This is the second post from you where I've been confused.

Who is Tamara?

Sorry about the confusion.  My husband Ryan and I share this account.  We both want to contribute as much as we can to some great health and fitness information to the site.  I hope that clears things up a bit:)  I hope you are enjoying the forum threads.  Have a great day!

Thanks! Maybe you could have a joint photo. :) I have enjoyed the articles, particularly the broccoli one.

The thing about gluten allergies is that often you don't see an improvement until six months of being gluten free. Good luck!

Hi try oat milk its a fantastic alternative. Easy to digest great for all allergies.

Available at all good health stores.

If you want the science behind this happy to forward.

Lynn

I'd like to see it.  Can you post in this forum.

I have never had a problem with milk and never met one who has nor seen any during my medical studies though I know from the literature there are lactose intolerant people.  However those lacking lactase enzyme vary in number geographically/ethnically which might explain some of the (perceived?) better tolerance of goat milk as goat herding and cow culture varies geographically as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance#Alternative_products

Also those with coeliac disease are intolerant of a protein (most allergens are proteins or peptides I seem to remember) in common grains: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease. In a previous life as Medical Adviser to a contraceptive pill manufacturer I often got calls from people concerned about the amount of gluten in the pills.  I reassured them that the amount was so infinitessimally small in comparison to what the literature talked about as the amounts causing symptoms.  You would almost have to consume a few month's worth of pills in order to experience symptoms.

Goats milk is a common substitution for people who are lactoses intolerant, in the restaurant I work in people will bring in Cheese made from goats milk to substitute with regular mozzerella. I am a vanilla soy milk lover, avoiding regular milk and manufactured human growth hormone in the US is easy with milk alternatives, but goats milk is about the only one for cheese

As for lotion products made from goats milk this is the brand that I love

http://www.canusgoatsmilk.com/index.php

and i meant, Bovine growth hormone =)

There are absolutely no references to published literature supporting the claims at that website.

Having worked in the pharmaceutical industry I've become reasonably good at telling good science from bad science (even outside the domain of medicine).  Also there is what's called publication bias where studies showing inconclusive results don't tend to get published because few scientists want to publish 'negative' studies/articles but want to make their name with 'discoveries' i.e. conclusive results.

Unless you have some training and experience it is difficult to critique what you read in diet books (how many appear each weak on the bookshelves? - they can't all be correct).  The fellow (a cardiologist) who came up with the Atkins low carb diet died after falling down stairs.  Obese people suffer more injuries falling down stairs because they are less able and quick to react and protect themselves - I saw this in a trauma unit one night when a large American came in with serious fractures from a simple fall on stairs inside a house: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Atkins_(nutritionist)#Life

Peer reviewed medical journals also have their deficiencies because who are these 'peers' and what is their authority.  Often they are established professors and they know who is doing what research and so if they see a certain article coming from an instiitute/lab that holds views they don't agree with then they often give a negative assessment and recommend non-publication.  For a whole list of articles on the deficiencies of peer review see this: http://www.google.com/search?q=peer+review&domains=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.counterpunch.org&sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.counterpunch.org

I have read countless articles in the medical literature where the claims made in the conclusion are not supported by the results.  These are sometimes from pharmaceutical sponsored (and ghost written) studies.  I once critiqued a competitor's clinical dossier by going through each article and finding all sorts of deficiencies (double counting of studies, lack of randomisation to which study group etc.  Randomisation means a person is randomly assigned to one of the study groups e.g. active drug vs. placebo and assures the poulations in each group are 'identical' so any difference in results is due to the drug and not differences in the groups).  With this critique we were able to get a legal injunction against a European health minister's decision to grant equal pricing for the competiton's drug with ours (a little bragging on my part!).

Taking medical advice is like taking advice from a mechanic when you know nothing about cars - you just have to trust or seek a second opinion.  Seeking a second opinion takes time and effort and thus we mostly go on trust.

Mark (not a marxist by the way but perhaps a Groucho Marxist!)

Hello Tamara,

I had a rotten time with food intolerance problems. Then I got an IgG test done in Dublin which identified once and for all what I can and can't eat (well the qualifier here is that if one hasn't eaten a particular type of food in the months preceeding the test the reaction of the body to that food can't be examined).

So maybe you should think about doing one of these tests? The one I did was expensive but the results have been excellent: no more stomach pain first thing in the morning, no more digestion problems and no more bloating and constipation. And I had these problems for nearly three years. Dairy is one of my biggest enemies. Having been off it now for three months I am feeling very good indeed. 

Unlike Marksist I have NO MEDICAL TRAINING. I'm only offering this information in the spirit of sharing and comparing anecdotes: this post does not constitute medical advice. Here's a link where you can read more about these tests but beware, this is the company's own website, so they are bound to be biast in terms of their perception of the efficacy of the test. But at least it's a starting point for your own research.

http://www.fitzwilliamfoodtest.com/html/food_testing.htm 

In any case I think you seem to be on to something here. If all the symptoms you have described tailed off after only one week sans dairy it definitely would appear to be worth taking the time to check this out. 

I hope you find the right course of action for you!

M.

I'm glad you mentioned recombinant gene technology derived BGH as it is very controversial and has led to trade tit for tats between the EU and US.  Growth hormone is not the only problem with intensively industrialised raising of cattle, chickens, pigs etc.  There are problems with infections when animals are cooped up in close confines and tread through their own maanure, breath it in etc.  So the animals get lots of antibiotics, residues of which remain in the meat and milk and might be possibly be linked with or a partner in crime in the rise of antibiotic resistant infections.

Also food quality standards are controversial in industrial production.  Inspection is poor and infrequent.  Violators get off with a slap on the wrist.  In Canada recently there have been outbreaks of Listeriosis due to poor standards in the industry as well as poor regulatory enforcement. There was an outbreak of E. coli infections in Waterton Canada traced to fecal runoff into the groundwater. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkerton_Tragedy

I highly recommend Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle' for a fictional (after fact based research working in the meat industry) account in the early 20th century America: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jungle  Have your tissues handy as it's one of the saddest books I've ever read on par with The Grapes of Wrath.  It's as relevant today as you read of all the scandalous working conditions at places like Tyson Foods foods etc.:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyson_Foods

And we  haven't even got to the ethical issues of the treatment of these animals!

Again a little bit of bragging on my part: my father is a retired civil engineer who has designed water treatment plants across Canada and in Ghana.  I grew up learning a lot about the high quality standards of treated water and the high quality of tap water.  Bottled waters are not subject to the same high standards.  This article on crisis communication for industry and other institutions has interesting information on how Perrier carbonates its water and the crisis of benzene in Perrier discovered in the US: http://www.psandman.com/handouts/AIHA/page55.pdf

(I love carbonated water myself in restaurants and cafes over still water because of the bubbles).

Must it always be an issue of 'Buyer Beware'?

You are what you eat!

As for vitamin and nutrient deficiencies one can usually get all one needs in a balanced diet (protein, carbs and fat).  And if you do have some concern about vitamin and trace element deficiencies you can buy at Coop for CHF 1 20 tablets containing per tablet 10 calories and from what I recall the recommended daily allowance of vitamins E, C, B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, niacin, folic acid (important for pregnant women to avoid spina bifida for example), biotin (B7).  There is some sodium, cyclamate, saccharine and sorbitol.  No fat vitamins (ADEK).  One can shop and compare or eat some fruit, fat, meat (there are good sources of protein for non meat eaters) and carbs.

In a typical but not Supersize me exclusive diet in the western world there should be no need for dietary supplements in my humble opinion.  In fact much of what we know about the effects of dietary deficiencies comes from the study of extremes of deficiencies (that's why the limeys are called limeys)and diets based on one item only such as was the case with US southern black sharecroppers who only ate grits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellagra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grits

This also a political issue because severe malnutrition in many countries of the world can cause mental underdevelopment due to insufficient essential nutrient supply/consumption in children when there brains are developing.  They grow up mentally deficient compounding the problems of poverty.  There is enough food in the world to feed everyone and we don't need genetically modiified seeds.  Nor did the 'Green Revolution' of the 60s (involving oil derived fertilisers and toxic pesticides) lead to a decline in hunger and starvation on a planet with far fewer people.  Food is a political issue and moral one as well.

http://www.johnpilger.com/videos/zap-the-weapon-is-food

http://www.johnpilger.com/videos/smashing-kids

http://www.johnpilger.com/videos/an-unfashionable-tragedy

http://www.google.com/search?q=food&domains=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.counterpunch.org&sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.counterpunch.org

And for movie buffs you might recall in 'Damien Omen II' part of the plan was to control the worlds agriculture supply: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien:_Omen_II#Plot

so could anyone clarify if we can indeed reach our daily vitamin requirements solely from food (taking into account a balanced diet of course-whatever that may indeeed truely be these days what with all the theories!) when i have read about the loss of real nutrients in our fruit and veggies of todays farming methods..blah blah. Is there any truth to that theory?

And i have also been told that sometimes vitamin and mineral supplements are not as effective as touted either due to the way they are manufactured and the forms they are in ...again ..can any of you knowledgable folk seperate fact from fiction for me? 

Would prefer to know if it is indeed worth your while in terms of nutrients (i know the argument in terms of pesticides) to buy bio fruit and veg and whether or not there is a marked difference in supplements on the market or if a cheap generic can in fact do the job. 

I would research it myself but in all honesty i am supposed to be studying and this article happened to catch my eye and i find all of this terribly interesting and relevant. (esp since taking up statistics as a uni subject!)  :0) damn you all :P

You can but you would need to have your table full of little bowls and cups with lots of veggie, fruits, nuts etc etc. Not really feasible for most people.

If you find the flavour of goats milk and cheese to strong also try sheeps milk. I sell cheese and have many customers who are lactose intolerant but can eat sheeps milk cheese. To me the best cheeses are made with sheeps milk anyway.

You might care to look at the US National Institute of Health website section on dietary supplements here: http://ods.od.nih.gov/  On the right hand side is a menu of Health Information topics including how to evaluate health information on the internet.  I haven't had a chance to check it out yet but in my profession I have often relied on the NIH site for other information.