My entire source of nutrition for the past two days and in the future.
(For 3 weeks, I did the milk cure, drinking 3 1/2 quarts to 1 gallon of raw milk each day. Except for water, all I had was milk. This is a series of posts (25) keeping track each day. For the entire series, start out on “Trying Something Old“). All links to the series is at the bottom of each article.)
So I woke up sweating at 4am. This is singular because by and large, I don’t sweat. I’m prone to heat stroke and even during exercise, I remain mostly dry (a little bit under my sports bra). Not sweating has been a situation that has held me back from doing a lot of things over my life. But last night, I sweated. It was horrible, but amazing. I took my basal temperature then, 100.2. I don’t feel sick per se. I don’t have that groggy, flu-like feeling. I’m also noticing a low-grade headache. So I’m counting this up as the detox. What amazes me the most is how quickly my body started to detox, 21 hours into this.
I don’t know how long the detoxing symptoms will run, but I was expecting them from the books. Well, I wasn’t expecting to wake up sweating, even though it was in the books, but in any case, I’m considering that a bonus. If I can get my perspiration system to work a more normal level, then that will end up opening up a lot for me.
Apparently, a gallon of milk a day is not going to make me gain weight. I lost two pounds this morning. Wow. The general consensus both from the books and from others who do the milk cure is that the milk itself will let you know how much you need. Too little and you are constipated, too much and there is diarrhea. Apparently, a gallon of milk a day seems to be my sweet spot so far.
Last night, as I lay in bed, I was shivering and my legs ached. It reminded me of having growing pains as a child. After I woke up at 4am, I decided it was time for another detox bath, which I did. I went back to bed after that for a few more hours.
Sipping milk every half hour is not conducive to doing much. I spent much of the day on my couch watching TiVo. I saw PBS Great Performances – Phantom of the Opera and episodes of Smash. I’m hopeful that tomorrow when I start drinking 10.6 ounces per hour that it will free up some time.
The aches and chills left in the evening. Another detox bath (got to make more oil tomorrow) and a good night’s sleep with the window open are in my immediate future.
Why Am I Doing This?
As I’ve announced that I am going to attempt to do this to friends/family and co-workers, I’ve gotten a variety of reactions. From amusement to dismay the reactions have run the gamut. Some people think I can’t survive on milk alone (which is ridiculous since both babies thrive on it as well as some indigenous cultures like the Masai Tribe in Africa) to others who fear for my health. But the question I’ve run into from everyone is “Why?”
We’ve all heard the advertising for milk. “Milk Does a Body Good” and in reality raw milk does just that. (Note I am in no way advocating that anyone attempt this cure unless they have access to a source for clean raw milk. Even calves do not thrive on pasteurized milk which should tell us something.) But real milk, raw milk has so many benefits and that is why I believe I can not only survive, but thrive on an exclusive diet of raw milk for a period of weeks.
In the early part of the 20th century a number of doctors and clinics (including what is now the Mayo Clinic) used what was called the “Milk Cure” to help people with a wide variety of chronic diseases. These included digestive and cardiovascular conditions, hypertension, psoriasis and high blood pressure to name a few. The cure was given as part of a complete bed rest with hot baths and heat to stimulate perspiration (to release toxins). Patients were on this cure for a number of months and in many cases were completely healthy at the end. While I don’t have a chronic disease, I think that incorporating this practice into my life for a few weeks can be extremely beneficial.
According to an article by Dr. J. R. Crewe of the Mayo Foundation written in 1929, milk was considered by some doctors to be “White Blood”. He observed that William Osler M.D. in his book, Principles and Practices of Medicine, spoke of milk resembling blood closely and was a useful agent for making new and better blood. Osler believed that “Blood is the chief agent of metabolism”.
Last year was rough on me physically. I did a gluten challenge for the month of January at the suggestion of my doctor before testing for celiac and the illness that resulted didn’t clear up until June. (It started with gastrointestinal distress and ended up with a bout of silent reflux which took 3 trips to the doctor (primary, ear/nose/throat and gastroenterologist) before it was cleared up. Along the way I found out that I am among the less than 1% of the population which experiences insomnia while taking Prilosec. From June to October, I experienced a series of accidental glutenings and because my health was so bad, I was extremely susceptible to colds and flu. Luckily (except for breaking a toe in October and then spraining my other ankle in December), I’ve managed to bounce back to health and I credit my healthy eating for a lot of that. However, my metabolism at this point is just the pits. I’m burning over a pound a week in calories in exercise (3,500) and eating around 1,300 – 1,600 calories a day and still haven’t lost any weight (though I am finally seeing some inches lost).
But I feel a need to strengthen my digestive system and part of that is by giving it a break. Milk is one of the easiest foods to digest and has all 8 essential amino acids, proteins, and enzymes needed to thrive. It truly is a complete food. I don’t anticipate going on complete bed rest, but I do anticipate slowing down (well except for the exercising if I am able). What I do hope is that living off an easily digestible food will help my body regenerate my metabolism and help heal the damage that was done this past year.
So that’s why I’m doing the Milk Cure this year. After this year? Depending on my findings this year, I may or may not make it a yearly thing. Check back with me at the end to see.
Being My Own Human Guinea Pig
I lost 2 pounds overnight, which is amazing to me. Especially since I didn’t feel like I had gone to the restroom enough. But sure enough, those pounds are gone. I’ll be more excited about it if I lose more weight tomorrow.
I recorded two Basal Temperatures this morning, one when I woke up at 4am and the other at 6:30am. Interesting that it was so high at 4am (understandable when I woke up sweating). Even at 6:30, my basal temperature is higher than my normal.
Funny that my blood glucose went up 11 points from the time I went to bed to the time I woke up. I would have expected it to go down. But the interesting thing about that is that I believe that is another detox clue. I’ve found some indications that during a detox, the pancreas will improve and reduce the blood sugar it puts out. Since the body regulates itself, it will cause blood sugar to rise during a detox. I’m not happy about blood sugars being elevated. But I’m committed to this process for at least two weeks, no matter what.
| Day | Weight | Basal Temp | Glucose: Fasting | Glucose: Noon | Glucose: Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 201.4 | 97.9 | 114 | 104 | 110 |
| Day 1 | 200.2 | 98.2 | 115 | 120 | 103 |
| Day 2 | 198.2 | 100.2/99.1 | 124 | 115 | 129 |
Series
- Milk Cure 2012: Trying Something Old
- Milk Cure 2012: Preparations
- Milk Cure 2012: The Day Before the Cure
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 1 – And Here I Start
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 2 – Why Am I Doing This?
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 3 – Ups and Downs
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 4 – Milk as a Health Food Part 1
- Milk Cure: Day 5
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 6 and Milk as a Health Food Part 2
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 7
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 8 and Milk as a Health Food Part 3
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 9
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 10
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 11 – Halfway There
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 12 – Milk as a Health Food Part 4
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 13
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 14 – Can Raw Milk Go Bad?
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 15
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 16
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 17
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 18 – Raw Milk is Safe
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 19
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 20
- Milk Cure 2012: Day 21 – The Last Day
- Milk Cure 2012: The Day After
Links
- A tale of two calves – one calf was fed on raw milk, the other on pasteurized
- The Milk Cure: Real Milk Cures Many Diseases
Related articles
- The Milk Cure 2012 (Day 2) (thehealthyhomeeconomist.com)
- The Rise (and Fall) of Pasteurized Milk (thehealthyhomeeconomist.com)
- Health Ranger releases raw milk infographic comparing fresh raw dairy to pasteurized homogenized dead milk (wrc559.com)
