Milk - A Silent Killer

Foreword Could Cow's Milk Be the Next Time Bomb?

Milk industry, the White Revolution, as it is called in India, is one of the health hazards which have not been well understood both by the medical fraternity and the common man on the street. We humans do not have any enzyme to digest milk from a foreign source after we wean away from our mother's milk! In nature no animal drinks the milk of another species except the domesticated cat and dog. We make them drink cow's milk. The latter have a stunted lifespan compared to their cousins in the wild. In this whole saga, goat's milk is supposed to be the least harmful (antigenic). Since we do not have the capacity to digest milk, the milk that we drink gets broken in the stomach acid into whey and casein. The latter is a highly antigenic substance.

Denatured milk protein in curds and buttermilk is much safer as they have not been found to be antigenic. The best part of milk, of course, is ghee, which even Ayurveda praises as a good food.

Many studies in the past have given conflicting evidence in this arena but a large multi-centric study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, puts all those doubts to rest. The antibodies produced in the human system against the foreign cow's milk proteins are similar to the antibodies against the pancreatic beta cells that produce human insulin. It is like a boyfriend taking the twin sister of his fiancée as his own; the cow's milk antibodies recognize the beta cells in the human pancreatic beta cells, as the twin of Casein and attack and destroy the pancreatic beta cells that normally produce insulin. The study did show that Type I diabetes is significantly more common in infants fed with cow's milk in place of mother's milk.

One more worrying feature is that an infant does not develop its gut immunity very early in life and so allows greater absorption of cow protein into its system compared to an adult with good gut immune system. More dangerous than the risk of developing diabetes, is the risk of carcinogens in the present-day milk derived from so many sources. In addition, the feeds given to the cows these days contain a genetically engineered bovine growth hormone which is carcinogenic to human beings. At least in the case of breast cancers, this link has been established reasonably well.

Some other natural pollutants including dioxin have been found in small quantities in this kind of pooled milk supplies. The danger is in India forgetting her hoary past, a time when the local cow's milk was indeed reasonably health-giving. Now studies have shown that Indian cows and many other breeds in some other warm parts of the globe have minimal antigen city against human cells. Casein derived from milk after it is split in the stomach is of two types, A and B. Type A comes from cows of Northern European origin which are highly antigenic; Type B cows are from India and have less of them. One of the reasons for them to have less antigen city could be from the ample Vitamin D that they absorb from the sun shining upon their backs all day. That is how our village cows used to roam in the sun all day to come home in the evening! Milk antibodies pose yet another danger. Combined with any viral diseases, these antibodies could become powerful carcinogenic mutants. Could this be another link between the success of the White Revolution and the cancer epidemic, as is made out these days? Again, good for business as cancer treatment in modern medicine is a trillion-dollar industry. However, from the point of view of the hapless patient, this is only a boondoggle. While there has been a clamor to bestow the Bharat Ratna on the architect of the White Revolution, poor people who drink that milk must be paying for their sins with their health and life. Philosophically, too, there can be no justification to the widespread consumption of milk. We are stealing the calf's rightful share of its mother's milk which is cruel indeed.

Preface I have known Dr N.K. Sharma and his wife Savita for over two decades and he has been a pillar of support in my own journey to develop clarity and move from an illness consciousness to a wellness consciousness. I admire his conviction and strength to not only titles his book, Milk, A Silent Killer in a culture where we worship milk, but also his sense of humor.

Nature! What is our understanding?

Nature is our home. Our base. Our origin is from Nature. We have shaped a culture. That culture today has helped to build institutions. We have also established lots of rules, regulations, dos and don'ts of all kinds. We need to understand this has taken us away from Nature and the nurturing that Nature has offered. For centuries nature has played the biggest role in our lives without rules and regulations. There was a rhythm which exists even today.

Life is a journey of relationships. Food is our most important connection with nature. It is genetically patterned, species specific and designed to give us optimal health and wellness.

This book brings out extremely clearly all facts which can satisfy the temperament of all. This book is based on the acceptable, workable and likeable philosophy that is reverence for life. It is a path for passionately developing compassion, love, kindness, comfort - all that we desire in our lives and others'. Based on this philosophy we can develop the principle of live and let live. Then actions are easy. The first step to take not only for health but also to live life fully to its highest potential is to give up animal milk.

This book is based on clarity of thought acquired by the author through experience, with care in the heart, and therefore certainty in action.

Doodh. Doodh. Doodh. Milk. Pure white milk. Milk for health, Milk for strength. Milk for goodness. Milk for tradition. Milk for calcium, they say.

FACT: Milk is far from being a 'Perfect Food', instead milk lacks essential nutrients. Milk is difficult to digest.

This book argues that there is no reason to drink milk or consume milk products. Not for health anyway.

Our health and that of the planet is increasingly subjected to known and unknown poisons. In choosing to experience for yourself a non-dairy-way-of-life, you will personally be contributing to your own health - and that of the earth. Do it, and feel the difference.

I come from a culture where milk and curds are the ultimate solution for everything - from stomach cramps to child bearing! It was by giving up milk - or rather just not buying it anymore, that I paved the way for less sneezes, colds and breakfast tantrums. Milk can be easily given up - and better health is definitely the result.

The book covers the A-Z of education: be it philosophy, ecology, science, logic, ethics, empowerment, health and nutrition. Let us re-educate ourselves through this book and share the information with all, especially those of us who are in a position to shape not only health but also policies on health and nutrition.

Every page in this book is information born out of Nature's wisdom, because Dr Sharma chose Nature to guide him. The book validates the fact that humans can master nature not by force but by understanding her power through one's experience.

This book is a blessing for all of us. Thank you, Dr N.K. Sharma. Thank you, Life Positive Publications for publishing it.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages