The River People

The Pima Indians in Arizona suffer with the highest rate of diabetes in the world. Obesity is common, along with alcohol and drug abuse problems. Diabetes and its related problems are challenging the survival of the tribe itself.
By David Ratner, published on August 01, 2002

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By the time she finished speaking, I realized she was not deluded; her experience had not been a hallucination. She was simply stating her beliefs, and who was I to question them? She was perfectly rational; there was nothing wrong with the way she was thinking. To her, the bird signified that her daughter was all right.

She eventually overcame her depression. And although she had lost some toes to diabetes, she radiated calm and gentleness; I always looked forward to our appointments. I felt, and still feel, that she was healing me.

David Ratner, Psy.D., practices clinical psychology in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is a professor at both the University of Phoenix and Phoenix College. Tim Folger, formerly with Discover magazine, is a science writer based in New Mexico. David Michael Kennedy is a photographer based in New Mexico.

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