Guest guest Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 " HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch The Milkman Cometh Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:37:18 -0500 The Milkman Cometh Health Sciences Institute e-Alert December 22, 2004 Dear Reader, They're smuggling milk into Manhattan. That's right. You can get anything you want in the city that never sleeps, but you can't purchase raw milk. Unless you're willing to live outside the law. --------------------------- Going underground --------------------------- A recent issue of The New Yorker magazine carried an article about a community gardener and herbalist who was in the process of committing a crime. She had arranged for a Mennonite farmer in Pennsylvania to ship raw, unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk and other dairy products to a basement on Manhattan's west side. A small group of raw dairy aficionados were individually contacted and invited to purchase the illegal goods. Why illegal? Because only California and Georgia still allow the sale of raw dairy products in stores. Elsewhere, you can only purchase these products directly from local dairy farmers. And while NYC has nearly everything, you won't find a working dairy farm in Manhattan. But if you know someone who knows someone who knows a certain community gardener, you might be able to pick up a gallon of raw milk that's been illegally transported across state lines. We can thank the milk industry for turning consumers into criminals. Over the years, representatives of the industry convinced the public and federal regulators that unpasteurized, unhomogenized raw dairy products pose a serious health risk. But HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., has a much different view of the situation: " The politics of running the certified raw milk dairies out of business is as sickening as the 'modern' milk we're now forced to drink. It was consistently shown that there were fewer bacteria in raw milk than the pasteurized variety! The problem is, it takes far more care and procedural hassle to pull it off, and the 'big boys' weren't into that. That's why the wonderful, certified raw milk from Alta Dena, Mathis, and other dairies is a thing of the past. " --------------------------- Processing, processing, processing --------------------------- So what's the problem with commercial milk? Here's more from Dr. Spreen: " Pasteurized, homogenized milk does not qualify as food in my opinion. And the homogenization process breaks up an enzyme (xanthine oxidase), which in its altered (smaller) state can enter the bloodstream and react against arterial walls, causing the body to protect the area with a layer of cholesterol. " Pasteurization also destroys enzymes through its heating process. The skimming process makes the remaining nutrients more difficult to absorb. For one thing, the calcium is better absorbed in the presence of milk fat (though the high amount of fat in whole milk is for very-fast-growing baby cows, not baby people). " Nevertheless, there are at least two baby people who may have benefited from the nutritious contents of raw milk. One of the Manhattan customers of the contraband raw milk sale told The New Yorker that he purchases the milk for his two- year-old twins. So far, neither one of them has ever been sick, " Not even a cold. " --------------------------- That questionable moustache --------------------------- In an e-Alert I sent you some time ago ( " Get All the Calcium You Need...Without Milk " 8/9/01), Dr. Spreen explained that cultured products (kefir, yogurt) and enzymatically altered products (cheese, etc.) are acceptable in moderation. But he listed several additional reasons why highly processed milk is unhealthy, including: * Calcium in milk is not well absorbed (and even less so once homogenized). * There isn't enough magnesium in milk. * There's evidence that the antibodies the body makes to digest milk are closely related to the antibodies that destroy islet cells (insulin producers) in the pancreas in cases of juvenile diabetes. * Milk contains pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and Bovine Growth Hormone. But what about the " strong bones " claims you hear from America's Dairy Farmers and Milk Processors (the milk moustache people)? A 12-year Harvard study of 80,000 nurses showed that a high intake of commercial milk appeared to actually increase the risk of bone fractures. Other studies have shown mounting evidence that milk may play a role in a variety of health problems, including prostate cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, anemia, MS, and leukemia. And just last week, in the e-Alert " Rocket Food " (12/14/04), I told you about a recent study that found an association between milk consumption and ovarian cancer. For more detailed information about the highs and lows of milk, Dr. Spreen recommends Dr. William Campbell Douglass' book " Eat Your Cholesterol! " (previously titled " The Milk Book " ), in which Dr. Douglass (in his typical lively writing style) explains the many nutritional differences between pasteurized milk and raw milk. Like Dr. Spreen, I also highly recommend " Eat Your Cholesterol! " - available from Rhino Publishing, S.A. (rhinopublish.com). ************************************************************** ....and another thing Somewhere in here there's a joke about a " very shiny nose " ... How many times have you been driving on a dark road out in the country and thought to yourself, " I'd hate to hit a deer with my car. Too bad they don't glow in the dark! " And of course, hitting eight reindeer pulling a sleigh would be just that much worse. Such fears could one day be a thing of the past if scientists at a company called Geneticas Life Sciences (GLS) have their way. You may have read about a division of GLS called Allerca when recent news reports covered the announcement that Allerca is accepting deposits for " the first in a planned series of lifestyle pets. " In this case a " lifestyle pet " is a cat that is genetically modified to be hypoallergenic. The required deposit is $250, and the total charge per cat is $3,500. But you have plenty of time to save your money for the final payment because the first cats won't be available for another two years. Meanwhile, GLS scientists aren't just working the feline world. They're also tackling that pesky problem of deer that dart out in front of cars on dark country roads – a problem that causes thousands of injuries and more than 200 deaths every year. The plan: genetically modify the deer so they'll glow in the dark. No kidding. Glow-in-the-dark deer. The GLS web site explains: " By implanting the gene of a special jellyfish into deer, the transgenic NIGHTSAVE deer...have fluorescing hair and skin when illuminated by car headlights. " That's a great idea. Unless you happen to be a NIGHTSAVE deer on the run from hunters. If the jellyfishing of deer does take off, over the next few years motorists might have to also watch out for GLS scientists crisscrossing back roads while they implant jellyfish genes into every buck, doe and fawn. Then just turn on your headlights and let the fluorescing light show begin! Call it " lifestyle wildlife. " To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " Psst! Got Milk? " Frederick Kaufman, The New Yorker, 11/29/04 " More Doubts Over Plan for Allergen-Free Cats " Jeff Hecht, NewScientist.com News Service, 10/29/04, newscientist.com Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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