EULALEE THOMPSON
THE POOR President of the National Consumer League, Carlton Stewart, seemed to have come in for some amount of thrashing from some parliamentarians recently.
Mr. Stewart, no doubt taking his role to protect the interest of the consumers seriously, made a submission on the health impact of drinking cow's milk to the Joint Select Committee of Parliament which is considering the Jamaica Dairy Development Board Bill. The bill seeks to pave the way for the establishment of a dairy board to oversee policy development and efficiency in the milk industry.
The Gleaner's report ('Cow's milk not fit for human consumption', March 3) was quite entertaining.
" ... That milk is like heroin, you nuh see a mad man," said committee member Senator Anthony Johnson. Then from the chairman of the Jamaican Dairy Farmers' Federation, Raymond Brooks, "That sounds ludicrous. How stupid can one get? Cow's milk has been around for ages." Others had their input and the submission was unanimously rejected by the committee. No need to have the league defend its case.
So what was that? Ignorance, arrogance or pure self-interest. Or just maybe we need a little less testosterone.
NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS
While Stewart may have overstated his case, associating the effect of milk consumption with illicit drugs such as heroin or cocaine, many researchers have documented negative side effects associated with frequent milk consumption, especially pasteurised/homogenised cow's milk.
There are also anecdotes from mothers who have had to remove cow's milk from their children's diets to better manage their eczema, runny noses and allergies.
Well, I don't think that I know everything and because I am unfamiliar with certain information, I don't call the bearer of the information stupid. So, after reading the article, I wanted to know more. I paid a visit to my old friend, Dr. Diane Robertson, long-time pharmacist and complementary medicine practitioner.
"As a child (many years ago), my mother thought that milk was best for babies, but for me personally, I always had sore throat and eczemas on the skin ... it was not until I became a teenager and came off milk that I began to see a difference in my body," she said.
She also lent me a book from her personal library (which I promised to return as soon as possible), entitled Are you confused? by Dr. Paava Airola. Dr. Airola says that "the value of milk in human nutrition has been highly disputed in the United States." Some say that milk is an excellent and complete food, others say that the stuff is loaded with chemicals, drugs, pesticide residues, hormones, antibiotics and so on, and is therefore not suitable for human consumption.
DRUGS
Cows are apparently given heaps of drugs, such as penicillin and aureomycin, to fight diseases such as mastitis. However, Dr. Airola said that residues of the drugs are found in the milk and daily consumption of milk builds up sensitivity to the drug.
Pasteurisation protects the consumers from disease-causing bacteria but also affects the nutritive value of milk - removing the 'good' bacteria and destroying some of the vitamins. Dr. Airola noted that yes milk is mucus-forming but that "the harm of mucus-forming food is exaggerated and overemphasised." He also believes that of all animal proteins, milk is biologically much more preferable to others.
From another source - All your health questions answered (Maureen Kennedy Salaman) - I see that lactose intolerance shouldn't be confused with milk allergy as some people are allergic to the protein in milk (casein) and they may get a rash without diarrhoea.
CORPORATE PROFITS
Salaman says that "pasteurised milk is not food for human but good for corporate profits." She says that heating milk destroys vitamins B2, B12 and C as well as calcium, phosphorus and iodine. Her recommendation, if you have to drink milk, is to drink only certified (raw) milk which has been tested daily and adheres to high standards of cleanliness so there's no need to pasteurise or boil.
None of the reputable sources either from my 'googling' on the Internet or from the ones quoted here, recommend that milk be completely taken from the diet as it has beneficial properties especially in the form of yoghurt, whey and other soured milk.
Lactose is also said to be extremely beneficial for digestive health and the elimination tract.
Please send your feedback to eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com.
