Raw Milk And Its Growing Interst: Some Endoow Raw Milk with Medicinal Properties

Hannah Springer, a Brooklyn mother, had a chronic thyroid disorder for which, her doctors told her, she would need to be on medication for the rest of her life. Mainly for the benefit of her toddler, she sought out, and found, an underground source for raw milk, and started drinking it herself. To her absolute delight, her hypothyroidism disappeared and she was able to abandon her medication.

While no one is ready to declare raw milk a medicine, there is a decidedly growing movement in the U.S. toward preference for it over the processed stuff in the supermarket coolers. A recent article in the New York Times, describes the food movement's accelerating progress toward local, organic, vegetarian and vegan, foods. And the demand for raw milk seems to be in the vanguard of this evolution.

In feeding raw milk to her toddler, Hannah Springer was flouting the law in New York and about half of the States that have banned raw milk. And the national institutions charged with our food safety are 100% against it. That is, The Food & Drug Administration, The Centers for Dieseas Control, The American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, all strongly advise against drinking raw milk. They argue that raw milk could contain harmful pathogens, and that's why milk is pasteurized.

Well none of these organizations has an exactly sterling track record of dispensing unbiased, useful, and accurate information. And milk is pasteurized primarily to satisfy the big dairy industry who lobbied aggressively for it. Pasteurization and homogenization allow for sloppy production methods and increase the shelf life of the product.

There are other negatives associated with processed milk that reduces its worth as a food we generally accept as wholesome.

Pasteurization, contrary to popular belief, does not kill all pathogens in the milk. It's value is limited in this regard, and any benefits are achieved at the expense of losing all the enzymes which are so beneficial to our health.

Add to that the abomination of homogenization, which adds nothing besides increasing shelf life. This process breaks the fat globules into such tiny, submicroscopic particles, that they bypass the digestive system and migrate directly into the bloodstream, causing arterial plaque buildup.

The hazards associated with drinking raw milk are largely overstated. There hasn't been a death associated with drinking raw milk in the past 25 years, while pasteurized milk continues to sicken people on a regular basis. The argument that raw milk can be contaminated doesn't hold water. Any food can be contaminated. And the protection given by the lactic acid producing bacteria in raw milk is undeniable, even though raw milk opponents struggle mightily to do so. These friendly bacteria kill bad bugs for hundreds of illnesses.

Another upside to the consumption of raw milk is that its production and distribution, where it is allowed, is heavily regulated. Even the feed given the cows is scrutinized. This is not the case with pasteurized milk production, where the standards are lax to non existent. The quality of raw milk varies widely. Where the production of raw milk is allowed, the consumer can find an incredible variation in the product. Raw milk, ideally, is cow's milk taken straight from animals fed only fresh, organic green grass, rapidly cooled to 36 - 38 degrees, filtered, and bottled. Raw milk from the big factory farms does not meet these standards. It would be a serious mistake to drink raw milk from these producers. Anyone drinking this stuff is courting a serious illness

The potential for toxic drug residues,antibiotics, larvicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and heavy metals in milk from factory farms is high, and this witches brew should certainly not be consumed raw. Even after processing, it's really not worth drinking. And if they have to boil it before they can let you drink it, why would you want to?

While those in authority, and supposedly in the know, continue to rail against the consumption of responsibly produced, clean and wholesome raw milk, a growing movement is taking place across the nation. A very American battle is taking place,, pitting disgruntled consumers against what they perceive as an array of greedy, self serving, and arrogant interests. More and more people are searching for sources of responsibly produced, raw milk, and finding them.

Access to raw milk today is still spotty across the nation. Many raw milk merchants and consumers are placed in the same basket with drug dealers and tax evaders as far as the local laws are concerned. Finding it can be problematical, depending on where you live. But take heart. Change is on the way.