The very first step to start eliminating Psoriasis/ Psoriatic Arthritis symptoms is to avoid milk. This may seem like an unlikely first-step, but without eliminating milk then everything else that I teach will fall to the wayside. Milk which is present available is one of the most allergy-forming, intestine-ruining, acid forming things you could put into your precious body.

Most Indians like to drink milk because we have strong positive associations with it as it’s been heavily marketed too. We have been forced to think it is healthy for us, and also that it is perfectly natural to drink and that it will strengthen our bones. Most would argue that it tastes good. Following the Westerners' lifestyle we have been getting influenced believing that they are right and modern, unknowingly we are destroying our age old tradition and our lifestyle. 

Very few people are out there criticising dairy and telling you that it is one of the worst ‘foods’ that you could eat. The reason that you’re not hearing this message is that nobody makes money out of it telling you this message. Who do you know would make money out of telling you to stop consuming dairy products? Absolutely no one. Besides, who wants the argue every day with all of the dairy lovers? I certainly couldn’t be bothered hearing another parent insist that they can’t possibly remove dairy products because “if we removed milk and ice cream what on earth would we give the kids?”

On the contrary, who makes money out of telling you that dairy is good for you? The Trillion-dollar industry worldwide who is hell-bent on having you and your kids jam as much dairy into you as your body can possibly handle! If you do, say goodbye to your health. What Do The Experts Say?

Primary reason is the cross breaded cows , the HF , the Jersey and other non indigenous cows, they are not the original breed of milch, they were cross breaded modified genetically to give high yield of milk. 

Second reason is because of the use of Oxytocin (OT) injections to milch cattle for milk letdown which has become a common practice amongst dairy farmers in the West, India and elsewhere. There is reported evidence that long term consumption of such milk leads to adverse health consequences, such as digestive disorders majorly, brain damages, nervous system disorders. 

Third reason is the A1 type of beta casein, this could potentially be formed by the stress Hormones which are triggered by the animal while milking and she cursing, what curse, her own calf her child is deprived to have her milk and it is snatched away from her at a very tender age, just a week after the calf's birth. Imagine this and this could open up your eyes wide open.

Doctor Neal Barnard writes “Casein is a common trigger for Psoriasis/ Psoriatic arthritis and joint pain. People often find that their flare and pain disappears when they refrain from eating dairy products. [1]

In the book ‘Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition’, author G. Eisman, states “Psoriasis/ Psoriatic arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis is more severe than osteoarthritis…Since this type of joint pain can be a symptom of a food allergy, dietary change sometimes has a profound effect. Dairy products, the most common food allergen, are one likely candidate as a contributing causative factor.” [2]

In his book ‘No Milk’, by Daniel Twogood, D.C., writes “In Psoriasis, systemic arthritis, like Psoriatic and Rheumatoid, the cause is coursing through the blood, and it got there through the diet. When all of the joints are involved, the cause is not physical, but chemical. It’s usually casein. (Eighty percent of milk protein is casein). I once saw a 65 year old man, Bob, who complained of neck stiffness and headaches. His hands were so stiff and sore. Bob lived to play golf. I instructed him to give up all milk and dairy products. Since giving up dairy products, he no longer experienced pain and headaches, and his hands were also pain-free. Joy, a 42 year old woman noticed that Psoriasis patches were reversed after eliminating dairy products. Once, after drinking a glass of milk, her knees swelled within 20 minutes.” [3]

So what does the actual scientific studies show between the link of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis and dairy products?

Milk contains two major groups of proteins — caseins and whey proteins. A2 milk contains the A2 type of beta-casein protein whereas A1 milk contains A1 type of beta casein. A1 protein is a natural mutation of A2 which occurred over 1,000 years ago and on its digestion, A1 protein produces beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7)

A1 health fears

There have been reports implicating A1 protein/BCM-7 in negative health effects like Ischaemic heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, autism, inflammatory response and digestive discomfort etc, but the scientific community believes the evidence is insufficient and inconclusive. 

In fact the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2009 did not find a “cause and effect” relationship between BCM-7 and the reported non-communicable diseases. Since 2009, more research has been done on gastrointestinal effects of A1 and BCM-7. 

The overall evidence for gastrointestinal effects from A1 and BCM-7 in animal and in vitro studies is conclusive, but the evidence from human studies is still limited. 

Despite the lack of conclusive scientific evidence from human studies, several players have started marketing A2 milk with claims that it is natural, better, and free from negative effects.

Status of cattle in India 

Indian native breeds of cows and buffaloes are of A2 milk type and hence are a source for safe milk. The A1/A2 status of cattle is determined by the two alleles for beta-casein gene i.e. A1 and A2 and cattle may be homozygous for one type of protein (A1A1 or A2A2), or heterozygous (A1A2). A1A1 cattle would produce only A1 milk, A2A2 would produce only A2 milk and A1A2 cattle would produce milk with both A1 and A2 beta – caseins. 

Genotype project

Studies by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), Karnal covering 22 desi breeds have established that the predominant genotype in India’s native cattle is A2A2, confirming that our indigenous cows and buffaloes produce A2 milk. 

The frequency of A2 allele was 100 per cent in the five high-yielding milk breeds — Red Sindhi, Gir, Rathi, Sahiwal and Tharparkar, meaning that these breeds do not have A1 allele or A1A1/A1A2 genotype. In the remaining breeds, the availability of A2 allele was 94 percent. 

NBAGR also reported moderate to high frequency of A2 allele among the breeding bulls, further supporting the belief that milk being sold in India is safe for human consumption. 

Comparatively, in the exotic breeds like Jersey and Holstein Friesian, the availability of A2 allele is very low.

Considering the widespread use of exotic types in Indian cross-breeding programmes and the fact that these exotic breeds are source for A1 allele, there is need for caution in future breeding activities to ensure that A1 allele does not get fixed in Indian cattle breeds. 

NBAGR is currently implementing a project entitled “Delineating Beta Casein Variants in Indian Cows and Potential Health Implications of A1A2 Milk”. The bureau is also offering a service for genotyping of A1/A2 allele from milk or blood samples in cattle species at nominal cost. Private companies in India have also ventured into this by offering allele detection kits. 

Branded A2 milk in India:

In the recent past, several dairy units (local units and some organised players) in India have started offering A2 milk at a premium to consumers. A few of the A2 milk brands are Amul Deshi, Desigo, Haritas, GoShrushti etc. 

Considering the lack of conclusive scientific evidence for A1/BCM-7 ill-effects on human health, and predominance of A2 milk in Indian cattle, there is no need for consumers to switch to milk branded as A2. 

Moreover, symptoms of digestive discomfort are also associated with lactose intolerance, wherein an individual is not able to digest lactose due to a deficiency in the lactase enzyme. Lactose intolerance, which is associated with milk sugar lactose, is different from allergy to a milk protein, though some of the symptoms may be the same. 

Lactose is present in both A1 milk and A2 milk and consumers should be aware that shifting to A2 milk will not help them address lactose intolerance. 

Prevalence of A1 milk protein is not a major problem in India at present, and with increased consumer awareness on A1/A2 milk over time, the A2 branded milk in India may not sustain itself in future. 

The recent emergence of several A2 milk players in India is an indication of consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for perceived better quality and safer milk. 

Instead of pitching A2 milk, the dairy players could cater to this premium segment by offering better value proposition such as high protein milk, lactose free milk, adulterant or antibiotic free milk, certified organic etc. Boosting Desi Breeds

Boosting Desi Breeds

The government Of India is taking steps to conserve native breeds of every region and private players can also play an important collaborative role in these efforts.

Private dairies could also work on improving the productivity of desi breeds (which have low productivity) by better breeding, better farm and feed management and better animal health. There is huge potential for enterprising dairy units to take advantage of indigenous buffalo milk and cater to the growing demand of A2 milk and A2 milk based value-added products in the international market.

This Milk damages the intestinal environment by increasing the amount of bad bacteria and destroys the balance of the intestinal flora.

Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk. Countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis. Following on from this, there is a consistent trend between countries that have the highest consumption of dairy products with the highest rates of osteoarthritis. A book called ‘The China Study’ by Colin Campbell gives amazing insights into these findings. In ‘The Enzyme Factor’ Dr Hiromi Shinya explains the effect of drinking milk on the body’s calcium levels. When you drink milk, your calcium levels in your blood suddenly rise above the usual 9-10mg. Although at first it looks like you’ve raised your calcium levels, the body responds by dumping calcium out through the urine from the kidneys to return the blood calcium levels to normal, producing the ironic result of depleting your overall levels of calcium in your body. [7]

Dairy products have been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. They are completely devoid of fiber and complex carbohydrates but loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol.

About 50 percent of the world’s population is lactose intolerant because of these cross breaded milk. They are genetically unable to properly digest milk and other dairy products. Shouldn’t this alone give us a big sign that this isn't food for humans?

Humans are the only animals that drink milk after weaning from their mothers. But even stranger is that unlike any other species in the world, humans are consuming the lactation juice of another animal!

Dairy products are commonly contaminated with blood, pus, pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics.

Ice cream is the worst of all. Some ice creams will use the fat from scraps from slaughter houses. Cooked tallow, suet, and lard are in commercial ice cream. According to Nature’s Path magazine, ‘retail store ice cream manufacturers in the US are not required by law to list the additives used in the manufacture of their product’. Consequently, today most ice creams are synthetic from start to finish. Even if you found a ‘real’ ice cream that does not use any chemical additives, you are still ingesting the fat from animal’s milk which will wreak havoc on your digestive system, as we have just learned. It will also interfere with your immune process, as our earlier literature review showed.

This is normally the section where people would tell you all about Almond Milk or Soy Milk and various alternatives that are going to keep you satisfied and happy. Not me. I want you to get well from your chronic Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis and to have the perfect Psoriasis Diet so advising any of the above is not helping you at all. Almond Milk AND Soy Milk are better than the cross breaded cows milk (because everything is), yet both are too high in fat for someone with P to make dramatic improvements to their health. Someone with P needs to take their health VERY seriously and should drink only water for a few weeks and watch their condition improve.  The second oldest woman recently died at age 116 years old and her health tip was ‘make water your only drink’. She and I think the same.