Weekly Opinion Column 10/04/98
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NATURE'S
PERFECT FOOD? A SECOND OPINION!
Julian
Whitaker, MD, is the founder and editor of the largest read health newsletter in the world, Health &
Healing. This month his lead topic is MILK and the ANTIDAIRY Coalition. Here are pages 1-4
of Dr.Whitaker's 8-page newsletter. I heartily recommend that you consider subscribing.
Whitaker's alternative medicine advice is right on the money and 532,000+ monthly readers
have benefited from his brilliant recommendations. Call 1-800-539-8219 to subscribe! (12 issues - $39.95 per year)
(REPRINTED:
PERMISSION OF JULIAN WHITAKER, MD)
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Dr.
Julian Whitaker's
Health & Healing
TOMORROW'S
MEDICINE TODAY October 1998 Vol. 8, No. 10
Dear
Reader,
In
the movie Men in Black, the character played by Tommy Lee Jones draws the distinction between a
"person" and the mass of "people." He states, "A person is smart,
but people are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it." In other words, we
do a whole lot of things as "people" we would never do as "persons."
Health & Healing readers are "persons." You are making the effort to educate
youself, refusing to buy the prepackaged party line dished out by the conventional medical
establishment and media. You think for yourself and take control of your own health. Yet
there are some areas that are so ingrained that we all revert to "people"
thinking. Let's discuss
one of them in this first story.
FOOD
SAFETY
MILK
IS "UDDER" NONSENSE
Is
cow's milk an appropriate food for humans? The "people" answer is "of course," but the
"person" answer is "no, it is not good for humans." Cow's milk is
species-specific food for calves. It is no more appropriate to drink the milk of cows than
it is to drink the milk of other mammals. We do it because we've always done it. It's a
"people" thing, and on close inspection, you'll see that all our beliefs about milk are "udder" nonsense.
Milk Myth #1: Milk Helps Build Strong Bones
American
parents pass this myth on to their children, and misguided nutritionists reinforce it. Actually, milk and
other dairy products weaken the bones and accelerate osteoporosis. That's right,
consumption of milk causes the very condition it's advertised to prevent. As I'll explain
in the next story, osteoporosis results from calcium loss, not insufficient calcium
intake. And dairy products, because of their high protein content, promote calcium loss.
Studies examining the incidence of osteoporosis have found that high consumption of dairy
products is associated with high rates of osteoporosis. If you want strong bones, don't drink milk.
Milk Myth #2: Milk is the Ultimate Health Drink
The
notion that milk is healthy for you is, again, "udder" nonsense. While eating fruits, vegetables
and whole grains has been documented to lower the risk of heart attack, high blood
pressure and cancer, the widely touted health benefits of dairy products are questionable
at best. In fact, dairy products are clearly liked as a cause of osteoporosis, heart
disease, obesity, cancer, allergies and diabetes. Dairy products are anything but "health" foods.
The
association with heart disease is particularly strong. While we've always known that high-fat dairy products,
such as whole milk and cheese, are significant contributors to high cholesterol levels and
heart disease, William B. Grant, Ph.D., summarizes the mounting evidence that nonfat milk
is also a major player in bringing on heart disease. Writing in Alternative Medicine
Review, Dr. Grant points out that nonfat milk, which contains substantial amounts of dairy
protein, is very low in B vitamins. The metabolism of all this protein in the absence of B
vitamins contributes to the buildup of homocysteine, a marker for heart disease.
Milk Myth #3: Milk is Necessary for Growing
Children
Oh
really? Here are three reasons kids and milk don't mix. First, milk is the leading cause of iron-deficiency
anemia in infants, and, in fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics now discourages giving
children milk before their first birthday. Second, it has been shown that milk consumption
in childhood contributes to the development of Type-I diabetes. Certain proteins in milk
resemble molecules on the beta cells of the pancreas that secrete insulin. In some cases,
the immune system makes antibodies to the milk protein that mistakenly attack and destroy
the beta cells. Third, milk allergies are very common in children and cause sinus
problems, diarrhea, constipation and fatigue. They are a leading cause of the chronic ear
infections that plague up to 40% of all children under the age of six. Milk allergies are
also linked to behavior problems in children and to the disturbing rise of childhood
asthma. (Milk allergies are equally common in adults and produce similar symptoms.) Even
so august an authority on children as the late Dr. Benjamin Spock changed his
recommendations in his later years and discouraged giving children milk.
MILK MYTH #4: Milk is Pure and Wholesome
As
if milk weren't bad enough already, the chemical giant, Monsanto Company, and the FDA have made it far
worse. In 1994 the FDA approved the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST), a
genetically engineered hormone from Monsanto that increases milk production in cows by
10-25%. Milk from cows treated with rbST contains elevated levels of insulin-like growth
factor-I (IGF-I), one of the most powerful growth factors ever identified.
IGF-I
occurs naturally in both cows and humans and, in a fluke of nature, is identical between these two species.
While IGF-I doesn't cause cancer, it definitely stimulates its growth. Recent studies have
found a seven-fold increase in the risk of breast cancer in women
with the highest IGF-I levels, and a four-fold increase in prostate cancer in men with the highest levels. Not only does rbST elevate your exposure
to these growth factors, it
also increases infections of the cow's udders. Therefore, cows treated with rbST are given
more antibiotics, so higher traces of these drugs, as well as pus and bacteria from infected udders, are found in their
milk.
In
his recent book, MILK
- The Deadly Poison (Argus
Publishing, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1998), Robert Cohen, a tenacious investigative
reporter, describes a level of corruption between Monsanto, the FDA and the Department of
Agriculture that, in my opinion, warrants formal investigation and action against several
individuals involved. This book documents how data were falsified and studies fabricated,
and tells how the scientific community and public have been misled regarding rbST, its
effects on our health, and the amounts of this hormone present in milk. Folks, you won't believe this book.
Robert
Cohen gives names, dates and document numbers that are irrefutable. As you would expect, Monsanto is
playing rough. In Florida, they put pressure on a FOX television station, which then fired
two award- winning journalists with over 20 years experience for attempting to report on
the dark side of bovine growth hormone. These two reporters are now suing the network.
Monsanto has vigorously attacked those who simply want to label their dairy product as
"hormone free." This wholemess is disgusting. It shouldn't surprise you that all
of Europe and Canada*(see
footnote) have banned this
hormone and we are the only major industrial country espousing and using it.
To get a copy of the June/July 1998 issue of SunCoast Eco report,
in which this story is reported, send a check for $3 to Editor-SunCoast Eco Report, P.O.
Box 35500, Sarasota, FL, 34278. If you have access to the Internet, for more information
on the suit, go to www.foxBGHsuit.com.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LIMITING YOUR DAIRY INTAKE
*
To start with, knock off drinking milk altogether. Fluid milk is likely to be the most highly
concentrated, easily absorbed source of growth hormones. Instead use soy milk or rice milk
in your coffee, cereal and cooking. You'll find dairy-free cheeses, ice cream and drinks in your health food store.
*
Use all dairy products sparingly, and be sure to avoid products from hormone-treated cows. A growing number of
dairies offer organic or hormone-free dairy products.
*
For a list of those studies discussed in this article, send a self-addressed stamped
article to: CF/Phillips
Publishing, 7811 Montrose Road, Potomac, MD 20854.
* A
few months ago I joined Robert Cohen as a board member of his newly formed AntiDairy Coalition. I strongly
recommend that you get more information on the dangers of dairy products by reading
Cohen's book, available from the AntiDairy Coalition, 1-888-NOTMILK (888-668-6455).
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That,
my friends, represents half of the October Health & Healing digest. Dr. Whitaker dedicates the
remainder of this issue of his newsletter to osteoporosis and heart disease. I would like
to quote just a portion
of Whitaker's comments about bone disease:
"In
only two generations, the rate of hip fractures in the U.S. has quadrupled, and it is currently one of
the highest rates in the world. Americans are also near the top of the chart for dairy
consumption. Would someone out there please tell me why we keep telling our children that
dairy foods strengthen their bones? Excess protein intake-not only from milk but all
animal protein sources-increases the need for calcium to neutralize acidic protein
breakdown products, destroying bone in the process. A lifetime of a high-protein diet
usually eats away at your bones. Lower protein vegetarian diets are associated with
significantly higher bone mineral density. So the first and most important dietary step is
to eat less protein. This generally means cutting down on milk ..Although dairy products
contain calcium, little of it is deposited in the bones-instead the calcium is used to
neutralize the acidity brought on by milk protein."
I
conclude today's column by echoing the advertising slogan of the national fluid processors, the marketing
arm of America's dairy industry:
http://www.notmilk.com
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