Dairy v. Yogurt

Wow, I actually got a lot of reaction (all positive, thank you) to the last post! So let me clarify something, to the best of my knowledge and experience.
Milk (cow, pasturized) is not the same as yogurt or kefir. Dairy sensitivity is a common issue for many, many people (usually people of color, Semitic, Asian and anyone not of Northern European descent). It is the lactose and the milk sugar (it's what makes babies lap up milk- it's naturally sweet). So you can take out lactose (that weird, expensive Lactose Free milk) or you can add cultures to it (Acidophilus/ bifidus milk, as I mentioned yesterday). My family does not have an allergy. Pookie is simply sensitive to it and we are adults, so not made to digest milk sugars. So we use the acidophilus type. It makes it more yogurt-like.
Yogurt and kefir is usually made from cow milk.  [I can recommend and love Goat and Sheep kefir and yogurt from now until eternity. It is so digestible and wonderful. But mommy needs a new pair of shoes, occasionally, and has to grocery shop at ONE store, not three. It's really expensive and is only available at the Merc- much love! It is also really strong tasting- and that means that for most people it won't fly.] It is fermented and has almost NO milk sugar. If you are avoiding dairy, please do not avoid fermented dairy. All of the bad stuff is gone from this kind of dairy. Even people with yeast-overgrowth in their systems benefit from a strong, daily dose of unsweetened yogurt/ kefir. If you have taken antibiotics, take kefir or yogurt as part of your daily routine.
---Also, in babies, you can add L. Reuteri (as I mentioned yesterday) to aid in their dairy digestion. If a new baby is having gassy, colicky fits, keep breastfeeding but add probiotics (especially Reuteri) to mommy and baby diet. Add a lot of it (teaspoons a day for both) and do not stop for months. Really, studies show that it's the continued addition of the bacteria that helps. I bet there will be a normal flora population by 6 months old.
Ultra Pasteurized
Another issue in the milk department, that can be avoided, simply by knowledge: Ultra-pasteurized. When you buy Horizon Organic milk or half n half or cream, most times it is Ultra-P. This is done to prolong the shelf life of unstable dairy. (All dairy is time sensitive, right?) The issue is for shipping mostly- you are not buying local milk from local cows. This is a national brand people. Now, my biggest issue with this, taste notwithstanding (a bit different), is that it isn't good for any of us to drink cow milk form 2,000 miles away. Our cows here eat good stuff that helps our immunity to seasonal allergies and also the amount of fossil fuels it takes to ship milk cross country is outrageous. Iwig dairy is a family-owned local Wamego dairy which is available at Dillons and Checkers in Lawrence, maybe at the Merc too. One of my most favorite food books is Barbara Kinsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. She illustrates why ultra-pasteurized dairy is weird. It cannot be made into cheese. The most basic cheese is mozzarella. Simply heat it, add a few things and it will eventually become a basic cheese. But not if you use ultra-pasteurized milk. It will never come together. Uh, the molecular structure has been changed? That cannot be really good for us. Too much science. I just wanted cream.
 
Another commenter, rubigimlet, mentioned she uses colloidial silver to kick her recurrent sinus infection. My dad believed in colloidial silver for just that reason- the nasal spray. It is for a sharp, yearly kick in the sinus pants. But I want to add a word of caution here: it is highly anti-micorbial. It will naturally kill everything in its path. Our consumerist society now puts it in everything from socks to cutting boards. With every wash, colloidial silver goes down the drain into our watershed and pollutes and kills everything. No joke. Do not buy things with CS in it, if you can avoid it!! As with most things, moderation is not the problem, overuse is the problem.
Cheers xoxo