SIGHTINGS



A 'No Milk' Epiphany
From Monique (name on file)
Subject: My "no milk" epiphany
12-6-99

 
Hello Jeff:
 
I'm writing in regard to your November 8th (and encore December 1st) shows with Dr. Robert Cohen and milk products. The Nov. 8 show completely held my interest; the Dec. 1 show reinforced my desire to share the following with you: I had an epiphany while listening to those programs. It was one of those jaw-dropping moments when the fog lifts and things become clear and you whisper "Wow" under your breath. Goes like this:
 
My name is Monique, I'm 31. I was not raised with milk; my father was a vocal opponent of milk and dairy products. Other than breast feeding babies, he said milk "clogs up the pipes" -- contributes to phlegm, cholesterol-induced diseases, sinus irritation. My sister and I never drank or ate the stuff growing up and still don't now. That said, my "epiphany" came when Dr. Cohen was talking about the (I believe the # is) 58 hormones in milk, one of them being a growth hormone. He correlated this with the different degrees of precocious puberty seen in youngsters. Of particular interest to me was the early start of menstruation for girls. I did not begin menstruating until I was 16!! Other than my mother, no one knew this; I was very embarrassed by it and thought something was wrong with me. In the company of my girlfriends, I pretended to understand the experience: nodded knowingly when they discussed their periods, commiserated during discussions about PMS and cramps. The truth was, I had no idea what they were talking about. Without exception, all of my girlfriends (and there were 7 or 8 of us) had begun their periods between the ages of 11-13. All of them were milk and dairy product consumers.
 
So the takehome is that for over half my life, I've been carrying around the assumption that I was a late-bloomer and that my body simply was not working as properly and/or did not "kick-in" as adequately as did my female peers'. Dr. Cohen's discussion made me feel justified - even vindicated (in my own head, anyway). My body was actually working just fine, growing and maturing in accordance to its own genetic clock, rather than responding in an accelerated fashion to the input of additional hormones. This enlightening moment was, in the true sense of the word, awesome.
 
Thank you for the show.
 
Monique Portland, OR


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