raw milk

Thanks, Foxfyre. We actually get out occassionally in the Tijeras area when we go to the Edgewood Clinic.

Down in Bosque Farms, Iv'e heard that there are many different things available. One my neighbor loves is an alpaca farm (don't know if they grow anything like veggies). The alpacas are adorable and their coats make lovely yarn. I've gotta get down there myself. I've heard nothing but good about the various farms.

In GA, farms have to sell it as "raw milk for pets". But folks just drink pet milk, then. There is a small community of folks around here who swear by it.

I wonder what these dangers may be, and whether they have been quantified in serious studies.

When I was a child, the small town my grandmother lived in still had a few farmers. They would let us watch them milk their cows, then sold us the milk, which we took home in tin bottles. I loved it. I was especially fascinated that unpasteurized milk remains edible after it gets sour. It just curdles into something between yoghurt and curd, which I liked quite a lot. I'd feed it to my children anytime.

That said, I also need to see solid studies before I believe the claims about raw milk being a cure-all. On their face, these claims sound hackish to me.

Alpacas, I loooooove alpacas.

On raw milk, I read a convincing article about its benefits a few years ago, saved it, but then lost it in a computer melt. I'll see if I can search it out, but I'm not very optimistic.

Back in school, when I was a bacteriology major, I heard negs re raw milk, not so much as a complete scare-all, but as a caution that it could sometimes carry various pathogenic bacteria.

Raw Milk and Serious Illness
Symptoms and Advice

Symptoms of foodborne illness include:

* Vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
* Flulike symptoms such as fever, headache, and body ache

While most healthy people will recover from an illness caused by harmful bacteria in raw milk - or in foods made with raw milk - within a short period of time, some can develop symptoms that are chronic, severe, or even life-threatening.

If you or someone you know becomes ill after consuming raw milk or products made from raw milk - or, if you are pregnant and think you could have consumed contaminated raw milk or cheese - see a doctor or healthcare provider immediately.
pregnant woman
The Dangers of Listeria and Pregnancy

Pregnant women run a serious risk of becoming ill from the bacteria Listeria which can cause miscarriage, fetal death or illness or death of a newborn. If you are pregnant, consuming raw milk - or foods made from raw milk, such as Mexican-style cheese like Queso Blanco or Queso Fresco - can harm your baby even if you don't feel sick.

Also: raw milk ( non-pasteurized )can cause:

Listeriosis
Typhoid fever
TB
Diphtheria
Brucellosis

FDA

I agree with Thomas.

And what Miller 'quoted' from the FDA: any (original) Swiss cheese, [trademarked with the indication of its origin AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée)] is produced from or at least mainly with fresh raw milk.