by Raymond Francis As I lecture across the country, people call months later to thank me because their chronic disease is in remission. Yes, medical miracles happen and here's one of my secrets on how to make them happen: simply do not drink milk or eat dairy products. Anyone can profit from this advice; for many the benefits are miraculous.

We were all brought up with the myth that "milk does a body good." This is why most parents believe that milk is a desirable and essential part of a child's diet. But 70% of the world's population doesn't drink milk. The fact is mother nature never intended mammals to drink milk after weaning. In fact, in no mammalian species, except for a small percentage of humans, is milk consumption continued after weaning. In the words of Dr. Frank Oski, Director of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, "No one should drink milk." Mother's milk is actually a perfect food—for infants. The chemical composition of milk is uniquely designed for the infants of each species. Consumption by adult mammals or cross-feeding to other mammals is a bad idea. Feeding elephant milk to cats, mouse milk to giraffes, or cow milk to humans will damage health. Cow milk is a major contributor to our chronic disease problems. When people stop consuming dairy—health improves. The reason for this is that the sugar, fat, protein, and minerals in cow's milk are not appropriate for human consumption. In addition, virtually all milk is pasteurized which further changes the chemistry of the milk and makes it even more damaging.

Milk contains a sugar, called lactose, which is found only in milk. Mammals are born with the ability to make an enzyme, called lactase, which digests the lactose. All mammals, including the majority of humans, lose the ability to make this enzyme after weaning. Without this enzyme, consuming milk causes numerous medical problems ranging from mild to serious. Many people have this problem without knowing it. I have met people who wonder why they have so much gas after drinking milk. Most likely they are lactase deficient. Milk is contaminated with low-level residues of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, sulfa drugs, dioxin, PCBs, and other chemicals. According to the USDA, "No milk available on the market today, in any part of the U.S., is free of pesticide residues." These chemical residues can bioaccumulate in our tissues and eventually reach concentrations where they cause birth defects, cancer, and other problems. About 80% of the average person's pesticide load comes from consuming meat and dairy. One example of what happens after years of this bioaccumulation was cited by John Robbins in Diet for a New America. Robbins noted that the milk of most American mothers who are breast feeding is so contaminated with PCBs, dioxin, and various pesticides that, "...it would be subject to confiscation and destruction by the FDA were it to be sold across state lines." These chemicals store in the mother's fat which is then used to make the mother's milk. Robbins goes on to say, "The EPA has concluded that the average American breast-fed infant ingests nine times the permissible level of dieldrin, one of the most potent of all cancer causing agents known to modern science." It shouldn't be a surprise that cancer has become the leading cause of death for children under the age of fourteen. All this is happening because of the mother's bioaccumulation of toxins from her own consumption of meat and dairy. Milk is also contaminated with viruses and bacteria.

Government regulations state that after pasteurization milk should contain no more than 20,000 bacteria per milliliter. A study done by Consumer Reports found that seven out of twenty-five milk samples had in excess of 130,000 bacteria per milliliter. One sample had almost three million, and others had too many to count. Exposing yourself to this level of bacterial contamination is not a good idea. A host of infectious diseases have been traced to consumption of pasteurized milk. In addition, you may be putting an unnecessary and injurious load on your immune system.

Cow milk contains the wrong proteins for human consumption. It is rich in proteins called caseins which are difficult for humans to digest. Cows have four stomachs so they don't have a problem, but we do. These undigested proteins enter the lower intestines where they putrefy. This creates highly toxic by-products which poison us. Undigested proteins can also enter into systemic circulation, provoking allergic reactions. This is why milk is so highly allergenic. Dr. Frank Oski says that, "At least 50% of all children are allergic to dairy." An even higher percentage of adults are allergic. Allergic reactions tax the immune system, and lower resistance to infection and other diseases. Cow milk is rich in calcium, but is a poor source of calcium. It can also cause calcium losses. Cow milk contains 1200 mg. of calcium per quart while human milk contains only 300 mg. However, an infant actually absorbs more calcium from a quart of human milk because the calcium in the cow milk is less bioavailable. While there is a lot of calcium in cow milk, there is also a lot of phosphorous. The calcium combines with the phosphorous in the digestive tract and prevents its absorption. In addition, cow milk is low in magnesium and magnesium is necessary for calcium metabolism. Calcium that is not properly metabolized ends up as kidney stones, gout, and atherosclerotic plaques.