Growing and preserving your own food is hideously work intensive. It takes all 3 of us working 18 hour days, many days, to can what we do, and it is not, all the food we need.

I think you can accomplish a lot by buying as fresh food as you can or if you buy prepackaged foods, buy them 'oregon tilth' certified.

Eating totally fresh and totally organic is exhausting. I can't do it right now myself. All is not good here either, and I am undergoing some GI testing.

It is likely my esphoagus is denervated. I hope not, but, it is looking that way. It has nothing to do with the food I have eaten.

Raw milk, is basically milk that has not had any processing to kill any germs that may get into it. Yes, farmers often do drink their own milk, and one thing to consider is they are more likely to be colonized with the germs of their own animals. Not that they can't get very sick from some germs.

For myself, I would not say that it was worth the risk of salmonella, listeria, e.coli, campylobacter or any other germ, that is simply, easily killed by heating the milk to 160 degrees.

If you are incorporating more calcium, could it be the Forteo?

Organic pastuerized milk, has no antibiotics or hormones. It seems safest.

You may find some dairies that are tested regularly, I think the link I sent you is a certified dairy. I am sure they have to meet certain requirements. Even they state, they do not recommend the raw milk for immunocompromised, mostly because, the immunocompromised lack the ability to kill off those germs.

You are right it is your decision, but I would be remiss to not warn you of the dangers of raw, unpastuerized milk. I did use it for a short period of time back in the 80's....it is good, but, I did heat it up. Prior to making homemade yogurt, you must heat your milk up first too, then you cool it and add your lactobacillus. It is a ton of work.

I will once again plant a huge garden, and we will once again pressure can, dehydrate, bake and freeze food, however, I can not do it alone, it is hideously hard work, and if I could pay some one to do it, I probably would. I can't afford all organic food, especially now with the economy as bad as it is. I have to be incredibly fastidious about the canning process, use a huge pressure canner, and as I said, I need help, and even then can only grow a portion of our food on an eighth of an acre garden. I can garden far more, but, the work of putting up that food, is enormous. Fighting bugs and weeds without chemicals is tremendous. Watering in dry times is an all day project, as I don't have irrigation. I am worn out just thinking about it, especially today!

A small garden can provide healthy activity and a bit of healthy food benefit. Other foods can be purchased locally or from an organic store.

And some food, like an apple, is very hard to raise without chemicals (no matter what any one says).

I am definitely on the natural foods, 'green' wagon, but some risks, for myself and my family, are not worth it, and raw milk whether from a goat or cow fits into an unacceptable risk. If I owned my own goat, i would still pastuerize her milk. (I am way too sick to milk a goat, not to mention haul out poo and feed her---I had a goat once, and it was not a milking goat---it was a pet---and HE was a ton of work---and I was 20 years younger)

There are books on how contaminated our food is, and books on how contaminated our clothing and bedding and home environment is, and how we are full of flame retardants, and how contaminated non-stick cookware is (it is) and how nasty water is.

Yes, we have made a darn big mess with chemistry. But, it can not be easily resolved, especially by some one who has limited energy, such as I do right now. I know if my efforts to try to make myself healthier, end up making me more worn down and tired, well, then it is for naught.

We all have to make our own choices.