Health risks
In my practice as a San Diego chiropractor, I take the general health of my patients very seriously. Keeping them informed of health hazards is one of the ways I can guide them toward more optimal health. One of the health hazards that is high on that list is the milk found in the dairy section of the grocery store.
Drinking milk and consuming large amounts of dairy products is almost a national pastime for most Americans. After all, what’s more American than an ice cream cone? Or a cheeseburger. Or a grilled cheese sandwich. And, of course, we are all familiar with the famous “Do you have milk?” advertisements
There’s a Need?
For decades, we’ve been inundated with advertisements from the American Dairy Association in an attempt to drive home the point that “we never exceed our need for milk.” When, in fact, there was never a “need” in the first place.
As with most areas related to our diet, the end result is not health or nutrition, but money, plain and simple. In the past, their primary focus was on dairy products to provide the calcium needed to build strong bones. More recently, their ad campaigns are more focused on weight loss, if you can believe that. Losing weight by consuming dairy products is a pipe dream. However, the National Dairy Council has spent more than $200 million promoting that concept since 2003.
The entire American dairy industry, including farmed products, cheese, ice cream, and frozen desserts, is worth $70 billion a year. Add to that the fact that the subsidies for our dairy farmers are estimated at almost $15 billion or the equivalent of more than 40% of production costs. One doesn’t have to be very smart to see that money is the determining factor in convincing the public that dairy products are safe and good for you. The truth is that dairy products are not safe or good for you.
What’s in there?
Most cow’s milk has measurable amounts of herbicides, pesticides, dioxins (up to 200 times safe levels), up to 52 powerful antibiotics, blood, pus, feces, bacteria, and viruses. Because the determining factor here is money, various hormones are administered to dairy cows to increase their production.
The rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin) hormone is injected into approximately 20% of US dairy cows to increase milk production. Due to the lack of space in this article, it is impossible to cover all the problems of this practice. Suffice it to say that rBST milk is overloaded with high levels of the natural growth factor (IGF-1), which is easily absorbed through the intestine. Excessive levels of IGF-1 have been cited in well-documented scientific publications as causes of breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Furthermore, IGF-1 blocks natural defense mechanisms against early submicroscopic cancers.
This means that rBST milk not only opens the door to potential cancer, but actually prevents the body’s defense system from preventing early cancerous growths. It’s a nightmare in the making. T Colin Campbell, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, said that “cow’s milk protein may be the most significant chemical carcinogen to which humans are exposed.” Now add to this the list of other diseases that can be traced back to high dairy consumption, such as heart disease, diabetes, and anemia.
But what about the claim that dairy products meet the body’s calcium needs? This is flawed reasoning due to the fact that calcium must be combined with equal amounts of magnesium in order to be absorbed. The problem is that most Americans are low on magnesium. This means that even if dairy products were beneficial in providing calcium, without magnesium the body would absorb very little. However, that same body has no problem absorbing all the harmful ingredients that come with a tall glass of cold milk.
Alternatives
What are the alternatives to dairy? As with any diet change, my advice is to always take it easy. Never try to eliminate all dairy products from your life at once. And always try replace instead of removing them completely.
In Europe, people trying to improve their health are turning to soy milk in record numbers. This trend is taking hold in the US as well. Other alternatives include oat milk, rice milk, pea milk, nut milk, quinoa milk, and even hemp milk. In any health food store you will also find a wide variety of ice cream alternatives and frozen desserts made with soy and rice. Choosing organic cow’s milk is another alternative to consider.
Health or disease: it’s a choice
While some may complain that these alternatives are too expensive, my only comment is, “Have you considered the price of disease?” No matter how chemotherapy is administered, it is exorbitantly priced. What about heart surgery? Or blood pressure medicine? Or any recipe for that matter. Medical bills have been known to bankrupt many families.
Compared to illness, the price of well-being is a bargain. Especially when you factor in the stress, loss of productivity, and compromised quality of life that accompanies the disease.
I encourage all my patients to invest in good health. And eliminating most or all dairy products from your diet is a great way to start.
