Got Milk? Too Bad!
(all quotes below excerpted from Joseph Keon's Whole
Health, 1997)
"Allergy
"Contrary
to the image that the powerful dairy industry has generated for their products,
dairy foods are some of the most likely to adversely affect the health of
adults and children. In addition to their high content of cholesterol and
saturated fat (excesses of which are the primary causes of atherosclerosis and
heart disease), dairy products are a leading source of delayed food allergies
cause a variety of symptoms when consumed including diarrhea, abdominal pain,
eczema (skin rash), joint pain, gas, bloating, migraine headache, asthma, acne,
fatigue, runny nose, diabetes and even immune dysfunction. Because there is
often a delay in the onset of these symptoms, few people attribute their
condition to the dairy products they have eaten. It is not until individuals
entirely eliminate dairy products from their diet that they have the
opportunity to experience relief and understand the connection between their
consumption of milk products and these symptoms. (118)
"Lactose
Intolerance
"Mother's
milk plays a big part in providing the protein and calcium that are so critical
during the early stages of development. Yet after infancy, milk is no longer a
necessity, because other foods have become palatable. Humans are the only
animals that continue to "nurse" after infancy, and it is much to our
detriment. In fact, many people are incapable of digesting cow's milk properly
after the infancy stage due to a lack of a digestive enzyme called lactase.
Lactase is necessary to break down the disaccharide sugar in milk called
lactose. When lactase is present, lactose is broken down into two
monosaccharide sugars, glucose and galactose. In most cases, the body progressively
stops manufacturing this enzyme by age four, although it may continue to do so
in small amounts. Those whose bodies no longer produce this digestive enzyme
have a condition called lactose intolerance. What happens is that the
undigested lactose moves to the large intestine, where it is attacked by
bacteria that convert the undigested sugar to gas and lactic acid. The result
may be a number of side effects including a bloating sensation, diarrhea, gas,
and abdominal pain. The highest prevalence of lactose intolerance is among
Thais (90 percent), Japanese (85 percent), Greenland Eskimos (80 percent),
Arabs (78 percent), African Americans (70 percent), Israeli Jews (58 percent)
and Indians (50 percent).
"The
Cancer Connection
"The
consequence of consuming lactose in dairy products may be much more serious for
women. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found an increased
risk of ovarian cancer in those women who have a high intake of dairy products,
particularly yogurt and cottage cheese. Galactose, the breakdown product of
lactose, is believed to be the cause of the heightened risk. (119)
"The
Diabetes Connection
"Cow's
milk may also be responsible for eliciting an auto-immune response that leads
to diabetes mellitus in children. Earlier we looked at how Type I (or
insulin-dependent) diabetes can severely compromise the quality of life and
result in premature death. We also saw how the disease is caused by the
inability of the damaged pancreas to produce insulin. Studies of one of the
proteins in cow's milk, bovine serum albumin (BSA), have indicated that BSA may
instigate an auto-immune response that leads to the destruction of the beta
cells of the pancreas.
"Drug
Contamination
"Like
meat, milk carries a risk of exposure to hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and
other chemicals that may end up in the milk supply. In 1993 came the publicity
regarding the biosynthetic milk hormone called BGH or BST. Dr. Richard
Burroughs, a veterinarian who spent half his 13-year career working for the
Food and Drug Administration studying the effects of bovine hormone used in
cows, says, "The very first data I saw come in showed that it [ BGH]
increased reproductive and udder infections in cows." These sick cows,
with a condition known as mastitis, then must be treated with sulfa drugs and
numerous other antibiotics routinely fed to sick dairy cows. The Wall Street
Journal conducted an independent investigation of the safety of milk, and their
study revealed drug residues in 40 percent of the milk samples taken from 10
major American cities. Contrary to what one would hope, public awareness hasn't
mitigated the problem. In the Spring 1996 FDA Journal, investigators reported
finding 16 illegal drug residues in the cows at an Oregon dairy farm, including
streptomycin, neomycin, and gentamycin.
"Rather
than move into uncharted waters, Europe placed a moratorium on BGH until the
year 2000. It now seems clear that the wait was well worth it. The most recent
study of BGH is published in the International Journal of Health Services, and
the news is grim. The study, authored by Samuel Epstein, M.D., professor of
environmental toxicology at the University of Illinois, Chicago, shows that BGH
may well promote breast, colon, and gastrointestinal cancer in humans. (120)
"Best
Source of Calcium? Think Again
"With
all of the risks associated with dairy products, why would anyone continue to
eat them? Most people are drawn to dairy because it is supposed to be a good
source of calcium. What people (including many health practitioners) are not
aware of is the fact that cow's milk is more likely a contributor to calcium
deficiency. This is because cow's milk is very high in phosphorus and protein.
Elevated phosphorus levels make calcium assimilation difficult. When excessive
protein is ingested, the blood can become too acidic. To buffer this rise in
acid the body draws on calcium stored in the bones, a process known as calcium
leaching. The greater a person's protein intake, the higher their calcium
losses will be, and regardless of how much calcium is consumed either in the
diet or through supplements, this calcium leaching will continue unabated
unless the protein consumption is reduced. . . .
"In
parts of the world where protein intake is moderate and largely derived from
plant sources, people are perfectly healthy consuming between 400-500
milligrams of calcium a day, derived primarily from vegetables, grains, roots,
nuts and seeds. As previously mentioned, the Bantu women of Africa may have as
many as 10 children in their lifetime and consume little or no dairy, yet
osteoporosis and tooth decomposition are extremely rare in their population.
"Anyone
who has studied the composition of foods knows that a variety of whole grains,
vegetables, nuts and seeds--such as broccoli, turnip greens, carrots, spinach,
cauliflower, kale, onions, almonds and filberts--are excellent sources of
calcium. The fact is, more calcium will be absorbed by the body from a cup of
broccoli than from a cup of milk! Yet little more than common sense is necessary
to destroy the myth of dairy as the best source of calcium. Where do the mighty
bovines get their calcium? Certainly not from the milk of another animal. They
get it from eating greens. Does it make sense that in order to get the calcium
we need, nature planned for humans to be nursing from another species? The
image helps one see how preposterous the whole dairy mythology is. (121)"
* * *
Jock
Doubleday
Director
Natural Woman, Natural Man, Inc.
http://www.GentleBirth.org/nwnm.org
http://www.SpontaneousCreation.org
director@spontaneouscreation.org