostly things you have virtually no control over. Some people, yes, some people are just more attractive than others; it’s a function of body chemistry and body temperature. Indeed, experiments have shown that in a group of ten people exposed to mosquitos, three will be bitten many times, three won’t be bothered, and the rest will receive only a bite or two.

HOME – BODY

After she has had her way with you, a mosquito looks for a cool, dark place to lay her eggs -puddles, swamps, salt marshes, tree holes, etc. Some species are container breeders, preferring man-made receptacles such as flowerpots and old tires. American epidemiologists are currently monitoring the movements of Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, which carries dengue fever on the native continent. It reached the United States for the first time in 1985 arriving in a shipment of used truck tires. While the virus responsible for dengue fever has only just arrived, the mosquito has spread to more than a dozen states. It’s a postmodern Gulliver, migrating on the wheels of yesterday’s transport, coming to a backyard near you.

In many countries over the centuries, malaria has been controlled or eradicated by reducing the amount of stagnant water, which mosquitoes need in order to breed. Drainage of the Pontine
Marshes around Rome and the more recent problem of stagnant water in Singapore were effective. Rice is the staple diet in most tropical countries, but mosquitoes often breed in rice fields. It’s a cruel situation. Spraying is another measure by residual insecticide in houses and around buildings.
Unfortunately, however, mosquito resistance to the effects of insecticide remains a problem and is only one of many reasons why malaria eradication has been largely unsuccessful.

SHOO, FLY

What, then, is the most important way to reduce the number of mosquito bites? There arc many ways depending on the location, economy and means. The cheapest way and perhaps the most practical way is to “cover-up”. That means wearing shoes with socks, if possible, long sleeves, and pants when indoors and outdoors, especially in twilight. That’s not much fun or so easy for some. The next best measure of defense, therefore, is the application of insect repellent (containing diethyltoluamide or “deet” or other repellents such as “Off’). This can be applied to the skin, especially in the evening and, when out of doors, at night. We because of our health reform position prefer “natural” repellents; extracts of citronella, prickly pear, or some other carbon-based life forms work fine if you’re game to reapply them every 10 minutes. Otherwise, I’m afraid, stick to products containing deet. Check the label for the concentration: repellents with 10% deet are safe for children and will last two hours or so; you need the higher strength solution only if you’ll be in the woods or jungle all day. As for those high-tech contraptions advertised in expensive catalogues, save your money. Ultrasonic repellents do not work. If anything these devices merely kill the insects that prey on those pesky mosquitos. Chemical pellets, wafers, and insecticide solutions, placed in electrical devices emit vapors, which are not totally effective, and can be harmful to your health as they waft into closed quarters. Chemically impregnated spiral coils circle about a base, which is lighted leave a streaming trail of incense which can discourage mosquitoes from attacking, but some persistently drive on despite this innovation.

Some of these chemical insecticides may produce allergic manifestations in the unwary; headaches, dizziness, running nose, nausea etc. Then, again, one has to weigh the benefits of such measures in order to protect oneself from the deadly consequences of malaria. Spiral coils are said to be “safe” so I believe it is a good compromise.

HERBS

We then, however, return again to our search for natural health-reform means of fighting the war against the mosquito and malaria risks. A popular herbal preparation is oil of cajepuit. This, too, has to be applied frequently, and is reasonably effective as a repellent against mosquitos. It can also be used for fleas, tics, wounds, cuts and insect bites. Another herb of value is astraggalus in fortifying the immune system. Yerba santa combination is recommended for the lungs and respiratory system. Wild cherry bark is helpful for sore throat and coughs. An old standby and essential herb is golden-seal, which has antibiotic properties.

FOOD WARRIORS

Turning now further to natural means of combating the mosquito tide, we come to a popular food, garlic, which has been around for thousands of years. Although many might shun garlic, because of its pungency and odor, it has a strong tendency, I have found, to repel mosquitos. So don’t shun it. While traveling in Tanzania and Kenya with a missionary team, I ate it regularly (3-4 cloves daily) and at night applied it by rubbing a cut clove over my face, arms, and legs before bedtime. Furthermore I cut 2-3 cloves (fresh) and placed them on a dish by my nightstand or tent. Garlic is a natural broad-spectrum antibiotic, and anti-parasitic. Thereby, it can be effective as malaria is caused by parasites which develop in the blood and then find their way into the liver. Garlic, too, builds resistance to infections by boosting the immune system. Don’t take garlic extracts such as Kyolic, or other “odorless” garlic capsules, as they are not effective since the active ingredient, allicin, is eliminated. Incidentally, garlic in a study of garlic eaters had more natural killer cells (NK) than in the non-garlic eaters.

Red cayenne, also, is a powerful antibiotic, and anti-parasitical food, dilating blood vessels and improving blood flow, and contrary to many beliefs protects the tissue of the stomach lining. Ginger, too, is another important food, used for centuries in Asia to treat nausea, vomiting, headache, chest congestions, cholera, colds, diarrhea, stomach ache, rheumatism, and nervous diseases, relieves symptoms of arthritis (rheumatoid), is an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory agent. Therefore, garlic, cayenne, and ginger, are three important fighting foods that are helpful in protecting one, especially living in the tropics, but I include these almost daily in my diet living in Greece and are a part of my Travel Kit, along with the herbs mentioned above, wherever I travel; a little tip for our missionaries.

We have an advantage as vegetarians by eating all kinds of fruits and vegetables and vegetarians also have a more vigorous immune defense. The white blood cells, in one study of vegetarians were twice as deadly against tumor cells as those of carnivores. (Vegans have more ferocious NK killer cells). Adding to the immune armada, not only of fruits and vegetables in general but especially carrots, spinach, kale, sweet potatoes and pumpkins are immune stimulating. For the immune system to function at top form and thus offer protection from diseases and infections, be sure to eat foods high in zinc. Sources are: legumes, whole grains, brewer’s yeast, lima beans, mushrooms, pecans, pumpkin, seeds, soy lecithin, soybeans and sunflower seeds.

HOME – SWEET – HOME

Now. after all of this we come to the “good-news” or the “bad-news”! You have experienced it at one time or another. Mom and Dad take the kids out to the park or beach. Mom immediately attacks the air, sand and greenery with some insecticide spray, trying to attack against the insect world while recalling their last excursion. But, mother has forgotten, if she ever knew, that just as spilled sugar in our kitchens attracts ants and insects, so does sugar in our bloodstreams attract mosquitos, microbes and parasites.

One of the great joys of being sugarfree is to be able to lie on the beach or loll in the mountains or trek through the jungles or bush country without being bothered by mosquitos or other creatures. Once off sugar for a year or so, (The late Dr. Melvin Page says 3 weeks to break the habit), try it and see if it isn’t true for you too. If you take along a guest who’s still addicted to sugar, lie side by side. See whom the mosquitoes go for and who is left alone.

After all, it’s no accident that the first cases of mosquito-borne yellow fever – in the Western Hemisphere – occurred in the sugar island of Barbados in 1647. In the beginning it was called “nova pestis”. Yellow fever spread from one sugar center to another; Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, Jamaica, Brazil, British New Guinea, Spain, Portugal, New Orleans, and finally Cuba, where the U.S. mounted a massive campaign at the turn of the twentieth century to make our sugar colony of Cuba safe from the mosquito.

Sugar addiction is a worldwide phenomenon today. Sugar pushers have invaded Asia and Africa, hooking millions on soda pop, and soft drinks. The sun never sets on the Coca-Cola sign today. I was surprised to see such a sign in the dense jungle in Kenya, driving through in our Land Rover, passing some native villages. Sugar is a pure chemical; no vitamins, no minerals. There are some Adventists who say that honey is not the same as sugar. Such a statement is quite far from the truth. I’ve also seen Adventists divulging, with gluttony over frosted cakes, cookies, pies and soft drinks at birthday parties. We are told that “Far too much sugar is ordinarily used in food (CC 113). Furthermore, that sugar clogs the system causing all kinds of diseases. (CD 197)

Whether it is fructose, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, honey, raw sugar, sugar cane, maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, sorghum, or any syrups, such as corn syrup, sugar is sugar, is sugar, and is sugar! The stomach does not know the difference…nor the mosquito! Synthetic sweeteners such as saccharine, and aspartame are synthetics and potentially hazardous and dangerous to our health. The longer we depend on them, the more difficult it becomes to appreciate the natural sweetness of natural food.

Almost all preserved foods contain sugar or a sugar product. Get into the habit of reading the labels. Common foods, such as baby foods, peanut butter, ketchup, mayonnaise, bread, jams, marmalade, breakfast cereals, jello, pudding etc. are loaded with sugar to enhance flavor and act as a preservative.

Many Adventists and vegetarians overeat dried fruits, which are highly concentrated with sugar. Fresh is better, but do not, again, over-indulge and no fruit juices, fresh or bottled; they are too highly concentrated in sugar. Also, leave tropical fruits to the tropics and concentrate on native fruits in season. What’s natural for the Eskimo is different from what’s natural for the Islander, right? If you insist on munching on dried fruits, soak them overnight, they will be as fresh fruit again, almost. You will discover new tastes. Remember the mosquitoes!

Although simple carbohydrates (Bad sugars mentioned above) should be eliminated completely from the diet, complex carbohydrates (good sugars) are beneficial and should be included.
These are found in fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, and natural whole grains. Include whole foods such as nuts, seeds, brown rice, soy etc.

Conclusion and Recommendations in Part 2.