Watch Out For The Milk Hormone
Bovine somatotrophin (BST) is a hormone which, when fed to cows, can increase their milk yield by
20-30 percent. In the United States, BST was licensed by the American Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) in 1994. This effectively gave farmers the legal permission to treat their herds with the
controversial hormone. The license was accompanied with a new labeling policy, previously unheard of in
the United States. Traditional dairy farmers are prohibited from labeling their milk as “hormone free”—
while those using the hormone are not required to say that they use BST. Because uncontrolled hormone
intake is linked to a number of serious health problems, there has been great concern among farmers who
use BST that people would prefer the natural milk to the hormone treated one. Their pressure ensured the
above legislation.
The granting of a license to increase milk production through hormones comes at a time when milk
production is already much higher than is milk consumption. Most industrialized nations destroy
enormous quantities of milk and butter to manipulate the prices with no regard to the cows’ health. Cows
are naturally made to produce a certain amount of milk according to the demand from their offspring. The
hormone-induced artificial increase of milk yield causes a number of cow’s diseases that are met by
administering large quantities of antibiotics. The drug’s poisons seep into the milk and its products. How
much a cow must be suffering when its udder is being extended to beyond it natural capacity is not even
considered an issue.
Is Milk Bad For Everyone?
Cows milk is the food used to raise cows. Drinking the milk from another species is less than ideal.
Under normal circumstances, you will not find young animals going around and begging other animals to
give them some of their milk. Any adverse reactions to partaking of the milk of another species are to be
expected. However, if milk causes allergies or other diseases why doesn’t everyone who regularly
consumes cows milk suffer from the same problems? One reason may be that they don’t remove the fat
from the milk. Left unaltered, cows milk is completely balanced regarding its natural ingredients. By
removing one essential part of the milk, that is, fat, the milk protein can no longer be digested completely,
hence there will be a “leftover” of undigested and irritating proteins that the body’s immune system
begins to combat and get rid of.
In my practice I have found that persons who are of Vata constitution seem to digest and metabolize
milk much better than Kapha types, provided it is fresh, whole fat and boiled before consumption
(Pasteurizing of milk differs from boiling it in that is uses an extremely high temperature, namely, 285
degrees F (141 degrees C). Vata types often suffer from dryness, lightness and coldness. The mucus-
producing effect of milk may help lubricate their intestinal lining, which has the tendency to be dry. The
milk’s heavy and warming qualities may pacify Vata and thereby outweigh some negative effects that
milk may have for other body types. Healthy Vata types and, to a certain extent, healthy Pitta types seem
to produce more of the specific digestive enzymes, which are used to break down milk proteins, than
Kapha types.
In Kapha types, milk protein remains undigested and can trigger allergic reactions with intense mucus
irritation and sinus congestion. The Kapha’s blood vessel walls tend to clog up quickly with excessive
proteins as a result of overeating dairy foods or meat. This may explain why this particular body type is
more prone to obesity and congestive heart failure than the Vata type.
Once milk is pasteurized, i.e., ultra heat-treated, its natural enzyme population is destroyed. Yet the
enzymes are needed to make the milk nutrients available to the body cells. Newly born calves die within