For some time now we have been hearing that it is unnatural to drink cow's milk since it was designed for baby cows .... and it causes allergies and all kinds of problems ... that is what they say .
My skeptical scientific-method trained brain has always taken that thought with a whole shaker of salt ... forget a few grains!
I was discussing this with a young couple who is trying to get rid of allergies and other problems and so is doing a cleansing diet. Nothing wrong with trying that but what about the total elimination of milk?
This morning I woke up, got out of bed and the first thing that came to my mind were these ...
- we eat honey from bees which was created so young bees could live and grow...plus food for the hive's winter survival
- we eat eggs and you know what they are ... the embryo of a chicken
For those of us who know that the Bible contains hidden gems of wisdom, check these out [NASB]
- Exodus 3:8
(Whole Chapter)
"So I have come down [Gen 15:13-16; 46:4; 50:24, 25; Ex 6:6-8; 12:51] to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a [Ex 3:17; 13:5; Num 13:27; Deut 1:25; 8:7-9; Jer 11:5; Ezek 20:6] good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of [Gen 15:19-21; Josh 24:11] the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
- Exodus 3:17
(Whole Chapter)
"So [Gen 15:13-21; 46:4; 50:24, 25] I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of [Josh 24:11] the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land [Ex 3:8] flowing with milk and honey."'
- Leviticus 20:24
(Whole Chapter)
'Hence I have said to you, " [Ex 13:5; 33:1-3] You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey " I am the LORD your God, who has [Ex 33:16; Lev 20:26] separated you from the peoples
- Numbers 13:27
(Whole Chapter)
Thus they told him, and said, "We went in to the land where you sent us; and [Ex 3:8, 17; 13:5] it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and [Deut 1:25] this is its fruit.
- Numbers 14:8
(Whole Chapter)
" [Deut 10:15] If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us-- [Ex 3:8; Num 13:27] a land which flows with milk and honey.
- Deuteronomy 6:3
(Whole Chapter)
"O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that [Deut 5:33] it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in [Ex 3:8, 17] a land flowing with milk and honey.
Does it seem that God was warning them about milk? Or does the "flowing with milk and honey" seem like a reward?
I don't believe it certainly ever hurts but helps to fast, to take certain things out of our diets for a time period... all good ..
But I don't think the Bible was talking about breast milk from human to child here was it?
Just for your thoughts.
Just like medications save lives on a daily basis, that does not make THEM always good, because they also kill people [druggies].
Just like water is great but put 1/2 a cup in your lungs can cause you to drown and die ...
Air is wonderful to breathe but put in your veins can cause, I am told, your death. ...
If I was a cautious person I would shut up and listen and make no comment ... I guess I am never going to be that guy ... (:-)
Will you take this for what it is worth and not as a rebuke?
Okay now I am thinking about how aspirin was discovered.... did you know it was a folk remedy that if you had aches and pains, you should chew willow bark .... of course scientists rejected ALL of these old ideas until later when someone tested willow bark ... you know what is in willow bark in higher than average concentrations? .... acetylsalicylic acid otherwise known as ASPIRIN...
Holding on to every accepted "wisdom" may be ridiculous as accepting in whole every new thought that comes along.
Thinking critically, nothing is perfect including standard medicine nor new wholistic ideas..
Editor's Notes:
Being a science teacher for over 20 years trained me to question any new idea using various criteria. That does NOT mean all new ideas are rejected. It is simply a check to make sure that some alarmists or companies with profit to gain are not behind various scares like the milk allergy scare mentioned above.
Some Scientific Criteria To Determine Facts
- Who is the authority that makes the claims?
- Is he/she qualified in that area of science?
- Is there actually any research to support the claim or is it circumstantial or as a result only of case studies?
- Has the research been tested and verified by other qualified scientists?
- Has the person making the statement any bias or anything to gain by people believing the claim? [For example "health magazines" often published and distributed in "health food" stores is biassed as it is usually published by companies that sell "health food". It may be true and maybe not.
In that light I did a very little research on the web regarding the widespread belief that cow's milk should not be consumed by humans. Any research on the web or anywhere else can be subject to incorrect data. Ask yourself if this is a credible source or does the researcher have something to gain.
Calgary Allergy Network - formed by a group of parents whose children have allergies...
"The Calgary Allergy Network evolved from a local group of parents meeting to share their challenges of living with allergies and asthma. We met for 2 years until succumbing to people's busy schedules and the ease/reach of the Internet. We were reaching 10 times more people by the Internet than in monthly meetings.
It's now mainly a web site which offers practical information and resources to the Canadian (and by default) the international communities. The founder and web master, N Wiebe, is a volunteer and parent of a formerly peanut-allergic child. We have other food and enviromental allergies and intolerances just to keep the fun going. Local support is still available on a limited basis. Please contact us by email and we'll likely phone you back.
We are affiliated with the Allergy/Asthma Information Association (AAIA), a registered Allergy/Asthma Information Association (AAIA), a registered Canadian charity dedicated to helping individuals and their families cope with allergies and asthma. It has been in operation since 1964.
Does this organization sound credible? Do they care about their children and not want them to be exposed to any additional health problems?
Here are there conclusions about milk and allergies:
- "Milk allergy results from hypersensitivity of the immune system to the proteins in cow's milk possibly caused by genetic disposition. Studies show that 2 to 3% of infants are milk allergic and most outgrow it within a couple of years. If drinking milk was really 'out of harmony with nature' one would expect the allergy incidence to be much greater. [Ed. due to the use of milk products in so many other products]
- "There is NO evidence that dairy products cause asthma. A person with a milk allergy may develop asthma but there is no cause and effect relationship between the two. Note: An allergic reaction to milk may trigger wheezing, especially in infants."
- "Constipation is not related to what we eat but rather to what we don't eat...."
Calgary Allergy Network website
Pediatric Myths by Dr Jen ......
Quotations for Consideration
"
The nutritional content of soy isn't as good as cow's milk based formulas.
Soy formulas are not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics or your pediatrician. The soy formulas all advertise that they are gentler to the stomach or are easier to digest or will guarantee your child's admission to an ivy league school or something, but really, they don't.
The truest sign of formula intolerance is diarrhea, and I mean water coming out, with gas, distention and sometimes blood in the stool.
The overwhelming majority of kids who do not tolerate cow's milk protein based formulas do not tolerate soy. It really doesn't help spitting up because the
spitting up is from an anatomical problem and not a digestive one. And soy formulas don't have lactose in them. See the Lactose Free section below :
lactose is important in infants."
http://www.drjen4kids.com/myths/mythformula.htm
"Lactose Free formulas: Lactose is the sugar in breastmilk. And all formulas are designed after the content of breastmilk. Since
things in nature rarely happen by chance, it's worth it to figure out why, out of all the sugars in the world, we have lactose in human milk.
Lactose helps with the intestinal absorption of calcium and iron.
It helps promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut. And probably most importantly, it is a
component of a lipid needed for brain development. Now, I don't know about the other sugars we put in formulas, other than lactose, but I think the jury is still out whether or not they do as good a job as lactose does.
Lactose is important in brain development--I'd suggest keeping it in the diet if we can."
Created, written and maintained by Jenny Thomas, Pediatrician, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Scott Smith since May, 2000. Her website is called Dr. Jen 4 Kids.
From The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto one of the largest teaching hospitals in the world we have ....
When discussing the issue about drinking Cow's milk or not, this is what they have to say...
A few excerpts from their conclusions.
Cow's Milk: Pros and Cons
"Occasionally, recommendations are made that children over 2 years old and adults should not drink cow's milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association strongly disagree with this position. Here are the reasons the benefits of drinking cow's milk outweigh the risks.
The benefits of cow's milk Dairy products are an inexpensive source of protein. They are a convenient source of calcium. In addition, they often taste good. These benefits of milk haven't changed."
There are also cautions for certain children who may have problems with milk on that same page. Check it out.
No attempt has been made to present both sides of this issue. The other side is well presented in various media and from certain types of medical practitioners. However what is presented is as unbiassed as possible being from research by parents of kids who have allergies and medical researchers and doctors.
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