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More proof of the harmful effects of drinking cow’s milk

From Guidance to Wellness

‘Drink your milk so you can have strong bones and teeth.’ Surely you have heard those words before. This misinformation is still being propagated in many households and schools to this day. I would like to share with you three reasons why it may be time to wean off the cow’s milk, along with some alternatives for better health.

Dairy and Diseases

Cancer: The news is not good regarding milk and our health. The studies have shown that there is a clear and strong association between dairy and ischemic heart disease. There is also a clear association between dairy products and bladder, prostate, colorectal and testicular cancers. Animal protein feeds cancer cells like fertilizer feeds a lawn. Dairy fat, such as butter and cheese, is also highly contaminated with various toxins, including dioxin. (1)

Osteoporosis: Milk is an acid-forming food that causes the body to use calcium as a buffer to return the blood pH to its normal level. In the process of being used as a buffer, calcium is leached out of the bones creating a situation that leads to osteoporosis.

Diabetes: What is the connection between dairy and diabetes? One pathway is explained in T. Colin Campbell’s book, The China Study. “The antigens that trick our bodies into attacking our own cells may be in food. During the process of digestion, for example, some proteins slip into our bloodstream from the intestine without being fully broken down into their amino acid parts. The remnants of undigested proteins are treated as foreign invaders by our immune system . . . and sets into motion the self-destructive autoimmune process.” “[One] of the foods that supply many of the foreign proteins that mimic our own body proteins is cow’s milk.” (2)

Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the pancreas cells responsible for insulin production, has been linked specifically to dairy products.

Just as Type 2 diabetes is increasing around the globe, so is Type 1 diabetes. According to Dr. Campbell, there “is very strong evidence that genes are not solely responsible for this disease.” (2)

It’s unfortunate that the general public is not being made aware of this dangerous connection. The research results are being hidden under the guise of “controversy.” As Dr. Campbell relates, one of the reasons this knowledge is not being disseminated is “because the reaction would be so strong, and the economic impact monumental . . . regardless of the scientific evidence.” (2)

Have You Seen a Factory Farm Dairy Cow Lately?

More than 95% of the meat, dairy, and eggs consumed in the U.S. come from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), also known as factory farms. Dairy cows are given (synthetic) recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to continually produce milk. Hence, the dairy cow’s udders become so filled with milk that they can hardly walk. They get hooked up several times a day on the milking machine where many develop mastitis. Mastitis is an inflammation of the udder and/or teats as a result of chemical, mechanical, or thermal injury from the milking machine process. Recombinant BGH is banned in Europe, Canada, and other countries. The normal lifespan of a dairy cow is 25 years or more. That of a factory farm dairy cow is four or five years. The “spent” cows are used for soup and animal feed–yes, even for cattle.

Dairy Cows and the Environment

“Dairy cow and pig factories routinely dump millions of gallons of putrefying waste into massive open-air cesspits, which can then contaminate the water used to irrigate our crops. That’s how a deadly fecal pathogen like E. coli O157:H7 can end up contaminating our spinach.” (4) Animal farms take up 70 percent of all agricultural land. They are responsible for at least 50% of the problem with climate change. They pollute the air with their methane gas waste and flatulence. And they consume most of the water in this country.

The video Glass Walls, narrated by Sir Paul McCartney, gives a realistic picture of the meat and fish industry. it may be a challenge to watch the entire video in one sitting, as it may be disturbing to some, but it is a worthwhile educational event.

Sustainability

Animal agriculture as it is presently practiced is not sustainable. As individuals, we can do something about it. “Every time you go to the grocery store or out to eat, we get a chance to vote against” this unsustainable situation. (4)

Eat consciously. When you pour your next glass of milk, or sit in front of a plate with cheese, or a bowl of ice cream or yogurt, think of the violence and the suffering that the animal went through for that choice. Think about how that food choice has impacted the environment and how it will affect your health.

Instead of This . . . Eat That

ice cream . . . sorbet, coconut milk ice cream
yogurt . . . soft tofu, coconut water kefir
cheese . . . .seasoned firm tofu, tempeh
milk . . . hemp milk, coconut milk, oat milk, rice milk, almond milk

Act judiciously. Take the step to better health and wean off the cow’s milk.

REFERENCES

1. http://naturalnews.com
2. Campbell, T. Colin. The China Study. BenBella Books, Inc., Dallas:BenBella Books. 2006: 187, 191-192
3. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/dairy-industry.aspx
4. Freston, Kathy. Veganist. Weinstein Books, New York:Weinstein Books. 2011

Tragic cost of unwanted cats

Companionanimalnews

The Mercury Feb 2, 2013

Ingrid Tebb is devoted to helping her feline friends.

THE stories are all too familiar the young girl, pregnant, alone and homeless, trying to find her way in a world that has abandoned her and turned its back, deliberately blind to her plight.

Then there’s the old fella living on the streets. His eyes light up each time someone approaches as he remembers a warm bed, a fire maybe this is the one.

But now there’s nothing but hard ground and harder faces. He was loved, once, but something went wrong and he lost his way. Then there are the youngsters left alone by their mum. She’s not coming back, and no one else is prepared to take on the responsibility, so they huddle together in terror of what is to come a life in a frightening wilderness where they will exist hand to mouth…

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Group protests over deaths of dogs at Blacktown Pound

Taking a stand.

Companionanimalnews

Blacktown Sun; Nick Soon, March 18th 2013

AN animal rescue group with about 25,000 supporters on its Facebook site has suspended ties with Blacktown Council in protest over the death of five dogs they wanted to ‘‘re-home’’.

Melanie Norman and about 30 members of Pound Rounds NSW, and their supporters, held a protest rally in front of Blacktown Council today.

She said they waited in vain to meet with general manager Ron Moore and Richard Smith, manager Waste Urban Animal & Emergency Services.

‘‘We have suspended our support and ties with Blacktown Council until they agree to meet us to explain why they killed the five dogs last Friday,’’ she said.

‘‘Staff at the dog pound told us the animals would only be executed on Sunday.

‘‘When we arrived to pick up the dogs on Friday they told us they had been killed earlier.’’

A supporter, Sophie Nesci of Bondi…

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