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The best perspective for your health

Book Review: “NO MILK” by Daniel A. Twogood

Milk and other allergens and additives in our food can cause neck pain, back pain, and headaches. As shown by a case study with 3,000 patients.

Illustration book "No Milk" by Daniel A. Twogood with collage of text.© CC-by 2.0, Collage Catalina Sparleanu, PhD, Foundation Diet and Health Switzerland

Conclusion

Allergens and poisons can be the cause of many chronic diseases. If you have a health condition and your doctor/practitioner has been unable to determine its cause, try to experiment with your diet to identify any potential allergens. It is also important to watch for any additives that your body might react to.

According to the author, almost all chronic neck pain, back pain, and headaches can be cured by eliminating casein (a milk protein and potential allergen) and monosodium glutamate (a food additive often found in convenience food and a possible toxin) from your diet. He lists out further harmful food ingredients such as gluten, soy, corn or alkaloids from solanaceae (nightshades).

The author and I (as a physician) are aware of the fact that the amount of scientific evidence at 3'000 cases is not very large to confirm the claims laid down in this book. The reasons for this are manifold; it is a complex subject that requires interdisciplinary collaboration with physiologists, biochemists, nutritionists, and other medical experts. And the very powerful and influential dairy lobby makes it difficult to gain the necessary funding and is the reason for the lack of clear evidence-based findings.

It is also likely that many patients went to see Dr. Daniel A. Twogood only after other methods were of no avail. This explains the extremely high cure rate.

The author does not address all of the problems concerning milk, but instead focuses only on the allergens.

To obtain comprehensive information about the health problems caused by milk and dairy products, we recommend the book "Milch, besser nicht!" (Milk, better not!) by Maria Rollinger — or at least the book review of it on our site.

1. Summary

Dr. Daniel A. Twogood treated 3'000 clients in his practice over a period of six years.

After they eliminated milk from their diet, their musculoskeletal pain usually disappeared or at least decreased significantly.

The author works as a chiropractor in a private practice in California. Chiropractors address functional, reversible disorders of the musculoskeletal system, which are commonly referred to as muscle tension.

The author came upon the “milk connection” when a patient who had meticulously examined his own eating habits related that his neck pain, back pain, and headaches occurred regularly after he consumed milk or dairy products. In the course of his observations (comparable to a hypothetical prospective cohort study), Dr. Daniel A. Twogood came to the conclusion that casein, a milk protein, can trigger an allergic reaction that includes various symptoms such as chronic musculoskeletal pain, digestive problems, and behavioral problems.

He went a step further and wrote:

In my opinion, eliminating animal products from the diet is probably the single most powerful health inducing dietary change a person can make. However, many vegetarian programs rely on soy products heavily. So allergy can commonly result (p.138).

Blurb and about the author

2. Book review

Most people are not aware of the fact that over 50 % of the diseases we suffer can be traced back to our diet. Hippocrates used to say that the key to a healthy life is having the most natural and healthy lifestyle possible.

2.1. The Cause of Disease p. 24

Even today, physicians swear by the Hippocratic Oath, promising to do everything in their power not to harm patients.

But in the eyes of the author, most practitioners of conventional medicine today are little more than "glorified drug pushers" (p. 25). "Their priority objective is rapid diagnosis and then treatment with medication." (p. 27)

Instead of doing a thorough anamnesis (survey of medical history) as part of the first visit, which would also provide insight into a patient’s eating habits, doctors today are primarily concerned with making a quick diagnosis. This is probably a result of their conventional medical training and the pressure put upon them to be quick and efficient. Certainly, careful instrumental examinations such as blood samples, X-rays, computed tomography (CT scans), and magnetic resonance imaging are also important means for determining a patient’s condition.

Once the diagnosis has been made, physicians practicing conventional medicine, particularly in the non-surgical disciplines, usually recommend a treatment of medications.

Although a more attentive and better educated public is finally starting to question this procedure, a majority of the general public still believe that “the correct pill will fix you up” (p. 25). However, this often doesn’t solve the problem.

Hereditary diseases, traumas, infections caused by pathogens, ingested allergens, poisons, and unknown causes (idiopathy) are considered harmful to health. Medicine is not always able to determine the reasons for a disease.

The knowledge acquired in health and medicine has often been arrived at through trial and error. Physicians who practice conventional medicine sometimes give the impression that they view the human body as a chemical playground (p. 26).

Drugs, working as potential toxins, further irritate the system (body)

In 1985, Dr. Daniel A. Twogood began to consider approaches used in bioecology. This after he learned from one of his patients that the patient had cut out all milk and dairy products and was no longer suffering from headaches, neck pain, or back pain.

The story of Robert Ester

Until 1985, Dr. Daniel A. Twogood assumed that headaches, neck pain, and back pain were the result of trauma to the spine. Structural changes result in physiological changes, which in turn produce symptoms (p. 32). By manipulating the affected parts of the bony structure, chiropractors can reverse traumatic changes. Chiropractic philosophy dictates that the cause of these symptoms is determined … then eliminated (p. 32).

Physicians and chiropractors

Photo of a haystack with collage of text from page 36 of book "No Milk".© CC-by 4.0, Collage Catalina Sparleanu, PhD, Foundation Diet and Health Switzerland
We know that if there are no problems, treatment is unnecessary. But in terms of primary prevention, we do have a responsibility for our well-being. If a doctor proposes surgery, medications, or a special diet, then it is up to the patient to decide whether or not to accept the proposed treatment.

Another problem is that many patients have already seen several doctors for their chronic symptoms (such as general practitioners, specialists, and other experts at hospitals), received multiple diagnoses, and endured a lot of treatments without experiencing any improvement. Many of these will seek out further doctors or alternative medical practitioners to finally find relief.

Spinal manipulation

If chiropractic fails as a conservative form of treatment and orthopedists and neurologists are at a loss, then generally more tests will be done. These are designed to find the needle in the haystack. But what if the needle isn’t in the haystack? If the needle is in the pig’s trough, further tests won’t result in answers either, and the process will head in the wrong direction (p. 36).

Dr. Daniel A. Twogood believes that patients should always consider bioecological approaches prior to surgery and/or treatment with medications.

The author therefore presents his thesis that cow’s milk is not good food. Milk is a terrible food. Milk does not do a body good. Milk causes all by itself, more damage than any other supposed health food on the market. Milk is not good for kids, or adults. Cow’s milk is designed for, and only good for … baby cows! (p. 42)

[Physicians] want to hear something that fits comfortably into their beliefs. This notion doesn’t, so it is easily discounted. (p. 47)

"All things are poison and nothing is without poison; the quantity alone determines if a thing is not a poison"

2.2. The Milk Connection p. 50

In the case of a milk allergy, even small amounts of casein can cause headaches, neck pain, and/or back pain, which can last three to four days on average. If, for example, a person suffering from this allergy has cereal with milk at the beginning of the week, some cheese on Wednesday, and pancakes on the weekend, then that would be enough to cause them to suffer symptoms every day of the week.

When a sensitivity is present, symptoms occur after about 24–48 hours on average and can last for three to four days.

A person who is allergic to "penicillinum" does not get told to just take less "penicill.." from now on. It is listed on their medical information card or Medic Alert wristband that they may not receive "penicill.." antibiotics under any circumstances (p. 76).

Other allergens that often lead to sensitivities (or hypersensitivities) include chocolate, ice cream, and sour cream. Milk chocolate, for example, contains cocoa, milk, sugar, and theobromine, with the latter being a stimulant. Theobromine is chemically similar to caffeine. If you believe that it is milk chocolate specifically that triggers sensitivities, you are mistaken.

It is the combination of sugar and theobromine that triggers headaches, neck pain, and/or back pain, regardless of whether it is contained in white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate (pp. 101 and 110).

Dr. Daniel A. Twogood therefore advises against consuming milk and chocolate.

Collage left milk and chocolate with text from book "No Milk" page 102 at right.© CC-by 2.0, Collage Catalina Sparleanu, PhD, Foundation Diet Health Switzerland

Many people think that physical suffering is an unavoidable part of getting older and just put up with it (p. 81). It could be the consequences of continued milk consumption in the presence of a milk allergy that has gone undiagnosed. So why not just cut out all dairy products for a while and see whether or not you experience an improvement?

Symptoms such as neck pain, back pain, and headaches should be listed in medical books as characteristic for allergic reactions to foods, mainly dairy products

Allergy can manifest itself as joint and muscle pain, heart palpitations, drowsiness, mood changes, hyperactivity, muscle cramping, etc. Allergy can be an abnormality in the human condition. Allergy can cause antisocial behavior. Allergy can change your handwriting. (p. 59)

Food intolerances and allergies are more common in our society than some of us, including doctors, might suspect. A breast-fed infant can develop an allergy to cow’s milk through the dairy products consumed by the mother, who passes the casein on to her baby through her milk without the baby ever having any direct contact.

"Milk, The Deadly Poison" by Robert Cohen"

Both cow’s milk and breast milk contain lactose, which is a disaccharide consisting of the usable sugars glucose and galactose. Lactase is the enzyme required to break lactose down and further process it.

If the body can no longer break down lactose into glucose and galactose because of a lack of lactase, the undigested lactose (carbohydrate) collects in the interior of the bowels, where colonic bacteria ferment it to lactate, which causes bloating. In addition, this leads to an osmotic diarrhea. This means that food components that were not absorbed osmotically draw water into the intestines, which then produces diarrhea.

Lactase levels in the small intestine are highest immediately after birth so that the infant can efficiently metabolize the lactose supplied to him/her through the breast milk.

As the infant grows, the lactase concentration decreases naturally, and the infant is therefore no longer able to utilize lactose. The infant first reduces and eventually stops drinking breast milk; this often occurs between 12 to 18 months.

The human body is designed to drink milk only during the first months of life. Our body seems to inherently know how long the milk is good for it. However, our society and modern medicine have redesigned this process for the purpose of convenience.

Allergies are not something children grow out of, but instead they remain with a person for a lifetime

The AMA (American Medical Association) and the dairy industry in this country have determined we need 1'000 to 1'500 milligrams of dietary calcium per day to maintain optimum health. The best source for calcium, they claim, is milk and dairy products. (p. 72)

Asian and African people do not consume milk and have a daily calcium intake of less than 400 milligrams a day, yet they have healthy teeth and do not suffer from osteoporosis. (p. 72)

Calcium absorption in the small intestine depends on the ratio of calcium to phosphate (Ca/Ph ratio) and also the protein content of the food ingested. If the protein content of the food is too high, the liver breaks down the surplus to urea and nitrogen compounds, which are then excreted by the kidney. Urea has a diuretic effect, and as a result more electrolytes are lost, including calcium.

Cow’s milk has a Ca/Ph ratio of 1:2 and contains more protein than breast milk which has a Ca/Ph ratio of 2:1. One liter of cow’s milk contains about 1'200 mg of calcium whereas one liter of breast milk contains only 300 mg. Thanks to the “better” calcium-phosphate ratio and the lower protein content of breast milk, the infant receives more calcium from breast milk than cow’s milk.

"Drinking milk for calcium makes about as much sense as smoking for weight control"

The author writes, It amazes me that milk is still considered the ‘perfect food.’ The dairy industry is pushing new products because the fat content of their ‘perfect food’ is too high and is one of the main contributors to heart disease, the number one health problem in our country. They want people who throw up milk or get stomach cramps to keep drinking the stuff by taking a pill after each dose.

The dairy industry and other social pressures have convinced mothers to pull their newborns from their breasts at earlier and earlier ages so mom can get on with a job, or life, or just away from the baby (p. 74).

Although the food industry has adjusted the fat and lactose content of milk, the allergy problem remains since casein remains the cause.

You may be consuming dairy products on a regular basis without realizing it

If you want to eliminate allergy symptoms caused by milk consumption, you must completely cut out casein from your diet. The symptoms will then disappear within 7 to 30 days. In the first week after complete abstinence from casein, some people experience certain withdrawal symptoms, especially a headache on the third day (p. 110, points 1–3).

If a person is sensitive to a particular ingredient, they may experience withdrawal symptoms once they omit it from their diet. The phenomenon of allergy-addiction (p. 107f) usually occurs in the form of intense desire or craving for the ingredient.

2.3. Beyond Milk: Other Allergens and Poisons p. 119

Dr. Daniel A. Twogood takes it a step further and blames the standard American diet (also meat-sweet diet or Western pattern diet) as the cause for cancer and other diseases. Most people are becoming increasingly aware of the health risks posed by specific substances that they unknowingly ingest every day.

The general public is aware of the risks associated with the standard American diet, and yet hardly anyone knows exactly where and how often specific substances such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) are used. We are neither ignorant nor stupid, but victims of our own credulity. Supposed experts outwit and lead us astray. See also Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss.

"Salt, Sugar, Fat" by Michael Moss

Collage picture with shopping person and text from book * No Milk "Page 123.© CC-by-sa 4.0, DES Daughter, via Foter.com

It is beyond our comprehension that the food industry can no longer do without additives. Perhaps some of us are familiar with monosodium glutamate (MSG) in connection with the “Chinese restaurant syndrome,” which is slang for glutamate intolerance.

We are generally aware of the health risks of our eating habits, but that does not stop the food industry from designing more products that taste good and sell good.

99 % of all headaches will be solved by eliminating monosodium glutamate (MSG) and casein

The author lists out other common food allergens by frequency (which incidentally are consumed most often in developed countries). They are as follows: wheat, corn, soy, eggs, coffee, and cane sugar (p.138).

Based on the assumption that most symptoms such as neck pain, back pain, and headaches are allergy-related, if the symptoms still persist after having fully eliminated casein and monosodium glutamate from your diet, Dr. Daniel A. Twogood recommends omitting other potential allergens, such as wheat.

The gluten contained in wheat (which consists of several proteins, including glutenin and gliadin), triggers inflammation in the small intestine if a person suffers from gluten intolerance (gluten sensitivity). The mucous membrane can then no longer absorb nutrients as well. These remain undigested in the intestines, which can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and depression. Headaches, and muscle and joint pain occur frequently with gluten intolerance.

2.4. The Symptoms p. 174

Dr. Daniel A. Twogood concludes that allergens can potentially enter any other organ through the bloodstream — including the nervous system — and trigger other diseases there. The resulting symptoms are varied and can occur anywhere. Sometimes the symptoms tend to move or affect only one side of the body or one limb.

Carpal tunnel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, headaches and cancer

Sometimes a disease can become so elusive for the doctor and the patient that a mental abnormality arises, which is in fact caused by the allergy. Although doctors are aware that nerves can be irritated both physically and chemically, they usually only take physical causes into consideration, even if there has been no physical trauma in the patient’s medical history.

However, we live in an environment teeming with substances that trigger an immune response. Contact with an antigen, including allergens, brings about a protective immune response, but may cause tissue damage at the same time.

Food manufacturers still consider the following to be a healthy breakfast: sweetened 7-grain crunch cereal, possibly with raisins and sweetened and crispy cornflakes, both served with milk or yogurt.

Erb Muesli on the other hand is truly a healthy option. It has never included dairy products, in contrast to Bircher muesli. It contains grains low in gluten (oats, barley) and/or gluten-free grains (teff, millet). In the original recipe, these were sprouted for 24 hours.

The gluten-free Erb-muesli: It lacks the juice of two oranges and a lemon, should be first.© CC-by-sa 2.0, Ernst Erb, Foundation Diet Health Switzerland

2.5. The Stories p. 192

The author takes 20 pages to share 20 testimonials with the readers. Both sexes are represented. The youngest patient is 13, the oldest 72 years old.

The medical histories of some of the patients

Headaches, neck pain, and/or lower back pain constitute the vast majority of the cases.

In some patients, milk chocolate was enough to trigger symptoms. They usually occurred later, sometimes two days after the dairy product was consumed.

Once dairy products were fully eliminated from their diet, most of the pain disappeared within two to four days.

With occasional ice cream consumption, the pain again set in only two days later. The author writes of several patients who thought that they would be able to eat dairy products again later or did not believe in the effectiveness of the treatment, and instead thought it was the result of the chiropractic treatment.

These patients returned to Dr. Daniel A. Twogood and reported that they could practically turn the pain on and off by consuming and omitting dairy (products). Others reported the same about chocolate.

Dr. Daniel A. Twogood also takes up three cases of additional ENT (ears nose throat) problems.

The author emphasizes that particularly in the elderly — but not only — it could take up to 30 days for the problems to disappear.

2.6. Prescription for Health p. 213

It seems that as people get older, they choose to eat fewer treats and goodies because they are more aware of the risks that go along with consuming such foods. But the youth in industrialized countries has little interest in doing without their treats. Today’s average family can afford a lot of luxuries, although both parents often work to do so. As a result, children and teens are unsupervised at home and help themselves to all kinds of junk food (p. 215).

The key to a healthy life is to have the most natural and healthy lifestyle possible.

What is considered a “balanced diet” today is actually completely unbalanced. We have been given a completed distorted image of “milk and bread” and what would be “natural” in terms of our diet. In order to conceal the facts, the terms “balanced diet,” “whole foods diet,” and “whole foods” are misused.

For example, Wikipedia (Nov. 2014) recommends that as part of a whole foods diet, grain products, milk, and dairy products should be consumed every day.

Incidentally, milk and bread have changed greatly since the Second World War, starting at the level of the farm (seeds, artificial fertilizers, pesticides, animal selection, livestock breeding, and animal feed). If you want to have fewer symptoms and get rid of pain, you should try to avoid allergens and toxins as well as stimulants and sedatives.

2.7. Last Word p. 248

Although most diseases are caused by diet, many people do not yet believe this fact. It would be best if the milk industry were banned from advertising dairy products as a healthy staple food. Many publications and studies show that cow’s milk is indeed one of the unhealthiest foods for humans.

3. About the book

Title NO MILK
Subtitle A Revolutionary Solution for Neck Pain, Back Pain and Headaches
Author Daniel A. Twogood, D.C.
Publisher Wilhelmina Books, P.O. Box SVL 8354, Victorville, California
Publ. date 1991
Pages 261
ISBN 0-9631125-0-3
Comments In addition to milk, the author also discusses other possible allergens and toxins that can cause chronic pain. D.C. stands for Doctor of Chiropractic.

Sources p. 253
Short review (Amazon)

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