Milking PMS

Have you seen the new milk ad? Since I don't have television I haven't seen it but there sure seems to be a lot of talk about it in the blogoshpere.
Apparently, the ad is trying to make a connection between PMS and the hormone heavy milk on our market shelves. Or maybe not. I don't think the California Milk Processors Board (CMPB) would be happy to let people know how much crap is in their milk.

Thanks to Monsanto, most dairy cattle are given recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), both of which are an artificial growth hormone. So is the CMPB saying that growth hormones will help the symptoms of PMS? Probably not but they should have thought about this campaign and its consequences ahead of time.

Of course, consumers do have a choice and there are several dairy producers that do not give their dairy cattle growth hormones and buying dairy from these producers sends a message. Voting with your dollar is much more effective than most boycotts or petition campaigns.

Better yet, there are several "milk" alternatives on the market. My personal favorites are Good Karma Organic Whole Grain Ricemilk (they now have frozen confections too) and Pacific Foods Organic Almond Milk. Both of these products are delicious and although they don't taste like milk they sure fit the bill and you won't miss that load of heart clogging cholesterol one little bit.

My utopian milk ad would be one that warns the public about not only artificial growth hormones but also the appalling treatment of dairy cattle. Perhaps a small child holding a carton of rice milk and petting a calf with the cow in the background happily munching on grass with the words "compassion over consumption" and "no growth hormones in MY milk" drifting across the screen and flashes of disturbing images of the true condition of dairy cattle. A bit over the top? Maybe so but I think it might be effective.  Compassion over consumption is my next bumper sticker.

As far as PMS cures go, one friend said sex or masturbation helped her. Sounds like a fun cure to me! Mayoclinic.com has several natural remedies and lots of information about PMS. The symptoms of PMS on mayoclinic.com are similar to menopause...go figure. Maybe the CMPB will come up with a new ad for people like me who are in the throes of menopause, "Woman drugs man and cuts off his penis". Oh, I see that this happened recently. Perhaps milk would have saved him?