There is plenty of clinical and nutritional evidence that milk, this hailed “natural” drink, is the source of numerous immunological, gastrointestinal and perhaps neurological disorders. While it is important to acknowledge these facts, it is equally necessary to remember that the milk we are talking about is a highly processed industrial product that only remotely resembles the natural variety.
Depending on the pasteurization method, raw milk can be heated at 161 F up to 212 F for a few seconds (HTST, HHST protocols). The milk (or other liquid) is forced through narrow pipes or between metal plates, which are heated externally by hot water. Most pasteurization methods kill 99.99% of the microorganisms present in the milk, but not their spores. These products still require refrigeration, although they have significantly extended shelf life. On the contrary, ultra pasteurized products ( heated at 2750 F for 2 seconds) are basically sterilized and packaged (hermetically sealed) under aseptic conditions, which is why they can last for up to 6-9 months.
Unlike the health problems that commercial milk is causing, raw milk coming from pastured animals used to be widely accepted as an excellent natural therapy by medical doctors for a variety of diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart disease and even cancer. The “milk diet” prescribed by doctors in the beginning of 20th century involved drinking exclusively up to 4 quarts of certified medicinal raw milk.