Page 17 - Spring2015
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Letters






          discomfort to prevent my skiing for over  products. But that does not mean that     More than fifteen years ago, the
          a week.This was not an isolated incident;  everyone should avoid raw milk. After  Weston A. Price Foundation launched
          normal activity on a sailing boat had re-  all, raw milk has supported healthy pop-  the “A Campaign for Real Milk” to pro-
          sulted in similar outcomes. In retrospect  ulations for thousands of years and in all  mote full-fat, grass-fed raw milk. The
          I was probably consuming enough milk  parts of the globe. Many have reported  “Get Real” word play is clearly an at-
          (over 700 ml daily) and supplementing  to us that muscle stiffness and joint pain  tempt by the dairy industry to piggyback
          with molasses (high in calcium) to be  improve when they begin drnking raw  on their success. Not only were people
          well in excess of normal intake values.  milk. And we have documented cases  buying alternative non-dairy drinks
              In Dr. Thomas E. Levy's hard-hit-  in which osteoporosis was reversed in  due to trendy diets of various beliefs,
          ting book, Death by Calcium (MedFox  individuals who began drinking several  thousands of people also started buying
          Publishing 2013), he notes that calcium  glasses of raw milk per day. Raw milk is  milk directly from farmers who were
          supplementation of more than 500 mg  a particularly important food for grow-  dedicated to producing high-quality,
          per day gives us a 30 percent greater  ing children.                   grass-fed, raw milk.
          chance of a heart attack, and up to a 20                                   Humans have been drinking milk
          percent greater chance of a stroke. His  ASTONISHING EFFECT            for thousands of years; maybe not quite
          advice, following personal contact, has     My health has been failing. Noth-  as far back as the Stone Age, but the
          resulted in my abandoning my two large  ing specific, just thought I was aging at  milk we did drink was produced by
          glasses of milk daily, and of course no  fifty-nine. I bought raw milk the other  cows raised on pasture, not confinement
          more molasses.                     day and I'm hooked. Instantly calm. I  feed lots, and it was raw or fermented,
              Mortality from all causes will come  think my body has been starving for nu-  not skimmed or ultra-pasteurized. It
          sooner, rather than later, the research  trients. It has amazed me that it has had  is full-fat, raw milk that does a body
          tells us. Very quickly, my muscle stiff-  an instant effect and I feel like a flower  good and my smart, healthy, beautiful
          ness disappeared.                  that finally got water. Louis Pasteur has  daughters —who have been drinking
              I can imagine a certain stiffening  done nothing good for the milk industry.  raw milk for more than ten years—are
          of backs and necks from many who may  Loving the taste, and the effect on my  a living testimony.
          pause to consider the ramifications of  health and well-being is astonishing.                Mary Wilson
          these words, given the almost religious                Jane McCallum                 Falls Church, Virginia
          excitement which surrounds the “magic”           Richland, Washington
          of raw milk. But we are intelligent                                    When we founded  “A Campaign for Real
          people—most of us—and those of us  GET REAL?                           Milk” in 1999, we had only thirty-eight
          with a research background know how     “Get Real”—the dairy industry's  sources in the whole U.S. to list; today
          important it is to have an open mind,  newest ad campaign—is their latest ef-  there are more than two thousand!
          but not too open that our brains fall out,  fort to increase milk sales, which began
          or so closed as to prevent curiosity and  a downward trend in the 1970s. The
          motivation for some detective work.  dairy industry blames this decline on the
                          Neil G. Hilford PhD  growth of non-dairy alternatives such as
                                New Zealand  soy and almond milk, PETA, the paleo
                                             diet and vegan groups. They also blame
          There is no food that can be consumed  a recent study published in The British
          safely by everyone. Some people get  Medical Journal, which suggests that    Gifts and bequests to the
          deathly ill from shellfish; others are al-  drinking lots of milk could lead to earlier   Weston A. Price Foundation
          lergic to beef. And there are individuals  deaths and higher incidents of fractures.   will help ensure the gift
          who for one reason or another can't tol-  The real problem for the industry is that   of good health
          erate milk, even raw milk, or other dairy  this study used pasteurized milk.  to future generations.
 Wise Traditions   SPRING 2015                       Wise Traditions                                           15





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