Tuesday, July 31, 2012

How Raw Milk Healed Jane


Well, here goes a highly controversial topic that I don't claim to be an expert on.  Which is why I'm not going to get into the debate here.  You can research for yourself the pros and cons and decide what is best for your family.

But first....what in the world is raw milk??


Raw milk is simply milk that comes straight from the cow....unpasteurized, delicious, real milk.


So this is our story.
Through God's providence I met my now dear friend Autumn at HEB one day.  Not only did Autumn and her family introduce us to their church, but also to raw milk. (Autumn knows ALL about cloth diapers and writes here.)

Up until this point Jane was still having bowel problems that required her to have a laxative daily.  I posted about her problem here.  And although I was glad the laxatives were helping, I wasn't happy that she had to take it everyday and was praying for a better alternative....for healing.

After talking to our friends about the incredible benefits of raw milk, we decided to do a little research.

We looked at both sides of the controversial spectrum.  The FDA claims all kinds of dangers with raw milk, and so we looked into those dangers, and discovered lunch meat is has some of the same dangers too, but it's not illegal.
We also found this statement to be questionable:

  • Pasteurization DOES NOT reduce milk's nutritional value.
Really? It doesn't? Hmmm...because all the other research on the other side contradicts that statement.


Anyways like I said I'm not an expert but it seems to me that there are alot of people who feel differently.  Not that that means anything, but its worth looking into wouldn't you say?

Another good resource is www.realmilk.com.

We watched the video on this page.  It's long but very educational.  

We realized people have been drinking raw milk for ages. It has even been used as medicine to HEAL people, and that is a whole food.  Why do I feel as if a veil has been lifted from my eyes?

About 2 months ago our whole family switched to raw milk.  And the results?

For Jane...NO MORE LAXATIVES!  In fact she very successfully poos her diapers like a normal baby should.

We now do our milk deals every Wednesday.  As in, we meet the farmer and his refrigerated truck every week in a gas station parking lot along with a handful of other crazy folks.  I give him my money and he gives me my milk.  It kind of feels like a drug deal every time! haha.  But the great thing is that it is the exact opposite!  I thank God for the freedom we have in Texas to purchase this liquid gold, and the opportunity to support a local farmer who takes care of his animals the humane way.

Because there is a difference between raw milk that comes from healthy grass fed cows, and raw milk that comes from a cow from a dairy factory.  Have you been to a dairy factory?  

I know have and you can smell the stench from miles away.  Would I want to drink that raw milk?  No.  Is there a reason they pasteurize that milk?  Of course.

I would strongly suggest if you go the raw milk route to know where you are getting it from.  Know the farmer.  Does he take care of his cows?  Is he clean in all his handling of the milk?  Visit the farm if possible. 
It would be unwise to drink raw milk from any old cow.

So, is there a risk when drinking raw milk.  Yes.  There is also a risk when eating a fast food hamburger, eating a turkey sandwich, eating spinach, driving in my car, and the list can go on.

For our family, it is a risk we are more than willing to take, and for us the benefits outweigh the risks by a long shot.  We see it as God's own creation of a source of food that has the potential to heal. 



And my daughter is proof.






12 comments:

  1. I am SO glad that we have big mouths and like to force our weird ways on everyone! hehehe

    Jane is precious and totally rockin that Ragababe.

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  2. We drink raw milk. Much better than the added color and flavor stuff in the jugs at the grocery store.

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  3. I got to this post through Health Impact News, and have a few questions (as a mommy to a 2-year-old that holds her poo). We drink raw milk (LOVE it), and she will drink a few sips here and there, but not a lot. If I pushed it, she would probably drink more.
    Just wondering how much she is drinking each day. Do you breastfeed her too, or does she just get the raw milk?

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    1. Hey Sarah,
      I commented below, sorry its a day late!

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  4. Sarah,
    She probably drinks about 1 cup a day. It took a bit more in the beginning (prob 1 1/2 cups) a day but now just 1 cup. I was breastfeeding up until last month, so right now she is just getting the raw milk. I hope it helps your daughter!

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  5. Make sure you do your research on raw milk and both sides. There are benefits but there are huge risk that you can't ignore. My daughter ended up in the hospital for 95 days with a stroke, kidney damaged, colitis and had emergency surgery and now with an ostomy to be reversed. No matter how great the farmer, how clean the process, something can get through and devastation can occur for all involved. I support families to be able to choose what is best for them but the research is so one sided and it makes it hard to really understand the real risk that come with drinking raw milk especially to children.

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    1. Jill,
      I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. She had a stroke, kidney damage, and colitis all caused by raw milk? Those are complications I've never heard of before being caused by raw milk. I'm curious as to what the souce of sickness came from? Can you tell me more of your experience? Thank you for sharing and my prayers go out for your precious daughter.

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  6. Hi Claire, She contracted ecoli 0157 from drinking raw milk, which caused hemolytic uremic syndrome which is what caused her body to shut down the kidneys, colitis and untimely have a stroke. She was a healthy 23 month old with no problems. Four kids in total got sick HUS and another dozen or so had vomiting, diarrhea but didn’t’ get HUS. If she had not drank raw milk she would not have contracted ecoli 0157. You can’t get ecoli 0157 from pasteurized milk because pasteurization kills ecoli. Yes, there are other ways to get ecoli 0157 but it the risk increases when you are actively consuming an item that could potentially have been affected. Another way kids get ecoli 0 157 is petting zoo’s where kids touch an animal that may have it then don’t wash their hands well enough or rivers. With the increase consumption of raw milk there has been an increase in ecoli outbreaks related and kids are getting seriously hurt from it. They can’t fight off the bacteria infection like adults can. My husband or I was sick my daughter had devastating consequences that will impact the rest of her life. I wish I had hear real stories of others kids getting sick when we were giving our kids raw milk. I would of hope it would of made a difference in my choice. There are a lot of benefit s from raw milk but there in an inherent risk also. It is sad we have two sides fighting over the information and no one side being truly honest. If they were we may have less kids sick.

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  7. Jill, I'm so sorry to hear of the pain your daughter went through. Thank you for sharing your story and it is good to be aware of the risks, especially the most extreme ones.

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  8. Grandpa was a diary farmer, and although I grew up in the city, always wanted to go back to the farm...got to milk cows in Missouri; as a side business, the farmer sold some of his milk raw. Later, had milk goats for 10 yrs. Never had one problem. I agree, Claire, it's best to KNOW YOUR FARMER! Extremely rare would be the farmer who'd want to make people sick, especially children. Hundreds of people die EVERY DAY in auto accidents. Should we outlaw cars? Jill, I am sorry for your loss, I lost a child from SIDS...but, I'd much rather live where we are free to take risks, than be in slavery to a tyrannical gov't who raids a Mennonite farm with guns DRAWN, to confiscate (gasp!) Raw Milk! Spinach & cantaloupe have also killed people/ and made them quite ill. Should raw veggies & fruit be outlawed?
    Claire, your baby is adorable! God bless you & keep on telling the truth. Great post here.

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  9. Jill,

    I am so sorry to hear about your daughter and the e-coli. Please don't take what I'm about to say as some sort of blame, that is not my intention at all. But I would hope we can all learn from other's experience.

    There might have been other factors in addition to the raw milk. Vaccinations, antibiotics, even head injuries and other issues can weaken the immune system. If the immune system is strong, we can probably get over something even as bad as e-coli. Like you even said in your post, not all the kids infected got HUS. My question and all our questions should be why? Why one kid and not another? I don't believe it's because a worse germ chased them down and got them.

    I highly recommend finding a good naturopath or homeopathic doctor. For everyone. They can help bring our bodies into better health, and strengthen our immune systems. Even if we've been sick in the past. They can show us how to rebuild.

    We are a raw milk family, have been for over a year, we love it, and have not had any problems whatsoever.

    Jennifer

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  10. Chris Kresser did a great and balanced article on the risks of raw milk and he did a whole series on raw milk. http://chriskresser.com/raw-milk-reality-is-raw-milk-dangerous

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