A Question of Dairy

Hello World!
Back in the fall--2013, I gave a talk/presentation on the most requested subject...Dairy! I am including the handout/notes here for your perusal and enjoyment.

“ I would call milk perhaps the most unhealthful vehicle for calcium that one could possibly imagine, which is the only thing people really drink it for, but whenever you challenge existing dogma…people are resistant.”

Neal Barnard, M.D.

Ailments & Diseases Linked to Dairy Consumption:

Allergies

Anemia

Arthritis

Colic

Congestion/Mucus

Diabetes

Diarrhea

Eczema

Gastric upset

Heart disease

High cholesterol levels

Hormonal imbalances

Intestinal bleeding

Multiple Sclerosis

Osteoporosis

And the list continues…

Commercial Milk Contains:

Fat

Sugar

Protein

Various minerals & vitamins

High cholesterol content

Veterinary drugs

Pesticides & Fertilizers

Antibiotics

High levels of growth hormones

Bacteria & viruses

Blood & pus

Worried about calcium? Osteoporosis?

 ...Just remember beans & greens.

Green vegetables and beans have large amounts of absorbable calcium; both contain fiber, which is necessary to control cholesterol.

                         

“Your glass of milk, even low-fat, is awash in fat (the equivalent of three slices of bacon), cholesterol, antibiotics, bacteria, and—the most distasteful ingredient—pus.”

Jane Heimlich (in her foreword for "Milk- The Deadly Poison" by Robert Cohen)

Why does the medical community still tout milk? Dairy is big business--and they can afford to advertise and promote and educate about their products. A doctor, like anyone else, only knows what he has been taught.

Everything about this picture says American Lunch...right down to the white bread (that's a whole other subject). Milk does not do a body good.

Did you know that milk avoidance can help clear up eczema, arthritis, colic, asthma, iron deficiency in infants, musculo-skeletal  pain (growing pains), and lower cholesterol?

Here is who a cow's milk is meant for--we're actually taking it from him--cow's need to have babies to produce milk, just like the rest of us mammals. This little guy won't get to stay with mom, he'll be sent to the veal farm more than likely. Males are not needed on dairy farms.

Some Shocking Numbers

21.2 lbs. milk = 1 lb. butter

2.1 lb. milk = 1 lb. evaporated milk

10 lbs. milk = 1 lb. hard cheese

12 lbs. milk = 1 lb. ice cream

Better "milk" choices

Hemp milk

Almond milk

Soy milk

Rice Milk

Hazelnut milk

Coconut milk

Quinoa milk

*Go to the tab (above) labeled "Dairy-Free Recipes". 

Premium Sources of Calcium

Kale

Collard greens

Turnips

Swiss chard

Mustard greens

Kidney beans

Broccoli

Soy beans

Almonds

*Calcium is an abundant mineral in greens, all beans, grains, nuts, seeds, veggies, and sea veggies, lentils, and legumes of all kinds.

Experiment...play...try different cuisines! Life is an adventure!

This is a big topic and we've only scratched the surface: Further health studies and dietary facts, the environmental impact from dairy farming (and factory farming for meat consumption), cost and natural resources consumed to support the industry, and last, but not least, the terrible treatment, storage, and killing of sentient beings we call food. Dairy cows get "used up" and become low-grade meat products, female calves replace other dairy cows, male calves become veal. 

Women, Hormones, & the Stages of Life

                                      Hello from RI during our last 12 days of summer!

This is my first post in 2013. My dad was ill and passed away soon after my last post in 2012; I was too uninspired and sad to write.This past July I did a talk on Hormones and the Stages of a Woman's Life. I thought I'd start blogging again with highlights from that talk.     Thanks for reading and for the questions that keep coming in...I will start posting answers again (and to those who have enjoyed the e-mails instead, they'll continue, as well). 

Hormones and the Stages of a Woman’s Life

Imbalances: Hormones help regulate everything from energy flow to inflammation to women’s monthly cycles. When hormones are out of balance the effects are felt differently by each woman--bio-individuality is the reason. 

Signs of the Times

·    Teens have begun cycles earlier (some at 8 or 9 yrs. old); pre-menstrual syndrome is common in today’s world.

Child-bearing years can include PMS, infertility, fibroids, endometriosis, headaches, depression,  & low libido.

Other signs of hormone imbalance are irritability for no reason, frequent water retention, spotting between cycles or absence of menstruation, and painful or difficult menses.

Major causes of imbalances are stress, adrenal exhaustion (produce most hormones), severe dieting or exercise, deficiencies in nutrients (especially protein, calcium, B-complex, EFAs: essential fatty acids), environmental pollutants and hormones, birth control, and HRT (hormone replacement therapy). 

      Fertility/Pregnancy:

·    Herbal support for normal, healthy child-bearing years: many varied fresh fruits and veggies in the diet, whole-food supplements (especially rich in folic acid and chlorophyll), and essential fatty acids (EFAs).

·    Massage therapy is essential in helping with infertility—stress management is important. Avoid caffeine.

Hot Flashes & Menopause:
Hot flashes are caused by the hypothalamus (regulates sleep cycles, appetite & body temp, and produces hormones in the pituitary gland) over-reacting & producing hormones, attempting to stimulate estrogen production.

Menopausal symptoms can be heavy bleeding (unlike/worse than normal periods), spotty bleeding, leg cramps, migraines, fibroids, low libido, hot flashes, mood swings, crying for no reason, vaginal dryness, hair loss or thinning, and night sweats.

*Hot flashes can last 2-4 years after menopause has ended.

·         

      Herbal Support:  Supplements are made for particular needs and will vary to include many of these herbs: Dong Quai, Black or Blue Cohosh, Licorice Root, Wild Yam, Chaste Tree/Vitex, and Ginseng

*Black Cohosh: research has shown 8 weeks later, estrogen levels are equal to Rx medications' results.

*Licorice Root: stimulates the adrenal system.

·    Vitamins/Minerals/EFAs: Supplements may contain any number of these beneficial components to aid your needs: Vitamin E, Omega 3 or mixed EFAs, folic acid/B-Complex, and Valerian Root/Kava Kava.

·    Foods: Super foods, such as those high in chlorophyll (wheat grass, barley grass, spirulina, etc.) are wonderful system-wide health builders that will increase stamina and have a long list of other benefits. 
      Add these foods to your diet (high protein & mineral content): Sea veggies (kelp, dulse, wakame, etc.), soy foods, papaya, seeds, nuts, miso, and green or white teas.

*Sea veggies help remove toxins from the body by binding to chemical wastes and then eliminating them through the proper channels.

*1 cup soy = 1 Premarin tablet

*To moderate bleeding: drinking red raspberry or green tea may help. Exercise is something that will either help you to lessen the bleeding or increase it—this is your bio-individuality…you have to try it first to find out.

NOTE: Many people have sought relief from every malady known to man through acupuncture and/or acupressure. Also, massage therapy (including foot, hand, and ear reflexology) has miracle-like results!

God provided every tree, grass, berry, nut, seed, flower, root, bark, stem, leaf, and fungus (did I miss any?) to help nourish and cure us of our ills whilst providing nutritive sustenance. He also gave us trigger points for effective body work—all to help us cope in this changing, beautiful, yet difficult world.