Ethnic Health Disparities

Why Some Ethnic Populations are Genetically Immune to Osteoporosis
As an evolutionary historian, I have devoted the last several years to researching the health implications of genetic diversity. I was particularly concerned with the tendency of medical researchers to unwittingly use the biology of people with Northern European ancestry as a universal standard for everyone. For instance, lactose intolerance may be a disorder in that community, which suffers high rates of osteoporosis. But since 65% of the world’s population are lactose intolerant and have low rates of osteoporosis, a one-size-fits-all approach to bone health can prove dangerous for those whose ethnic-specific biological needs are overlooked. read more



Is an Unacknowledged Eurocentric Paradigm Worsening Ethnic Disparities in Health Care?

     African-Americans consume substantially less than the recommended daily intake of calcium and yet have the densest bone mass of any American ethnic group, and are at the lowest risk of osteoporosis, fragile bone disease and other calcium deficiency disorders. read more



Do Chemical Hair Relaxers REALLY Cause Fibroids in Black Women?


Black women suffer from uterine fibroids at a rate that is two to three times greater than that of  their white counterparts.  Medical researchers have for years been stumped by the disparity.  Then, an article appeared in a 2011 edition of the prestigious American Journal of Epidemiology.  It asserted that the chemicals in hair relaxers used by African-American women to straighten their hair is the culprit. read more







Is Dairy Causing Prostate Cancer in Black Males

A growing number of studies point to an over-consumption of dietary calcium as increasing the incidence of prostate cancer. African-American males are among those having the highest prostate cancer rates in the world. read more



FDA Guidelines May Increase Rate of Prostate Cancer in Black Males

African-American males have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world. The "why" of it may not be all that hard to fathom. read more



Medical Biases that Sabotage the Health of Blacks & Latinos

My mother died of complications from breast cancer at the age of fifty-one.  The doctors did all that they could for her.  Well actually, they did all they could had she been of Northern European ancestry. Medical researchers are only now realizing that black women are less likely to get cancer than white women. read more

A "Social" Cure for Cystic Fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, Sickle-Cell Anemia and other Genetic Disorders


One of the most heartbreaking perils of parenthood is the discovery that one's newborn carries such genetic markers for premature death as Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle Cell Anemia, or Tay-Sachs Disease.  Life will always have risks. But the aforementioned disorders caused by the inheritance of matching recessive genes from both parents, may not have to be one of them, at least for future generations if not for present-day sufferers. read more



If You Want Super-Smart Kids, Marry a Pygmy

However, if you happen to be a pygmy, that is, one of the small-statured ethnicities of central Africa, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, then your best bet is probably to marry someone from Sweden or the Ukraine.  It confounds me that some researchers still talk of racial differences in intelligence.  They operate from the disproved premise that those with the highest levels of cognitive functioning will be those of inbred European ancestry. read more



Is Cystic Fibrosis Triggered by "Ethnic Inbreeding"?

Nazi scientists got it wrong.  Aryan purity does not lead to a superior race. It leads to cystic fibrosis. Autosomal recessive diseases like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia and Tay-Sachs are caused by "ethnic inbreeding."  read more



Geneticists Dispute Archaeological Interpretations of Early Human Females

One of the most stunning archaeological finds ever made  is a figurine, discovered by Dr. Josef Szombathy in 1908. Called the "Venus of Willendorf," this statuette is believed to have been carved sometime between 24,000 to 22,000 BCE.  Since that time, dozens of Paleolithic figurines of females have been discovered as far afield as France, Siberia and Japan.  read more



Will New Research Depict Neanderthals as Budding Geniuses?

Until recently, scientific journals and popular magazines alike depicted “Neanderthal Man” as a lumbering creature of robust bone structure but low intelligence.  However, this picture changed radically in 2010.  No new anthropological evidence was brought to the fore at that time.   Rather, geneticists discovered that Neanderthals had interbred with early Europeans.  read more



Are USDA Nutritional Salt Guidelines Killing Blacks?

The human body adapts slowly over time to the foodstuffs available in the environment.  Such is also the case with salt.  While coastal populations have always had excess to salt through sea brine, its availability to others has through history been defined by its geological availability and trade patterns. read more




I could never understand the National Dairy Council's ads targeting young blacks, when medical research has shown that at least eighty percent of African-Americans, are by age twelve, lactose-intolerant.  Of course, supermarkets now market lactose-free milk.  But hold on a second. . .   Lactose-intolerance is not a disease and should not be treated as one.  It is rather a human trait blacks share with  65% of the world's population.  People of Northern European ancestry and a few isolated enclaves elsewhere, have a high tolerance for lactose because a large proportion of their ancestors' food supply came from dairy farming.  West Africans on the other hand, had little exposure to dairy products because of the  susceptibility of cows to the ubiquitous tsetse fly. read more



Overweight African-Americans May Suffer Addiction to Opioids in Wheat-Gluten

One of the most puzzling public health issues of our times has been the skyrocketing obesity rate among African-Americans.   In tackling this issue as an applied historian, I have uncovered a clue, nestled beneath the topsoil of agricultural history. read more



Medical Professionals Shirk Responsibility for Obesity Epidemic

I was listening to an interview show on the radio this morning, where several medical professionals  condescendingly advised type II diabetics and people with obesity-related ailments to lose weight.  Hog swaggle!  The reason America is facing an obesity epidemic is because our medical paradigm is proving itself unable to grapple with the most serious health problem of our times.  The medical establishment weasles its way out of taking responsibility for the obesity problem  by humilating its victims for lacking sufficient "will power." read more






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