Diseases and Health Problems Attributed to Cow's Milk

For years we have been told to "Drink more milk," and most American's have followed that advice religiously. Today we drink more milk than ever before in the history of humanity. If milk really is the super food the industry wants us to believe it is, then we should be the healthiest we have ever been as a society, right?

The reality is far different. The majority of Americans are overweight or obese and allergies, asthma, diabetes, arthritis and cancers are on the rise. Is it possible that our modern diet full of processed dairy products from diseased cows could be one of the major culprits behind our diseased society? A growing body of health professionals are starting to believe so.

"Dairy products may play a major role in the development of ALLERGIES, asthma, sleep difficulties, and migraine headaches."

Israel Journal of Medical Sciences 1983;19(9):806-809 Pediatrics 1989;84(4):595-603

Most of us are at least vaguely familiar with milk allergies. Allergic responses to the proteins in milk include skin reactions like rashes, hives and eczema; respiratory responses such as coughing, congestion and asthma; and GI issues like bloating, abdominal, pain and diarrhea. Milk allergies can also be responsible for growing pains, rheumatoid arthritis and reoccurring strep infections. Many people have found relief from these symptoms by simply cutting pasteurized milk out of their diets.

What you may not be aware of is that raw milk may be an alternative to pasteurized milk. You probably haven't heard this because most U.S. researchers haven't even studied raw milk because they don't look at raw milk as a viable option. European studies however, do show that drinking raw milk does in fact reduce the incidence of hay fever and asthma and other allergies by half.

Why would this be? Why would pasteurized milk cause all of the allergic responses while raw milk does not? Pasteurization heats up milk to kill dangerous pathogens, but this process doesn't just kill the bad stuff; it also kills the good bacteria, enzymes and proteins that make milk such a powerful healing food. Without these good microbes and whey proteins, milk cannot be digested properly, causing the many allergic responses we see in the U.S.

"At least 50% of all children in the United States are allergic to cow's milk, many undiagnosed. Dairy products are the leading cause of food allergy, often revealed by diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue. Many cases of asthma and sinus infections are reported to be relieved and even eliminated by cutting out dairy."

Natural Health, July, 1994, Nathaniel Mead, MD

We consume estrogen hormones and xenoesrogens--estrogen mimicking hormones--in dairy and meats, in bottled water and other foods held in plastics, and even in the air we breathe filled with chemicals, exhaust and other toxins, but according to scientists at Harvard University, milk contains 60-80% of all estrogen we consume.

The problem is the modern dairying industry, which you can read about here. Modern dairy cows, which are given hormones to increase the amount of estrogen in their bodies, are milked even when they are pregnant, when they produce even more estrogen. As a result, conventionally produced milk is extremely high in estrogen: ten times higher than raw milk.

As a result, milk and cheese consumption has been highly correlated with testicular, prostate, breast and other hormone related cancers, earlier puberty in children, and reproductive health issues.

People who are lactose intolerant do not produce the enzyme lactase that is needed to break down and digest milk proteins. As a result, consuming milk products causes them gas, pain, bloating, diarrhea, and even vomiting. Conventional wisdom dictates that these people refrain from eating all dairy, but there may be an alternative solution: raw milk.

Raw milk contains the enzyme lactase, but that enzyme is killed during the pasteurization process. Many lactose-intolerant people are actually able to drink raw milk.

Babies who are lactose intolerant would be best serves either being breastfed by mom who eliminates all pasteurized milk from her diet, or given a homemade raw-milk based formula as soy formulas contain as much estrogen as birth control pills.

If you are concerned about the adverse health effects of milk, there are alternatives. Many people love--or grow to love--almond or coconut milks, or you could switch to a good organic, grass fed cow or goats milk, or even better, raw cow's or goat milk. Avoid lactose free milk, which is highly processed and definitely avoid soy milk, which contains the highest amount of xenoestrogen of almost any other food.