Harmful Effects of Dairy on Women

I'm sure at some point you've heard about dairy being being bad for you but easily shrugged it off and didn't think about it again. Once you do start to look into how, and all the ways that dairy is harmful for you that you would think twice about the subject. Countless times have I had clients in so much agony about their acne that they are willing to come in for their monthly facials. While I love to treat and help those struggling; I also try and educate them about how our appearance is a projection of the internal health of our bodies. I especially take a look at eating habits when I see cystic, hormonal acne. That deep acne that is almost impossible to get rid of and likes to take a nice long vacation on our face. One of the many problems is that that cows are made to be pregnant for about 300 days (which is too much and too stressful on their bodies) of the year and every time they are pregnant, the amount of hormones in their bodies go up. The high amounts of stress also makes them susceptible to develop disease and bacteria. And of course I must mention the unbearable amount of cruelty that these cows and their calves are subjected too. I could also go into how it affects our climate and how so much methane, nitrous oxide, and CO2 is produced and therefore creating high amounts of pollution. However animal proteins are very acidic to our bodies and creates a state of metabolic acidosis, which the body must stabilize by using up the bodies calcium resources and this leads to osteoporosis. It is noted in research that countries like Asia and Africa that are low consumers of dairy tend to have lower rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures compared to countries of high dairy consumption with very high rates. Dairy also promotes excess estrogen due to it already containing estrogen from female cows. Now top that with added artificial hormones and IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor.) Women already deal with a constant flux of hormones on a daily and monthly basis but this excess can truly disrupt our hormones and confuse our endocrine system. IGF-1 can also cause blood sugar swings which can lead to acne and has also been linked to cancer. It is also full of saturated fats that is also linked to heart disease (women have higher rates of heart disease.) Human bodies are really only meant to drink human milk when we are infants and in many people can start to develop digestive issues when we continue to drink milk. Galactose is also found in milk which can induce oxidative stress ( terrible for aging) and low grade inflammation which has been shown to increase mortality and fractures. I will mention that dairy can affect men too as they are also at risk for developing prostate cancer that has been linked to dairy. Testosterone can also increase in men and women due to diary's androgenic properties. That can also cause a whole other list of problems for men as well. Over time these effects start to show up as acne, stomach pains, digestive and mood issues. Once we listen to our bodies by looking at the clues, we can then start to see that something is off balance and then take a closer and informed look at what we can do to help. Our bodies are pretty amazing because as I sit here typing this up, my body is actively and continuously creating millions upon millions of chemical changes and exchanges. Every cell and every atom works together at the same time to keep the body going at its optimal state to keep it alive. I can do plenty of facials for acne prone skin but that is only half the battle. The other half is based on the state of our health and what we can eliminate from our diet to keep ourselves healthy. I also like to advise a higher consumption of vibrant nutrient rich foods that have live enzymes and to slowly but steadily make this change. Whole fruits and vegetables contain all the nutrients our bodies need and if you make it an experiment, I guarantee an improvement in health, energy, and mood. After all, our skin and our health is a projection of our internal health.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

- Hippocrates

I wish health for everyone!

Love

Vanessa