A Little About Worms and Albendazole The Other Face of Malnutrition Guidelines for Worm Pill Distribution MUCH MORE with a Little Less Models and Reports Worm Project Stories Worm Project Recipes Newsletter - Winter 2006 (PDF format, 2.89 MB) Home

Much More with a Little Less A Unique Diet that Benefits Not Only the Dieter, But Potentially Millions of Malnourished Children Around the World. DO YOU WANT TO: Enjoy better health? Increase your self-respect? Have a better appetite? Do all this at no cost? TWO REALITIES: Most Americans eat an unhealthy, expensive diet. One half of the world suffers from worm infestation. THE CONSEQUENCE: Lower quality of life for both groups. FACTS: Eating too many processed foods high in sugars and fats is expensive, contributes to overconsumption and may hasten death. Malnourished children with distended abdomens full of worms are weak, sickly, skinny, learning impaired, and easy prey to deadly diseases. The Biblical Incentive The Bible gives us strong incentives to eat right. Jesus said, "Woe to those who are well fed." (Luke 6:25) implying that those who eat too well and do not care about others who do not have enough will come under judgment. One of the sins of Sodom was overeating and not caring for the poor and needy (Ezekiel 16:49). In Proverbs (23:1-3) we have the admonition to "put a knife to your throat" if we are dining with a king and "crave his delicacies." A first reading would seem to imply that the king would be angry at us for eating too much, but rather it is a warning not to be deceived by his "deceptive food." God's good word says, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it." (Proverbs 3:27) José before de-worming The Power of a Nickel Many of us grew up having adults tell us to eat the food on our plates because children in some far away country were starving. We may have failed to see a logical connection between the food on our plates and the world hunger problem. Perhaps it is time to take another look to see if there might be a connection between what we eat and the reality of hunger in the rest of the world. José after de-worming and nutritional therapy Incredible as it may seem, by making small changes in what we put on our plates, an average person can make a very significant contribution to the hunger in the world (approximately one billion people go to bed hungry every night). By following the outlined program, a person could almost literally add an extra portion to the plates of 1,200 poor, malnourished children. Not just once, but several times a day for a year. On our globe one-third, or two billion people, are infested with intestinal parasites. These parasites consume precious nutrients that are needed by the body. In the case of young children this can and often does contribute to malnutrition. In severe cases the worms may actually consume 30% of the food that the child has taken in besides consuming precious calories, proteins, minerals and vitamins. The parasites have the ability to cause anorexia, obstruction of the bowel, and other very serious side effects, which may contribute to or directly cause the death of a child. A highly effective medication (Albendazole) is now available at a cost of only five cents per pill. It effectively treats this condition when taken every six months. One lowly nickel has the power to make the worms squirm to their death. The ascaris worm — about the size of a large earthworm — is especially loathsome. They may infest many parts of the body. They are passed in the stool (sometimes in a fairly large mass); may be vomited or shamelessly make their exit through the nose. They are truly a debilitating malady both physically and emotionally. A Suggested "Diet" So here is a program that would greatly benefit not only these children but ourselves as well. Take, for example, a family of four. Over a period of a month they could decide to do with a little less of the following (open to lots of individual variation). Each month, we could choose to omit: 1 bag of chips 10 sodas 1 cake 1 pie 4 fast food coffees 1 serving of meat 1 restaurant meal 1 serving of candy (per person) 1 serving of cookies (per person) 1 serving of ice cream (per person) 1 doughnut (per person) Approximate savings: $40 (A low figure because of the cost of the replacement food.) The cost of these items over a year's time would approximately equal what it would cost to treat almost 5,000 children for a year. A single adult (or older child) could easily save $10 per month by cutting out a few of the above list. Most of these items are "empty-calorie" foods. God says, "Why spend your money on what is not bread...eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." (Isaiah 55:2) Not that this is referring to food specifically, but rather to focusing our lives on what is important. And isn't the giving of an extra portion of food every day to very needy children more important than the momentary pleasure of one soda, for example? Part of the "richest of fare" is the greater self-respect we gain as a result of healthy self-denial. "He who rules his spirit is greater than he who takes a city." (Proverbs 16:32). By substituting simple foods (grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit) for some of the high-fat, high-sugar, empty-calorie foods listed above we can be doing "righteous deeds" with the savings.