Random Ramblings

Random Ramblings: Personal observations on a wide variety of subjects. Photographs of creatures and things that are taken on seeing the unusual as well as everyday things.

Raw Milk - does it offer hope to ALL ailments?

There has been much talk of late with the health benefits that Raw Milk may bring. It has been inferred that children brought up on farms that have had occasional drinks of Raw Milk have access to more of the antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE), which it is claimed boosts the human immune system (allegedly also reducing occurrence and symptoms of asthma, eczema, hay fever and other such allergy ailments). If this is true, then it surely would make sense to see whether Raw Milk would offer health benefits to anyone with more serious illnesses. Raw milk also contains 'good bacteria' that help the human digestive tract to work more effectively. The western world spends millions of pounds purchasing yoghurt and live culture drinks, etc to bombard our bodies with 'good bacteria' perhaps more should be done to tap into the natural resource of untreated milk and milk products.

Most cows milk today is sold either as pasteurised, homogonised or ultra heat treated (UHT). To pasteurise milk it is heated to 71°C for 15 seconds then immediately cooled this process kills off all of the harmful and good bacteria, as well as some of the vitamins. Homogonised milk has the fat particles 'blasted' evenly throughout the milk where they remain in suspension (the cream is unable to float to the top of homogonised milk) it also is pasteurised. Allegedly claims have been made that this type of milk is difficult for the human digestive tract to process. Ultra heated milk (UHT) is similar to sterilized milk. It is heated to a temperature of 135°C for 1 to 2 seconds which gives it an unusual flavour.

Raw milk does have concerns that need to be considered - it needs to come from herds of cattle that are free from tuberculosis and brucellosis and it must be collected and bottled in complete sterility to avoid infections such as E-coli being passed on.

NOTE: RAW MILK IS CURRENTLY ONLY AVAILABLE DIRECT FROM A FARM AND IS BOUGHT AND CONSUMED AT THE PURCHASERS OWN RISK. I HAVE YET TO TRY SOME - SWEET THOUGHT ...

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