Tuesday, July 9, 2013

rBGH - Putting PUS in Your Milk Since 1994

Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) or perhaps better known as recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a manufactured version of the naturally occurring bovine somatotropin which is responsible for a cow's lactation. As a side note: our country was currently experiencing a surplus of cow milk; this was hormone was simply created as a way to make a profit by convincing farmers that forcing their cows to lactate longer would yield them larger cows faster, which meant more milk, faster. 

Here's the problem with that though: forcing a cow to lactate more than it naturally should or would, throws off it's body. As a result, cows injected with this hormone experience a swelling of their utters ( called mastitis ). This swelling results in extra white blood cells in the utters - a.k.a - milk full of pus. Yes, pus.  So what did Monsanto, the manufacturer of this dangerous hormone, do? I'll tell you what they didn't do. They didn't stop injecting cows with rBGH. No, because that would mean they wouldn't be selling any of their hormone. Instead, the farmers need to give the cows antibiotics - often times a number of different types. So now we have milk with unnaturally occurring hormone levels, pus, and antibiotic residue... Oh..and it's on our grocery store shelves. 

You're probably wondering, how is this possible? Once again, a biochemical company was able to pay scientists to skew results and conceal data in order to receive approval from our regulatory agencies who are pro-biochemical industry to begin with. What's more shocking is that even after a 1990 Milkweed article, outlined here, uncovering the real findings of the scientists' tests of the hormone, which include noticeably larger organs, significant reproductive issues, and inconsistent hormone levels, rBGH was still released, unbeknownst to the public, into our milk supply in 1994. 

Outraged? I don't blame you. What makes it almost unable to stomach though is that, when dairy farmers who resisted injecting their cows with rBGH labeled their milk as "Hormone- or rBGH- Free", Monsanto sued them for insinuating that their FDA-approved rBGH milk was somehow harmful! These guys will stop at nothing to protect their profits! They fought for years to keep clear labeling off of milk bottles because they didn't want us to know. And as a result, our nation's health has taken a serious hit. 

According a study conducted by Dr. Paris Reidhead and published in Milkweed, breast cancer rates for American women increased 55% between 1994, the year rBGH was released into our milk products, and 2002.  Since then, the rBGH milk has also been linked to increased level of prostate, breast and colon cancers

Whenever I discuss or read about Monsanto and rBGH, I'm sickened by one question: What if our government agency had upheld their end of the bargain....respected the trust we'd given them...done their job and protected us? What if they had put us before Monsanto? 

For me, one case of cancer on account of this recklessness is one case too many.

I hope my sharing this with you, I save one more person from faling victim to this mess. I encourage you to share it with your friends and your family as well. And them with theirs. Awareness is the only solution.

BOYCOTT rBGH HORMONAL MILK & DAIRY PRODUCTS IN FAVOR OF CERTIFIED ORGANIC MILK & DAIRY PRODUCTS

Keep it Real,

LVO

1 comment:

  1. You're not wrong, but please correct "utters" to "udders". Thank you.

    ReplyDelete