Posted on 05/07/2007 10:08:51 AM PDT by TheBethsterNH
The big deal about raw milk Physician discusses benefits of natural foods
by Sue Bingaman
BELLOWS FALLS - Dr. Ron Schmid, author of "The Untold Story of Milk: Green Pastures, Contented Cows and Raw Dairy Foods," argued that unpasteurized milk offers many health benefits as well as a financially attractive opportunity for dairy farmers. He made that point in a recent talk sponsored by Rural Vermont at Boccelli's in Bellows Falls.
Schmid, a farmer, writer, teacher and naturopathic physician, drinks raw milk and swears by its curative powers. A graduate of MIT and the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Schmid practices in Connecticut.
Rural Vermont, founded in 1985, is a statewide advocacy group for family farmers that seeks to promote economic justice for agricultural communities.
"Why the big deal about raw milk?" asked Schmid.
While raw or unpasteurized milk is very controversial now, it has been a wholesome staple worldwide for millennia, he said. Many public health professionals and doctors believe that selling unpasteurized milk should be illegal.
"Proponents of pasteurization have blown the necessity for pasteurization and homogenization out of proportion," Schmid said.
Schmid discussed the evolution of dairy farming and the production of milk during his presentation.
"Raw milk has been consumed for more than 6,000 years," Schmid said. "The milk came from cows eating grass. Traditional diets are grounded in things nature provides."
He went on to describe how the quality of milk is affected by a cow's environment.
"Cow's milk is only as good as the cows' health," he said. "Confining cows and providing them with too much grain can result in cows having many health problems that can be transmitted to the humans who consume their milk."
Schmid described how mass production of milk and methods of dairy farming changed in America early in the 20th century. Cows were confined and fed fermented slop.
"Milk was terrible, unhealthy, and people became sick. Many children died as a result of bad milk," he said.
As a result of the trend toward urban dairies producing low quality, and in some cases, unhealthy milk, Henry Coit became the head of the Medical Milk Commission and began the nationwide program of certifying dairies.
Schmid cited several studies illustrating the uses of natural foods to make people well, which are discussed in depth in his other book, "Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine." He cited research findings on the general health and dental health of people in interior villages in Third World countries who had no cavities and no arthritis. Their diets consisted of raw milk, fresh ground oats and other unprocessed foods. In contrast, in port towns in the same countries, frequently only 15 miles away, people had dental problems, tooth decay, arthritis and other health issues coming from what they called "white man's food," which included large amounts of sugar and processed flour.
Schmid claimed that modern medicine's concern with avoiding fat and cholesterol is misplaced and cited a study of 10,000 women in France whose diet consisted of cheese and other dairy foods. The women with the highest cholesterol lived the longest. He also said that Dr. Paul Dudley White, President Eisenhower's cardiologist, had said that he had never heard of coronary thrombosis until 1913 when he read the first published article about clogged arteries.
Schmid criticized the billions of dollars spent each year on cholesterol drugs, saying that they are overprescribed.
"The doctors who do the (cholesterol) studies frequently manipulate their outcomes and provide misleading information to the practicing physicians and the public," he said. "Processed foods make people sick. It is most important to give patients fresh raw milk, the best food in the world, from healthy animals."
For Those Interested in the Research of Dr. Weston A. Price |
Milk it does!
But why the government just doesn’t give consumer the choice and farmers the option to sell both pasturized and non-pasturized says it all, doesn’t it?
Louis Pasteur is up to about 150 rpm right about now...
Unpasteurized milk contains benign bacteria. For that and other reasons, it is better for your health than pasteurized milk.
BUT. That assumes that you live in the country and have access to a dairy farmer you can TRUST. Otherwise you can very easily get a bacterial infection that is not benign.
It’s impossible to trust factory farms or big milk distributors. There are too many ways for infection to sneak in, and in most cases the supply chain is too long for the milk to be really fresh by the time it reaches the supermarket.
So, unfortunately, the answer is that you can and should drink fresh milk if you have a neighboring farmer or friend whom you can trust.
BELLOWS FALLS — I’ve been there and can’t remember why. Is it a stop on a scenic train ride?
Yes it is (or was). Also the birthplace of catcher Carlton Fisk.
Yes. Amtrak passes through there, too.
The bakery / cafe / coffee house I used to stop by on my way to work in Lyndonville, Vermont sold raw milk from a local farm - they had it labeled as “not for human consumption”, which I think is some sort of legal disclaimer to allow them to get away with selling unpasturized dairy.
I never bought any...kinda wish I had, just to try it. I wonder if they still sell it.
LMFAO!!!
ping
The human gut contains thousands of bacteria, for most of which their beneficial effect is not well understodd. Lots of digestive issues can be helped with yogurt, buttermilk, maybe unpasteurized milk.
Had some raw milk once, a guy who had a small farm was delivering it in old glass bottles packed on ice in the back of a utility truck...it was good, creamier flavor to it...did not become ill from it.
In order to buy it now, you gotta go to a feed store, raw milk is in the “pet food” section, thats the only way that its allowed to be sold.
Bellows Falls is the setting for a lot of Archer Mayor mysteries.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had raw milk, but I have had plenty of unpasteurized juice and it definitely does taste better. The pasteurization process just seems to change the composition of the sugars for the worse.
Maybe that’s what the label at the shop I mentioned said - for animal use only?
It was only two or three years ago.
I’m hoping to make it back home for a visit this summer, and I want to go to that place for baked goods - might have to grab a bottle of milk while I’m at it, if they still have it!
I grew up drinking raw milk from our own cow, Suzie. She gave so much milk we had to drink it to keep it from spoiling, in fact I never drank water. Mother made cottage cheese, whipped cream and butter from it. It was fantastic. I still have a glass of milk every night before I can go to sleep.
When we were in Innsbruck a couple of years ago, we went to a small mountain town called Egls. They had a milk bar, where the farmer basically would give you a good size portion for a Euro. MMM, fresh from the cow.
Insanity!
Thanks for the ping!
As usual, God did it right, men blow it every time.
You need to study Pasteur a bit more closely.
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