Photo by Joye Ardyn Durham
By Dr. Frank King
Modern humans are like polar bears dropped off in a desert. We’re so far removed from our natural roots that we’re now suffering a global, 21st century pandemic of stress and chronic disease. Until the Industrial (and chemical) Revolution, humans always looked to nature for answers. If crops or animals did poorly, farmers knew they needed to adjust their care and nourishment.
Humanity is suffering a disease pandemic, but the wonderful thing is that the body is a self-healing organism. It wants to be healthy! Recent studies have shown that genes are not preprogrammed to behave only one way. In fact, we have tremendous power within us to heal. Our genes can be compared to light switch dimmers. They can be turned up to a brighter, healthier expression or turned down, toward a dimmer, unhealthy (or diseased) expression. And we control our own light (life) switch!
Healthcare professionals who use natural healing modalities have long taught that consuming whole, unrefined, natural foods dials our gene expression up, toward health. Consuming the animal products of ancient breeds takes that up to an even higher level, switching our genes “on” through their untainted genetics.
Bison (American buffalo) are ancient and magnificent animals, native to this country whereas cattle are not. Having survived the Ice Age, bison may have even opened the route to North America that humans followed 11,000 years ago. The bison spinal process (that distinctive hump) is genetically linked to certain dinosaurs. Bison, yak and elk (a larger member of the deer family) all display their ancient genetics with humps on their upper backs.
Nutritionally, bison meat is high in protein and iron and low in cholesterol, with only a fraction of the fat found in beef or salmon. Cooked properly, bison is tender and flavorful with no trace of gamey taste. Elk is a finely grained, dense, tender meat, and is even higher in protein and lower in fat than bison. The American Heart Association calls elk the “Heart Smart Red Meat.”
Another nutritionally beneficial breed, the African Watusi cattle are unmistakable with their enormous horns, up to 30 inches in diameter at the base and four feet wide in each direction. Ancient tribes thrived in difficult environments thanks to this breed’s delicious and healthy milk and meat.
Camels are another ancient animal that has untapped healing potential. Adaptable in all climates, camels suffer very few diseases and their milk is free of pathogens. It’s so pure that although nomads in Africa and India boiled milk from cows and goats, there was no need to boil camel milk. Heat destroys the immunoglobulins and other beneficial aspects of milk, so scientists researched raw camel milk for healing properties. Promising studies showed camel milk helped patients with autism, liver disease, diabetes and tuberculosis.
Grazing animals such as bison and these other ancient breeds nourish the land, preserving and revitalizing our valuable topsoil, balancing the soil ecosystem. Properly grazed grasslands sequester carbon, helping the environment. In turn, grass-fed animals provide nutrients that factory farmed animals cannot.
Natural solutions can regenerate the people and the planet.
Dr. Frank King, a fourth-generation farmer-turned-doctor of naturopathy and chiropractic medicine, raises bison, elk, Watusi cattle, camels, yak and more near Asheville. Committed to preserving these animals, whose genetics stretch back to prehistoric times, he is convinced they hold the key to restoration of harmony for people and the planet. For more information, visit drkingsfarms.com.
