Dear Mr. Hennes,
My husband came across an article on Channel 6 Action News today regarding two people from PA (where I live) who became ill from the consumption of raw milk. After reading the article and hearing so many lies about raw milk and dairy, I would like to state some thought and facts.
My family has been consuming raw milk and dairy for the past seven years now. I am lactose intolerant. There is a tremendous difference when I drink pasteurized milk versus raw milk. I do not get bloated and doubled-over in pain from drinking raw milk though I did from pasteurized milk. I would say there's something to be said for that. But the FDA states in the article link above that raw milk does not help the lactose intolerant person. I'm living proof that it does. Where do your facts come from?
I’m very familiar with the campaign against raw milk and raw dairy, but could there some truth to the claims that there is BIG money in the pasteurization and homogenization of dairy? What is really driving the campaign against raw dairy? Isn’t this the same type of “campaigning” that took place between tropical oils (specifically coconut/palm oils) and soybean oil?
The soybean industry created a smear campaign, using scare tactics to convince consumers that coconut and palm oils would clog their arteries and cause heart disease. Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that it’s actually homogenization that causes clogged arteries and heart disease? After all, homogenization requires milk to be put through a sieve which breaks down the fat globules into such miniscule “uniform” fat particles making them small enough to enter our bloodstream. This is why the fat doesn’t come together and rise to the top of the milk (consumers seem to prefer that uniform look or that which has the appearance of being pure and healthy like white flour and white sugar).
Milk that has not been homogenized has naturally occurring fat globules that are not uniform in size and are too big to enter the bloodstream causing them to be eliminated as waste. And speaking of accuracy, wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that coconut oil is one of THE most healthy foods on this planet? At 76 degrees F coconut oil is a clear liquid. If our body temperature is 98.6 degrees F I can’t see how it could possibly clog our arteries, can you? I can personally vouch for how nutritious coconut oil is. A drastic change in my diet which included extra virgin organic coconut oil healed my thyroid after taking Synthroid for eleven years. Synthroid hasn’t been part of my diet in over six years now! And my cholesterol levels are very good.
Is it true that in 2003 the FDA reported that compared to raw milk, deli meats contaminated with Listeria Monocytogenes caused many more illnesses than raw milk? If so, why hasn’t the public been warned that deli meats are "inherently dangerous and should not be consumed," just like the FDA advises about raw milk?
Following is an excerpt from an article on the FDA website entitled, "Listeria monocytogenes Risk Assessment: Interpretive Summary." "While outbreak investigations provide valuable information about potential modes of L. monocytogenes transmission, they do not always identify the contaminated food source." So why does all the focus go towards raw milk and dairy? Please review Summary Table 4 in the above Risk Assessment article link where "Deli Meats" top the list for highest risk for Listeria contamination!
While it’s not impossible for an illness to occur from raw milk, I can’t help but wonder why raw milk and dairy consumption are polarized and take the headlines like they do. These cases are so few and far between, unlike, say, medical mistakes.
The Abstract below (highlighted in yellow and green) was taken from page 13 of 136 of the Institute of Medicine’s article called “Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care” dated September 22, 2011. It is reported that ten years prior there was an alarming rate of medical errors. If this is true, why doesn’t this make the headlines? I haven’t noticed many warnings, if any, from the FDA/government even though we are all potential victims to man-made medical errors which, by the way, are rampant. Highlighted in green below is a claim that even though our government/country has attempted to address these problems in healthcare, progress is slow due to greed and egos (that’s my interpretation). I understand human nature is what it is, but who is taking the initiative to hold these people accountable? And why aren’t these dangers being headlined and broadcasted in the news media? Is it because that’s all covered under the so-called “patient rights” when we are required to sign our lives away prior to treatment of any kind by a doctor/hospital so that they are NOT able to be held liable? Could it be that it’s the doctors and hospitals who are being protected and consumers are being duped and left out in the cold? What a sad state of our union. Just for the record, I don’t rely on doctors and hospitals for my health and wellness. I take responsibility for that. Shouldn’t we all and shouldn’t we be teaching children to do the same? I think so. But instead what are we teaching children here in the United States of America? Evolution as though it were fact, homosexual lifestyle as though it were normal and premarital sex is condoned as though it were no different than going to the nurse for an aspirin? We teach tolerance to everyone and everything except to the One who created us, who sustains us, and who gave His life for us.
ABSTRACT
Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine reported alarming data on the scope and impact of medical errors in the US and called for national efforts to address this problem. While efforts to improve patient safety have proliferated during the past decade, progress toward improvement has been frustratingly slow. Some of this lack of progress may be attributable to the persistence of a medical ethos, institutionalized in the hierarchical structure of academic medicine and healthcare organizations, that discourages teamwork and transparency and undermines the establishment of clear systems of accountability for safe care.
“Pasteurized for your safety” is the little catch phrase spelled out on lids and containers of all kinds of beverage and food products that make consumers feel, oh I don’t know, special? Important? Cared for? Loved? That is your motive for including that phrase, isn’t it? Because when some feels special, important, cared for and loved, they, in return will TRUST whoever their affections are directed at. This is a tactic used everywhere for personal and business gain. It uses and abuses people. It’s wrong and just plain dirty. The reason for pasteurization is for pure profit. Pasteurization allows beverages and food to stay on shelves longer and that’s the bottom line. It might be convenient to consumers because people are now so accustomed to their busy lifestyle, but that doesn't negate the fact that the FDA and the government is certainly not thinking of our safety first! Allow us to drink and eat pure and healthy foods which clearly nourish our bodies.
I know that raw dairy is legal in PA, for which I am grateful, but it’s not legal in many states and it’s not legal to cross over a state line with which, in all honesty, is absurd. Alcohol, which is legal all over and sold in many states in the supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations etc. is much more lethal and kills many more people directly and indirectly than raw milk ever has and ever will, yet I don’t see that going away any time soon or at all. Why is that? Is it because there’s too much money being made from it? Listen, I’m not asking for something that is dangerous here. Those who work for the FDA and those in our government should open their eyes and stop making money and greed your bottom line. Once you stop that then you’ll be free to see the truth and understand it.
I would like to ask that the FDA/government allow organic farmers to farm without interference from the government or from the Monsanto monopoly schemes. Put a stop to Monsanto's frivolous lawsuits against innocent farmers who believe that organic and true sustainable farming methods are not only better for our environment but also for consumers. Put an end to Monsanto's insatiable appetite for destroying farmers' land and livelihood (and stop them from clogging up our judicial system).
Why is it that we, the people, are being deprived of our inherent right to eat what God has provided to nourish our bodies which He created, yet those with appetites to destroy what is right and true and good have their fill? If the FDA would stop approving processed “junk”foods and drugs that attribute to poor health and even death then people would have to take responsibility for their own lives. This county needs to wake up to the call that’s been sounding out for many, many years.
Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. I hope you seek the truth and work to make a difference for the people, not for lobbyists, food and drug manufacturers, the government or for yourself unless it’s first for the people!
I’ve had my say. Now I would like to hear your response. Again, thank you.
Differing views on raw milk:
On The Safety of Raw Milk (with a word about pasteurization) - FDA
Rebuttal to the FDA's power point presentation - Weston Price Foundation
Sincerely yours,
Lisa Small
Wellness Blog
Revised: 3/9/2012
