Milk: Part 2

Hello!

We are going to learn about the use of growth hormones and antibiotics in dairy production. I think I may have mentioned this in a previous posting, but I feel the need to reiterate just how big of a deal this really is! The main controversy with dairy and hormone usage comes with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), but I want to add that while this is important, it’s also important that you realize there are about 20 FDA approved synthetic growth hormones used everyday in conventional livestock production. I am just going to tell you about rBGH for now so please educate yourselves on the others.  One thing to note: this hormone does have an interchangeable name. It will either be labeled as recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) or recombinant Bovine Somatotrophine.

Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone was introduced in 1993 to enhance weight gain and milk production in cattle. This sounds like such a great thing, and in theory it is. With the help of this hormone, milk production can be increased up to 15%. So what’s the harm in speeding up this natural occurring process? How does it affect the cattle? How does it affect humans?

Let’s learn a little bit about it. Robyn O’Brien states in her book The Unhealthy Truth, “Although the product is made in a lab, it’s designed to mimic a hormone that’s naturally produced in a cow’s pituitary glands. It’s injected into cows every two weeks to boost their hormonal activity, causing them to produce an additional 10 to 15 percent more milk, or about one extra gallon each day.” So what’s the big deal? Well the hormone does more than just increasing milk production. It can be harmful to the cows. The label on the hormone that is provided by the manufacturer (Monsanto) lists these as side-effects: “Painful udder infections (mastitis); increased body temperature; an increase in digestive disorders; infertility; increases in cystic ovaries and disorders of the uterus; and decreases in gestation length and birth weight of calves.” These are just some of the things that can happen as a result of the growth hormone, this isn’t the full list. Some of you may think that it’s sad or you say to yourself, “poor cow,” but you move on because it is just an animal. Well if you fall into one of these two groups, or even if you don’t, let me begin to share with you something that affects the consumer aka YOU!

Well as stated above, one of the side effects is mastitis or an udder infection. Administering this hormone brings an 80% increase in the rate of this type of infection. What isn’t told is that this infection can take hold in one of two ways. On the inside, which isn’t visible with the naked eye, or on the outside, which is clearly visible. When a farmer notices that one of his cows has an infection (on the outside) he will begin to treat the infection with antibiotics.

That’s a great thing, right? 

He got rid of the risk, right? 

Before the farmer notices the infection it’s already there. And remember, the infection can occur on the inside of the udders too. So here comes the gross part. This type of infection is accompanied by a little substance called…. Puss. The first time I read this I wanted to throw up. Absolutely disgusting. So as the cow is being “milked” the udder puss comes out right along with it and is mixed in with the milk. So how many people want to drink a big ole glass of milk right now? Probably not many.

One last thing I want to cover before I wrap it up is antibiotic use. There are about 82 possible antibiotics that can be used throughout this whole process, but they usually only test for 4 of them. Eating and drinking antibiotics is no better than taking them on a regular basis. You and I both know that you shouldn’t overuse antibiotics so why should we eat and drink them everyday? Ingesting antibiotics all of the time reduces the amount of good bacteria you have available in your gut that aids with the digestive process. Another issue that is beginning to arise is antibiotic resistance. This is occurring in humans and also just general resistance with bacteria and infection (E Coli). 80% or more of the antibiotics produced in this country are given to animals. What do the majority of people in this country eat? Animals. This is an unnecessary use of antibiotics and it’s just an attempt to bandage our terribly wounded agricultural system. It’s not beneficial to the animals and it’s not beneficial to humans. Enough is enough. The abuse of antibiotics needs to come to an end.

Now that I have given you this information, let me tell you how you can avoid this all together. Buy organic dairy products. Let me just say that this goes beyond milk. This means anything that is made out of milk such as cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. Who wants to substitute chocolate syrup on their ice cream sundae for some udder puss? Come. On. Organic dairy producers do not use hormones or antibiotics and is the safest bet for you and your family. What if you can’t get organic or maybe you can’t afford to spare an extra dollar or two on each gallon? You can still get milk that is rBGH or rBST free even though it’s not organic. Wal-Mart only carries hormone free milk, and many other brands have it too. Unfortunately we have our labeling system backwards in this country, but look for that hormone free or organic label next time you’re at the grocery store on ALL dairy products. It’s one more step you can take towards a healthier life. Oh I almost forgot... Milk from the U.S. is banned in Europe. Can anyone guess why? 

Besos,

Courtney 

Dairy: Part 1

Hey everyone!

Sorry I have been MIA for a while. I have been dealing with a few things and needed some time away to gather my thoughts. I began having some problems after we moved to Houston. I couldn’t figure out what was going on and I knew there had been some changes made to my supplements so I started by looking there. After trying different things, one of the two issues resolved. So then I started doing some research. I knew that people with a gluten intolerance can also face issues with dairy products so I tried dairy free for a few days and voila!... My issues were gone. Now I have to admit that this wasn’t an easy decision and not one that I wanted to make at all. I thoroughly enjoyed dairy products. Not milk, but yogurt and cheese. They were my “go-to” foods. I loved yogurt the most. Frozen or regular, no matter what flavor, I just loved it. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to have it for a while. I don’t think it will have to be a permanent change, but one that I will have to adhere to for about 6-12 months (according to my research). I had an absolute breakdown and cried about the thought of having to give it up. Hadn’t I already been through enough? Why was this happening? Couldn’t I just get a break? Well after coming to terms with it and finding some pretty great alternatives, I do what I do best. I began researching to figure out what the link between gluten and dairy is and why it affects people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. I also began to look at just how nutritious dairy products are and if it’s different in other countries ( I already knew the answer to this one).  Because my research is pretty extensive, I am going to do a “series” on milk. I would rather give you smaller amounts of information at a time rather than overwhelming your eyes with a novel on my blog.

Let’s begin.

Part 1:

I have been reading for some time now that there is a theory that “raw milk” is better for you and that it can help to heal or improve the health of people with certain illnesses. It is claimed that our pasteurized milk loses nutritional value once it endures the heat that occurs during the pasteurization process. My first thought was that this makes sense. We all know that eating cooked vegetables isn’t as nutritious as eating them raw. The heat “ruins” most of the nutritional value. I think that this is true for milk as well, although others will say differently.

According to the Organic Valley website, there are two accepted methods of pasteurization in the United States. “The first, traditional pasteurization, heats the milk to at least 165°F for 15 seconds. This is commonly referred to as "High Temperature, Short Time," or HTST pasteurization. Heating the milk removes 99.9% of the bacteria in the milk, which gives HTST milk a printed shelf life of 16 - 21 days from the date it was packaged.” The other is ultra pasteurization. “Ultra pasteurization, the most widely used pasteurization process for milk in Europe and throughout the world, is a more recently developed process. The ultra pasteurization process is often referred to as “Ultra High Temperature,” or UHT pasteurization. The UHT process heats the milk to 280° F for only two seconds, and eliminates a larger percentage of bacteria than HTST pasteurization. When coupled with sterile packaging, ultra pasteurized milk has a shelf life of 70 days from the date of processing. UHT is gaining popularity in the United States and Canada.”

So what is the reason for pasteurization? Well milk is considered sterile while inside the utters of the cow, but once it leaves, aka the cow is “milked,” there are microorganisms such as bacteria that can infect the milk. Pasteurization takes care of any of the risks associated with possible contamination by heating up the milk and killing off anything that could be potentially harmful for human consumption. These risks are all viable with raw milk so it is outlawed in most states in the U.S. Although the nutritional value may be compromised, pasteurization creates a safe drink that so many love. Because I have never enjoyed drinking milk, I am not particularly interested in which form is better because they both have pros and cons associated with them.  Here is a chart for those who might be interested:

After looking at this chart, decide what is best for you and your family. I will be talking about something that is a little closer to my heart in the next part of my series on milk-- growth hormones. Stay tuned for more information, and in the mean time, make the switch to organic milk if it's your drink of choice. That's one of the best decisions you will ever make. 

Besos,

Courtney 

Killer in the Fridge

Hello Everyone!

This is an email that I received and thought I would share. I'm sorry in advance because it is formatted in a weird way, but just read the information and ignore the fact it looks kinda crazy :)  I am working on a new post so keep an eye out for that soon! 

Please make sure to read till the end!!!

SWEET POISON...


In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick She had stomach
spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major
chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much
pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was
on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what
was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick she just knew she
was dying.

She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest
daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken
care of.

She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically
in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.

On March 19, I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she
said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.

I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister
if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she
was getting ready to crack one open that moment.

I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda! I e-mailed
her an article my friend, a lawyer, had sent. My sister called me within 32
hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the
diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she
didn't feel 100% but, she sure felt a lot better.

She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me
when she got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all
of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any
kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet
soda.. and literally dying a slow and miserable death.

When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that
was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete
recovery. And she is walking! No wheelchair! This article saved her life.
**
If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!
**
I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on
'ASPARTAME,' marketed as**'Nutra Sweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'
**
In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United
States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic
lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to
be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that
subject.

I will explain **why Aspartame is so **dangerous: **When the temperature of
this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, **the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME
converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes
metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire
ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple
sclerosis and systemic lupus.**

Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is
not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis,
especially with **Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.
**
The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or
she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may
become a life-threatening condition. We have seen patients with systemic
lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.

In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms
disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss re- turned and hearing
loss improved markedly.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus and **fibromyalgia**. During a
lecture, I said, 'If you are using ASPARTAME (**Nutra Sweet, Equal,
Spoonful, etc**) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms,
shooting, pains, numbness in your legs,
Cramps,Vertigo,Dizziness,Headaches,Tinnitus,Joint pain,Unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision,or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!' People were jumping up during the lecture saying,'I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible?'

Yes!
Yes!
Yes!

STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many
products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem. Dr. Espart (one
of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS
and during his recent visit to a hospice; a nurse stated that six of her
friends, who were heavy **Diet Coke** addicts, had all been diagnosed with
MS. This is beyond coincidence!

Diet soda is** NOT** a diet product! **It is a chemically altered, multiple
SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave
carbohydrates.**

**It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!**

**These products also contain formaldehyde**, which stores in the fat cells,
particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and
is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens.'

**Many products we use every day contain this **chemical** but we SHOULD NOT
store it IN our body!

Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the** 'diet
products**' and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost
an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.
**
Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some
physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact,
had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out
of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that
aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other
amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the
Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the
neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage,** Seizures,
Depression, Manic depression, Panic attacks, Uncontrollable anger and rage.

Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as
well. Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children
diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior
when these chemicals have been removed from their diet.

So called 'behavior modification prescription drugs' (Ritalin and others)
are no longer needed.Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first
place!

Most of these children were being 'poisoned' on a daily basis with the very
foods that were 'better for them than sugar.'

It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke
and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be
partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation,
if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. Children are
especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given
artificial sweeteners.

There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering
grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a
plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly
poison.'

Herein lies the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame
was included in 100 different products and strong ob-jection was made
concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two
subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done. The drug and chemical
lobbies have very deep pockets.

Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED! There are now over 5,000
products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be
thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a 'piece of the Aspartame pie.'

I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it
is.

And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes
Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the
American College of Physicians?

This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These [organizations]
cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they
take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their
products.

Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require
label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding
pregnant women, children and infants.

The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and
the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes
in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms.
**The bill was killed.
**
It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for
this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and
uninformed public. Well, you're informed now!

Besos,

Courtney