ICT By Sam Laskaris  Comanche Boy Fighting for WBC Middleweight Title

George (Comanche Boy) Tahdooahnippah

Professional Boxer George (Comanche Boy)Tahdooahnippah is superb.

He has Comanche and Choctaw ancestry, and he is scheduled to battle Indiana’s Jimmy Holmes on July 16 for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas middleweight title. The fight will take place outdoors at the Comanche Nation Casino, located in Lawton, Oklahoma, Tahdooahnippah’s hometown.

“Tahdooahnippah is undefeated in his pro career and sports a 27-0-1 record, which includes 20 knockouts… The 32-year-old, however, sounds more excited about what a victory in this match could possibly do for his career…He believes beating Holmes and earning the WBC’s Continental Americas belt would boost him considerably and possibly give him a Top 30 placing in the organization’s middleweight rankings…”

In addition to being a professional boxer, Tahdooahnippah also helps his people by being a fitness promoter for the Comanche Nation’s diabetes program. He is an inspiration to young people every where. Tahdooahnippah demonstrates the importance of good health, and equally important,  a path that just might lead to a better life. Kudos to Comanch Boy! Read the article, and share your thoughts.

Tags: Boxing, diabetes, George (Comanche Boy) Tahdooahnippah

By Indian Country Today

A film entitled Good Meat, documents how a young Oglala Lakota man regained his health by returning to his cultural diet in which Buffalo meat was the main focus. Exercise also helped the former athlete, who also has diabetes, a deadly disease that plagues many American Indians. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending! Read the article and definitely see the film. If you have regained your health, and have tips that might help others, we’d be happy to print your story.

Tags: Buffalo Meat, diabetes, Health

By Tom Robertson, Minnesota Public Radio News

A high percentage of Native American Indians are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, a disease linked to obesity. The growing concern is that obesity is increasing among Native children. Iris Sherer, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and a diabetic states,

“Obesity and diabetes used to be considered adult problems. But increasingly they affect more of the nation’s young people. In the past 30 years, childhood obesity rates in the United States have tripled. Nearly a third of children are overweight or obese. The rate is even higher among Native American children, approaching 50 percent.”

Roxanne Robinson, who is the coordinator of the Cass Lake Hospital Diabetes Center, explains the seriousness of the situation.

“When a person has Type 2 diabetes, their body does not produce enough insulin. Without insulin, blood sugars get too high. Diabetes can be controlled with insulin injections, exercise and a healthy diet. But if left unchecked, the condition can lead to kidney problems, amputations, and blindness.”

The positive news is that there are signs of improvements. One reason for this improvement is that tribal members (especially women) from various tribes are creating support groups in Indian communities with the help of health educators. These groups educate tribal members about the seriousness of unhealthy eating, and ways to take better care of themselves, and of their children.

Another reason for the improvement among tribal members involve organizations such as the  “Bemidji-based Indigenous Environmental Network, which obtained a $250,000 grant for a multi-pronged approach to diabetes prevention.”

Other organizations included are the Ojibwe Language Immersion Program, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Steve Rith-Najarian a diabetes expert with the federal Indian Health Service in Bemidji states,

“Diabetes rates among Native Americans appear to be stabilizing… The rates of kidney complications and the need for dialysis are on the decline. Limb amputations that were once commonplace in Indian communities have declined on some reservations by as much as 80 percent…”

The article continues to provide interesting and very useful information. It includes a short historical report about American Indians and their original diets.

I highly recommend (and urge) everyone to read this article.

A big plus for Minnesota Public Radio! Thanks for helping to spread the word.

Tags: children, diabetes, Health Services, insulin, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, obesity