| | | Allergy |  Allergy to Cow's Milk
Post Nasal Drip
  | Milk, cheeses and other dairy foods tend to promote mucus production, which can trigger or aggravate postnasal drip. |
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Autoimmune |
Crohn's Disease
| | Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Para-T) RNA (a bacteria causing Johne’s disease in cows) was found in 100% of Crohn's disease patients, compared with 0% of controls.
This bacteria becomes cultured in milk, and is not destroyed by normal pasteurization. Para-T crosses the species barrier to infect and cause disease in humans. Occasionally, the milk-borne bacteria will begin to grow in the human host, and irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease results. The USDA estimates that 30% of America's dairy herds contain cows infected with Para-T. |
 Multiple Sclerosis / Risk
| | Avoid dairy products containing 1% butterfat or more. This is part of the Swank Diet for Multiple Sclerosis sufferers. |
Dermatitis Herpetiformis
| | A milk-free diet may improve symptoms of dermatitis herpetiformis. The intake of milk products intensified symptoms of DH in two patients despite adherence to a gluten-free diet and a milk and gluten-free diet was effective. [Lancet 1971;2: pp.438-9] |
Autoimmune Tendency
Hyperthyroidism
| | One doctor reports that taking calcium without magnesium is one of the worst things you can do if you have hyperthyroidism because this increases any magnesium deficiency and increases the heart rate and likelihood of arrhythmia. This is one of the reasons why dairy products, which are high in calcium and low in magnesium, need to be restricted until magnesium levels are replenished. |
Lupus, SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythromatosis) / Risk
Chronic Thyroiditis
Myasthenia Gravis
| | See discussion of Myasthenia Gravis and Gluten-free Diet. |
 Gluten Sensitivity / Celiac Disease
| | Please see the link between Celiac Disease and Food Allergies. |
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Circulation |
Atherosclerosis
| | There has been more than a coincidental link between the use of chlorinated water and the development of atherosclerosis. This proposed link results from the consumption of chlorinated water and cow's milk. While this will remain controversial until clearly proven or disproven, it would be wise to avoid chlorine exposure and/or drinking cow's milk, especially in individuals at risk for atherosclerosis and heart disease. |
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Diet |
Low Fiber Intake
| | Consider replacing a significant amount of the dairy products in your diet with high-fiber foods such as those made from fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans or grains. |
Sugar Craving
| | Some people claim that their sugar craving was reduced or eliminated upon discontinuing dairy products. |
Chocolate Craving
| | Some people claim that their chocolate craving was reduced or eliminated upon discontinuing dairy products. |
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Digestion |
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
| | Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Para-T) RNA (a bacteria causing Johne’s disease in cows) was found in 100% of Crohn's disease patients, compared with 0% of controls.
This bacteria becomes cultured in milk, and is not destroyed by pasteurization. Para-T crosses the species barrier to infect and cause disease in humans. Occasionally, the milk-borne bacteria will begin to grow in the human host, and irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease results. The USDA estimates that 30% of America's dairy herds contain cows infected with Para-T. |
Lactose Intolerance
| | However, unlike yogurt, the lactose in kefir is all digested by the time it is ingested, and some of the proteins have been broken down too. Kefir, a cultured milk product, contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt: Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species. It also contains beneficial yeasts, such as Saccharomyces kefir and Torula kefir, which help control and eliminate destructive pathogenic yeasts in the body by penetrating the mucosal lining where unhealthy yeast and bacteria reside. Thus the body becomes more efficient in resisting pathogens like E. coli and intestinal parasites. |
Increased Intestinal Permeability / Leaky Gut
| | See the link between Intestinal Permeability and a Gluten-free diet. |
Constipation
| | A double-blind trial found that chronic constipation among infants and problems associated with it were triggered by intolerance to cows’ milk in two-thirds of the infants studied. Symptoms disappeared in most infants when cows’ milk was removed from their diet. [N Engl J Med 1998;339: pp,1100-4]
Dairy products are also devoid of fiber which is important in maintaining normal bowel movements. |
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Environment / Toxicity |
Not recommended for:
 Fungus / Mycotoxin Exposure
| | Don't eat moldy cheese. If you see mold growing throughout your hard cheese, there’s a good chance that there’s a mycotoxin not far away. |
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Infections |
Pneumonia
| | Some people feel they need to avoid milk and other dairy products as these make their mucus thicker and more difficult to expel from the lungs. |
Sinusitis
| | If you have chronic sinus problems, eliminate all dairy products from your diet. Many have reported very significant improvement. The full benefit may take 1-2 months of avoidance, so please try to be consistent in avoiding all dairy during this time period. |
Colds and Influenza
| | Dairy products tend to be mucous forming, making the mucous thicker. This makes it more difficult for natural processes to remove it, increasing the susceptibility to infections. |
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Inflammation |
Chronic Inflammation
| | Please see the link between Chronic Inflammation and Increased Protein. |
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Mental |
Schizophrenia
| | It has been shown that drugs which artificially stimulate and suppress the endorphin receptors can produce symptoms bordering on psychosis. Gluten molecules are molecularly similar in shape to endorphins and thus can create the same stimulatory/suppression activity. Certain dairy proteins have been shown to have similar qualities. |
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Metabolic |
Blood Type O
Not recommended for:
Blood Type B
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Musculo-Skeletal |
Osteoporosis / Risk
| | Harvard University's landmark Nurses' Health Study, which followed 78,000 women over a 12-year period, found that the women who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk. Summarizing this study, the Lunar Osteoporosis Update (November 1997) explained: "This increased risk of hip fracture was associated with dairy calcium. If this were any agent other than milk, which has been so aggressively marketed by dairy interests, it undoubtedly would be considered a major risk factor."
A study published in the January, 2001 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined the diets of 1,035 women, particularly focusing on the protein intake from animal and vegetable products. Deborah Sellmeyer, M.D., found that animal protein increases bone loss. In her study, women with a high animal-to-vegetable protein ratio experienced an increased rate of femoral neck bone loss. A high animal-to-vegetable protein ratio was also associated with an increased risk of hip fracture. Dr. Sellmeyer states: "Sulfur-containing amino acids in protein-containing foods are metabolized to sulfuric acid. Animal foods provide predominantly acid precursors. Acidosis stimulates osteoclastic activity and inhibits osteoblast activity."
Milk has been called "liquid meat". The average American eats five ounces of animal protein each day in the form of red meat and chicken, at the same time consuming nearly six times that amount (29.2 ounces) per day of milk and dairy products. How ironic it is that the dairy industry continues to promote the cause of bone disease as the cure!
Many foods naturally contain an abundance of calcium. One must wonder why Asians traditionally did not get bone-crippling osteoporosis... that is, until they adopted the "American Diet", a diet of milk and dairy products. |
Rheumatoid Arthritis
| | Here is a letter received by Robert Cohen, arch enemy of the dairy industry and despised by most dairy farmers. The letter was sent to him in January, 2002 by a long-time dairy farmer and speaks for itself:
You and I have stood on different sides of the fence for a number of years, but I've got a story to tell you, and an apology to offer. Catherine (my wife of 21 years) and I both grew up on dairy farms. We've been raising Holsteins as long as we can remember. Cath is just 42 years old, but she is crippled with rheumatoid arthritis. There is no record of this disease in her family, but she has been in pain for the past two years, much of it bedridden.
We've tried traditional and alternative therapies and medicines, but she only got a little short term relief. We even tried acupuncture. Try finding an acupuncturist in the rural Midwest! It was expensive, and didn't really work. Catherine's pain has been unbearable at times.
Despite there being no information on the internet linking dairy consumption to rheumatoid arthritis, and nothing in medical journals (I've searched online Medline), we made a resolution together to discontinue drinking our own milk, and not eat cheese or any other dairy product for six months, just to see if there would be some improvement.
I have to tell you this. Catherine feels like she's been to Lourdes. She's cured. There is some pain, but most is gone. I've had changes too which I'll discuss some other time. I thank you, and curse you at the same time. Milking cows is my livelihood. I've always believed that what I was doing was the right thing. I'm not going to sell my cows and sell my farm. I love the business. I just don't feel that good about it anymore. You were right about the arthritis. I don't know about the cancer and heart attacks, but you have given us a miracle that doctors were not able to provide. It did not take us three to six months to learn the truth. It took just three weeks. I've ridiculed your work in the past. Please accept my apology.
Your friend,
Tom
Since this type of joint pain can be a symptom of food allergy, dietary change may have a profound effect. Dairy products - the most common food allergen, are one likely causative factor.
"In the case of the eight year old female subject, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis was a milk allergy. After avoiding dairy products, all pain was gone in three weeks." [Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1985, 78]
"In systemic arthritis, like Rheumatoid, the cause is coursing through the blood, and it got there through the diet. When all of the joints are involved, the cause is not physical, but chemical. It's usually casein. (Eighty percent of milk protein is casein)." ["No Milk", by Daniel Twogood, D.C.]
"Certain foods trigger the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, and eliminating these foods sometimes causes even long-standing symptoms to improve or even remit entirely. It is important to avoid the problem foods completely, as even a small amount can cause symptoms. All dairy products should be avoided: skim or whole cow's milk, goat's milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, etc." [Neal Barnard, M.D. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine] |
Dupuytren's Contracture
| | Damage from xanthine oxidase, which is found in homogenized milk, was discovered in the palmar connective tissue of patients with Dupuytren's contracture. |
Leg Cramps At Night
| | There is some information suggesting that milk may make leg cramps worse due to an underlying calcium deficiency. Milk does not make a good calcium replacement source because of the amount of phosphorus it contains.
Pregnant women and others who get legs cramps due to low calcium levels should reduce milk intake, because drinking milk does not correct the underlying imbalances in calcium and phosphorus. The most common cause of nocturnal leg cramps is calcium deficiency. Non-phosphate containing calcium supplements should be used if low calcium is suspected. However, some people are helped by taking milk before bed.
One person writes that "Both my son and I have severe nocturnal leg cramps if we eat cheese, milk,,etc. Even the 'hidden' lactose added to sweetened sausages has this effect…" |
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Organ Health |
Diabetes Type II
| | When milk consumption patterns were examined across various nations, there was a very strong correlation with the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes. It may be that milk proteins cause an autoimmune reaction in which the body mistakenly attacks its own insulin-producing cells. |
Increased Risk of Diabetes ll
| | When milk consumption patterns were examined across various nations, there was a very strong correlation with the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes. It may be that milk proteins cause an autoimmune reaction in which the body mistakenly attacks its own insulin-producing cells. |
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Risks |
Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
| | A new study suggests the growth hormones used to increase cows' milk production can increase the risk of breast cancer for milk-drinkers. Samuel Epstein, a U.S. researcher, presented a report on growth hormones and milk to the World Conference on Breast Cancer in Ottawa. He explained insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) stimulates breast-cell growth, and uncontrolled cell growth can lead to cancer. Epstein says blood tests from breast-cancer patients show high levels of IGF-1. |
Increased Risk of Coronary Disease / Heart Attack
| | Consumption of one to two servings of cheese per day compared with zero servings was associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction, while there was no risk for low-fat milk consumption. [Eur J Clin Nut 2003;57: p.1447] |
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Skin-Hair-Nails |
Adult Acne
| | Dr. Jerome K. Fisher conducted a clinical study of 1,088 teenage patients over 10 years and reported to the American Dermatological Association that milk was a principal contributor to some patients' acne. Dr. Fisher found that their acne tapered off as their milk consumption was reduced.
Dr. Fisher noted that dairy products often contain large amounts of butterfat and milk sugar, both of which, he believed, aggravate acne. He also suspected that the hormones produced naturally in the milk of pregnant cows may break down into androgen when consumed, which stimulates the production of sebum, the waxy substance secreted by the sebaceous glands that clogs pores and creates acne when the pores become infected.
Milk may also contain excessive amounts of iodine, which can irritate pores, bringing on acne flare-ups. Iodine gets into the milk through the use of contaminated milking equipment and medication given to the cows. |
Eczema
Pruritus Ani
Adolescent Acne
Rosacea
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Uro-Genital |
Vulvodynia / Vestibulitis
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