Raw Milk-Irony And Illness

[+ Gar1eth]

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on March 09, 2016 at 10:49 AM, updated March 09, 2016 at 5:31 PM

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10.1kshares

293 comments

 

 

Lawmakers in West Virginia who consumed raw milk after passing a bill legalizing the unpasteurized dairy beverage have fallen ill, but they insist the flu is to blame.

 

Now, the state Department of Health and Human Resources is looking into the situation.

 

Pat McGeehan, one of the sick lawmakers, told WSAZ in Charleston that a stomach bug has been making the rounds.

 

 

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2016/03/09/19914098-large.jpg

 

Adults should not be drinking milk (much less raw milk)

 

 

 

"There's definitely ... some other colleagues that have similar symptoms that I've been experiencing," McGeehan told the TV station.

 

 

 

 

 

Several lawmakers say a delegate who sponsored the bill, Scott Cadle (R - Mason, 13), brought in the drinks.

"[Cadle] caught me in the hallway, offered a cup to me, and you want to try to be a gentleman," McGeehan said. "I had a small sip and walked away and tossed the rest of it."

"I highly doubt raw milk had anything to do with it, in my case," McGeehan said.

 

Still, the lawmakers' plight has been picked up by national media outlets, which have seized on the apparent irony of the situation.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns against drinking raw milk because it can contain "dangerous microorganisms." Advocates cite health benefits.

 

 

Gman

[+ glennnn]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Refuting and ignoring science will soon overtake baseball as the great American passtime. It's funny and yet deeply disturbing. Quo vadis, America?

[sincitymix]

I remember visiting some of my relatives for the first time in upstate New York as a very young child.. think rural small town farm country.

Up to this point, I have always had pasteurized milk. I had unpasteurized fresh from the cow milk during breakfast on a Sunday morning. Its good they said. Its healthy they said.

I started to feel unwell, but the family was going to church. They wanted me to meet the Pastor/Preacher, who was a good friend of my Uncle.

I remember walking into the church at the exact same time the Pastor was saying "Satan get thee gone!"

I threw up all over the floor.

Yes. you can imagine the looks on the faces of everyone in the church. My mom rushed me back to my Aunts house. My relatives stayed behind to apologize and try and "explain".

To this day my cousins do not let me live that down. I'm the devil child.. even more so since my sister outted me to my relatives one year.

so pretty much, unless you grow up on unpasteurized milk... stay away!!!

[+ Gar1eth]

I remember visiting some of my relatives for the first time in upstate New York as a very young child.. think rural small town farm country.

Up to this point, I have always had pasteurized milk. I had unpasteurized fresh from the cow milk during breakfast on a Sunday morning. Its good they said. Its healthy they said.

I started to feel unwell, but the family was going to church. They wanted me to meet the Pastor/Preacher, who was a good friend of my Uncle.

I remember walking into the church at the exact same time the Pastor was saying "Satan get thee gone!"

I threw up all over the floor.

Yes. you can imagine the looks on the faces of everyone in the church. My mom rushed me back to my Aunts house. My relatives stayed behind to apologize and try and "explain".

To this day my cousins do not let me live that down. I'm the devil child.. even more so since my sister outted me to my relatives one year.

so pretty much, unless you grow up on unpasteurized milk... stay away!!!

 

I threw up pasteurized milk one time in our carpeted den. Years and years later I was lying on the floor in the den watching the TV or something. For some reason I put my nose right up against the carpet. I was in the area where I had been sick. I swear I could still smell the curdled milk from my stomach. I'm assuming it had never been able to be completely removed from the padding underneath the carpet.

 

Gman

[rvwnsd]

Being lactose intolerant, I avoid milk. I drink almond milk, as I am also not able to tolerate soy.

[+ Gar1eth]

Being lactose intolerant, I avoid milk. I drink almond milk, as I am also not able to tolerate soy.

 

I had a taste of unsweetened almond milk the other day. The kindest thing I can say is-yech!!! Have you tried Lactaid milk or tablets?

 

Gman

[+ bashful]

Being lactose intolerant, I avoid milk. I drink almond milk, as I am also not able to tolerate soy

 

Have you tried Lactaid milk or tablets?

 

Haven't tried almond milk. Soy milk is awful, and soy yogurt is not much better. The lactose free (fat-free) milk at Wal-Mart, and some of the other local store brands are slightly less sweet than the Lactaid brand milk. Also have found dairy/lactose free butter (think it's called SmartBalance) and Wal-Mart also sells a lactose-free mayo. If you travel, some hotels have vegan (dairy/lactose-free) options, but most don't.

[rvwnsd]

I had a taste of unsweetened almond milk the other day. The kindest thing I can say is-yech!!! Have you tried Lactaid milk or tablets?

 

Gman

I use the Lactaid tablets when I eat out. I used to drink lactose-free milk, but I didn't like the way I felt afterwards. Hard to explain. I am fine with yogurt and some cheese, however.

 

The unsweetened plain almond milk is simply vile. I like unsweetened vanilla. Doesn't take like vanilla, but doesn't taste too sweet, either. Also, I find that I like the almond milk in the tetra pack better than the kind in the refrigerated section. Blue Diamond Almond Breeze is my favorite. I've started buying it by the case at Costco.

[+ Gar1eth]

Wal-Mart also sells a lactose-free mayo. If you travel, some hotels have vegan (dairy/lactose-free) options, but most don't.

 

Mayonnaise shouldn't have lactose in it anyway. It's oil, eggs, and vinegar or lemon juice.

 

Gman

[AdamSmith]

Mayonnaise shouldn't have lactose in it anyway. It's oil, eggs, and vinegar or lemon juice.

Now there's a racket! Slap Lactose-free on a bunch of white but non-dairy food products.

[seaboy4hire]

I've gotten the bad shits and thrown up from consuming a cheese burger, coffee products of different kinds, hot dogs etc but guess what I still consume them. These people prob got a bad batch or they just weren't used to consuming raw milk. My guess they werent used to raw milk rather than a bad batch. It sucks it happens. I will still consume my raw milk from time to time because it tastes yummy and the place I get it from I trust.

 

Hugs,

Greg

[bigvalboy]

I grew up on raw milk...never had a problem. The last few years, I've been drinking lowfat 2%..but my consumption of milk is greatly reduced. I drink it in moderation now.

[+ Gar1eth]

I've gotten the bad shits and thrown up from consuming a cheese burger, coffee products of different kinds, hot dogs etc but guess what I still consume them. These people prob got a bad batch or they just weren't used to consuming raw milk. My guess they werent used to raw milk rather than a bad batch. It sucks it happens. I will still consume my raw milk from time to time because it tastes yummy and the place I get it from I trust.

 

Hugs,

Greg

 

I grew up on raw milk...never had a problem. The last few years, I've been drinking lowfat 2%..but my consumption of milk is greatly reduced. I drink it in moderation now.

 

The point about raw milk is you never know. Even the place you always trust can get contaminated. And milk is a perfect growth medium for bacteria. There's a reason that families in developing countries boil their milk before feeding it to infants. They know through long experience it can cause disease. It may taste better-it's just too risky. Pasteurization is probably one of the 100 best advancements in science. It's saved more lives than we can count.

 

Gman

[rvwnsd]

Now there's a racket! Slap Lactose-free on a bunch of white but non-dairy food products.

Yeah, it is similar to "Gluten Free." I saw a "gluten free" label on a package of pork chops. It is true that pork chops do not contain gluten, but to promote it as a gluten-free food seems a little silly.

[+ azdr0710]

and I've seen "cholesterol-free" on packages of vegetables!

[AdamSmith]

There is also Brucellosis (also known, no kidding, as Bang's disease), an extremely nasty bacterial infection transmitted by, among other things, unpasteurized milk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brucellosis

 

Nowadays cattle in the U.S. and elsewhere are vaccinated for it, but the occasional case still seems to crop up. In the past, once contracted, it was a lifelong condition causing recurrent weakness, wasting, fever, etc.; the bacteria took up permanent residence as a parasite. Supposedly it can now be cured by several courses of heavy antibiotics.

 

Also called undulant fever, it brought low the prideful main character in Flannery O'Connor's story "The Enduring Chill."

[bigvalboy]

The point about raw milk is you never know. Even the place you always trust can get contaminated. And milk is a perfect growth medium for bacteria. There's a reason that families in developing countries boil their milk before feeding it to infants. They know through long experience it can cause disease. It may taste better-it's just too risky. Pasteurization is probably one of the 100 best advancements in science. It's saved more lives than we can count.

 

Gman

 

I'm not disagreeing with you. My comment was only to say that we drank it and never had a problem. My mother was a proponent of all natural products, free from preservatives. Growing up, rarely did anything come from a can or from the freezer, and most things from scratch. Alta Dena Dairies was started in Monrovia California, my mother's home town, so she trusted them, and believed in non-pasteurized products. Over the years, Alta Dena farms have had their share of recalls, though I believe mostly for political reasons ( but that's a show for Oprah).

 

I don't think that I would drink raw milk today. I have considered it on several occasions, but my milk intake is very low now, so I don't know how necessary it is, or what real benefit I would see.

[+ Gar1eth]

There is also Brucellosis (also known, no kidding, as Bang's disease), an extremely nasty bacterial infection transmitted by, among other things, unpasteurized milk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brucellosis

 

Nowadays cattle in the U.S. and elsewhere are vaccinated for it, but the occasional case still seems to crop up. In the past, once contracted, it was a lifelong condition causing recurrent weakness, wasting, fever, etc. Supposedly it can now be cured by several courses of heavy antibiotics.

 

Also called undulant fever, it brought low the prideful main character in Flannery O'Connor's story "The Enduring Chill."

 

There's also TB, Listeria (causes meningitis, spontaneous abortions, newborn deaths)-and a whole host of other illnesses.

 

Gman

[+ Gar1eth]

I'm not disagreeing with you. My comment was only to say that we did it and never had a problem. My mother was a proponent of all natural products, free from preservatives. Growing up, rarely did anything come from a can or from the freezer, and most things from scratch. Alta Dena Dairies was started in Monrovia California, my mother's home town, so she trusted them, and believed in non-pasteurized products. Over the years, Alta Dena farms have had their share of recalls, though I believe mostly for political reasons ( but that's a show for Oprah).

 

I don't think that I would drink raw milk today. I have considered it on several occasions, but my milk intake is very low now, so I don't know how necessary it is, or what real benefit I would see.

 

Your Mom was an early adopter. I think most people were thrilled by technology and modern conveniences in the early 1960's.

 

Gman

[AdamSmith]

I think most people were thrilled by technology and modern conveniences in the early 1960's.

"Atoms for peace."

 

http://clickamericana.com/wp-content/uploads/microwave-oven-ads-1970s-3.jpg

[bigvalboy]

"Atoms for peace."

 

http://clickamericana.com/wp-content/uploads/microwave-oven-ads-1970s-3.jpg

 

Ha!...LOL. Mom hated those things, and wouldn't permit one in the house, until late in her life. I on the other hand...

[+ azdr0710]

Alta Dena Dairies was started in Monrovia California, my mother's home town, so she trusted them, and believed in non-pasteurized products. Over the years, Alta Dena farms have had their share of recalls, though I believe mostly for political reasons ( but that's a show for Oprah).

 

history nerd that I am.....

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3s9PQDzbQdw/U0aoDDfhPqI/AAAAAAAAIYk/eE93zrx78zc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-10+at+7.13.58+AM.png

 

[+ Gar1eth]

"Atoms for peace."

 

http://clickamericana.com/wp-content/uploads/microwave-oven-ads-1970s-3.jpg

 

Ha!...LOL. Mom hated those things, and wouldn't permit one in the house, until late in her life. I on the other hand...

 

Were microwaves available in the 1960s? I remember we got our first microwave when I was in 10th grade -back in 1976-7. I might have remembered this anyway, but I especially remember because the microwave helped me out of a jam. I was taking sophomore biology in high school. It was spring, we were studying We had a major assignment to make up a plant collection/folder illustratingplants. -dicots, monocots, simple leaves, pinnate, etc. We were given several weeks maybe a month to work on it. The lead time was so long because we were supposed to be pressing the specimens flat and drying them out in our garage. With my usual attention to detail, I didn't start the project until a day or two before it was due. I remember being up all night with the specimens I had only recently collected. I took a shortcut on the weeks of drying in the garage by pressing the specimens flat and heating them in the microwave.

 

I was up all night putting the folder together. But I actually made an A- on the project. I hope I would have been smart enough to use an iron if we hadn't had the microwave.

 

Come to think of it, I probably used the iron too. I'll bet my Mom loved that.

 

Gman

[+ azdr0710]

speaking of microwaves (and veering horribly off-topic here), I remember many years ago my grandmother (salt-of-the-Earth midwestern farm woman) visiting us and using the microwave....she thoughtfully left it open to cool off after use

[+ Gar1eth]

Ha!...LOL. Mom hated those things, and wouldn't permit one in the house, until late in her life. I on the other hand...

 

I was just wondering-if your Mom stayed at home or worked out of the house. I know when my Mom wasn't around I loved being able to cook a TV dinner in a few minutes (still do) and of course it's convenient for defrosting. Going back to the chili thread-part of the meat was frozen. I was dreading defrosting it as I don't have that much space in my refrigerator. Plus my refrigerator is set so cold that it can take days to defrost. I also wasn't that thrilled by trying to defrost it in the microwave. But microwave defrosting of ground beef was a lot simpler than I remembered it being. I don't know what I was worried about. I put the meat into a microwave safe container. It worked great!! I think the trick is to put stuff to defrost into a container or a bowl rather than a plate where it can drip.

 

Gman