DIABETES IS THE SINGLE MOST SIGNIFICANT
HEALTH PROBLEM IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

At least forty percent of Marshallese adults surveyed by Canvasback have diabetes. In fact, diabetes is:

Today, every child in the Marshall Islands has a coin's toss chance of developing diabetes in his or her lifetime.

Hard to believe? It's true.

Myth or Fact?

Several myths persist about both the nature of diabetes and about the remote island people of the Pacific. Among them:

Younger Victims

The awful reality is that, each decade since the 1950's, diabetes has appeared in Marshallese people ten years younger than in the previous decade.  For example:

• In the 1950's only three known cases of diabetes existed in the Marshall Islands. These were patients in their 60's.

• By the 1970's, U.S. compact funds had arrived and refined foods were being imported. White rice, flour and sugar were replacing traditional island foods as the dietary staples. It was common to find diabetic patients in their 40's and 50's.

• Today, many Marshallese diabetics are in their 30's and some are even in their 20's and teens.

Stemming the Tide

In an effort to stem this deadly tide, Canvasback Missions, in conjunction with Weimar Institute, developed a diabetes reversal program which has been adopted by the Marshall Islands government as a standard for the entire nation.

The program takes a preventive approach that attacks the root causes of diabetes. Canvasback's Diabetes Reversal Program is built on eight biblical and scientific pillars, with the acronym NEWSTART:

Nutrition - Exercise - Water - Sunlight - Temperance Air - Rest - Trust in God

Patients who participate in the Diabetes Reversal Program begin to experience results almost immediately. Blood sugars drop precipitously, pain diminishes, energy and vitality return.   As patients feel their physical health improving, their mental outlook changes, too, as despair is replaced with hope and sadness with joy-- a joy you can see on their faces.

King Amata Kabua--both the traditional King and elected President of the Marshall Islands, until his death in 1996, attended a lifestyle change program in California a few years ago after having coronary bypass surgery. King Kabua was a great champion of the program. He even had a track built near the legislature building, and on any given morning he could be seen out jogging with members of his cabinet.

It was at the request of President Kabua and the Minister of Health that Canvasback developed the Diabetes Reversal Program, geared to the specific culture and resources of their country.

Convincing Results

The results of a pilot program at the hospital convinced health officials that the principles are valid.

In 1996, Canvasback began teaching the Diabetes Reversal Program on the remote outer islands, with encouraging results. The message is clear and simple, yet powerful - each of us is responsible for our own health.

The program succeeds in the Marshall Islands because it is simple, traditional and fun.