Tipling women heading to get firewood

Today was uneventful compared to the last two days. I saw close to forty patients all with the typical complaints of, "gastritis," "whole body hurts," "headache," "worms," and "diarrhea."

Tamang's, the major ethnic group in this region, are a very hearty population. They eat a low-fat diet consisting of wheat, barley, millet, oats with various roots, and greens. Their protein consists of eggs and an occasional chicken. They also, due to the mountainous region they live in, get an enormous amount of exercise -- carrying 200-pound loads over 14,000-foot passes and working for hours in the fields. Subsequently, their prevalence of heart disease is very low. However, due to the enormous amount of physical activity, many of the older villagers have arthritis. In addition, the amount of gastritis and diarrhea in this population is also very high.