There *is* an addiction to milk and milk products in the US.  I believe that
it comes, in part, from that "first food" of so many of us.  To put it
simply, milk tastes like "Mother".  It is the ultimate comfort food.  I
believe that it is as much a psychological addiction as a physical one.
When I work with a mother whose baby is screaming with gas pains and I
suspect dairy sensitivity, I suggest that she do a trial of no dairy.  Often
the anguish is palpable.  It is as if I have told her to shoot her mother.
It is much more than just inconvenience or recipe adjustments; it is
wrenching. And often she experiences withdrawal symptoms the first few days.
I feel that it can also be an allergy/addiction.  We often crave what we are
allergic to.

Add to the "first food" fondness, the years of pleasing our biological
mother.  How could this mom, as a child, make her mother really happy?
"Drink your milk."  "Go to sleep." After 12 or 14 years of this deep message
it is a slap in the face for an itenerant LC to suggest that she explore
milk as a possible cause of her baby's pain, and to suggest that she accept
fewer hours of sleep as the norm for a while.

Milk as the perfect food is a hard "truth" to give up. (and by milk, I mean
cow's milk). As many of you know all of those colorful food charts we were
given in school were created by the National Dairy Council. "You never
outgrow your need for milk."  These messages are solidly in our cellular
memory and it takes a lot to transform them.

We are a physically diverse group in this country and there are, in fact,
some people who do very well with dairy as adults.  But due to heritage and
early infant feeding there are many more people who would be much healthier
avoiding it. Often they don't know that how they feel isn't optimal. Many
mothers I know (myself included) feel better than they remember feeling once
they give up dairy products to help their babies.

The effects on people for whom milk is unhealthy are varied.  The most
common are colds, sinus infections, ear infections, and intestinal
distrubances.  But from experience I know that it can affect behavior,
mental focus, some autoimmune disorders, and mood, to name a few.

If there were anything else that had so many adverse side effects there
would probably be much caution against universal use.  But it is risky to
take a stand against MILK--especially if one lives in the state of
Wisconsin.  Physicians won't encourage parents to remove it from their
children's diet because they had the same lessons that we did--without milk
there is no calcium.

We may sound sometimes that we are "milk bashing", but the bias is so
blinding that strong cases must be presented to counter it. We don't have to
put warning labels on the milk cartons, but we do need to say if you or your
children feel better without it, find another source of calcium. There is no
need to eat something that makes you sick in order to get one mineral.

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee








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