Parasites

Sweet mother of pearl, stop watching it!!!!! Sorry that is the same thing I would tell my children if they started watching a show so much it started freaking them out!!!

I read and article once on germs, in Discover magazine I think, and it said that kids who grow up on farms are the healthiest kids there are because they are exposed to all the germs they need to build up antibodies to fight the bigger badder germs. And that kids who grow up with anti-bacterial everything are more prone to sickness and disease because there bodies were never exposed to anything that could build up resistance. If your concerned about the well water, I think they sell water testing kits at Home Depot or Lowes, and if the cow is healthy, the milk should be fine. People were drinking cows milk long before anyone knew about pasteurization and homogenization.

Quick, how many people do you know who have had serious problems related to a parasite?
I'm guessing the number is ZERO!
Sounds like an interesting show, but it draws you in and keeps you watching because it shows unusual scenarios.

Depending on where you get your information, parasitic infections are either very rare in the US (and other developed countries) OR they are rampant, and responsible for nearly every health complaint, from IBS to cancer. I think the key is to use common sense, practice good hand hygiene, and try not to freak out.

If I lived my life in fear of the kinds of illnesses I encounter at work I would never get out of bed in the morning (I work at a hospital). I once cared for a marathon runner, vegetarian, young woman in her mid twenties who caught a deadly respiratory bug from mixing up her compost. I still compost. I have cared for several young women & men with serious liver disease, cause unknown. Just recently had a woman with lung cancer, never smoked, and had no other obvious carcinogenic exposure. I eat lots of veggies and hope for the best. Have you ever seen the show, I Shouldn't be Alive? On second thought, perhaps you shouldn't watch that show. It has the same effect!

BTW we drink unpasteurized milk when we have the opportunity, simply because it is delicious and nutritious. I also eat veggies straight out of the garden w/out washing because that way I can still taste the sunshine. They may not be the very best practices, healthwise, but I try not to live my life in fear.

I saw that show, too, and it can freak you out. I haven't watched it since.

Do you really think the chemicals they put in our food/milk make it safer? My grandparents had a dairy and while I never drank straight from the cow a lot of the workers and family did. Have you read of all the chemicals in the food we feed our children? McDonalds chicken nuggets are like 70% chemicals (or something like that). I don't think I would worry about the well water. Do some research on Dr. Mercola's web site and see the studies of how bad fluoride is for us and it is in our city water. IMO there is not much we eat anymore that is actually "food".

I know it's hard not to worry about your kids!

i've always swam in the kiddie pools, etc. i have always had a well. not a problem. keep it cleaned out or put fresh water in it every day to make sure that the water doesn't get to hot and breed the parasites.

Boiling raw milk is called pasteurization and came way before homogenization. Milk is perfectly safe. I bought raw milk and pasteurized it myself for many years. My husband grew up with a cistern and none of his family ever had parasites. Most people have good wells, but the water department of your city or county will test it for you if you have any doubts. We leased a house in one state and I did that because the water was making us have diarrhea. Turned out the well had way too much iron in it. The landlord had to install an iron filter.

I'm pretty sure that even private wells need to meet regulations for safe water. Cities need to have theirs tested monthly to make sure it's safe for everyone. I'd check to make sure. This can be serious. Good luck!!

Granted people can get sick/die from a lot of things.
But we're up to 7-8 billion people on the planet and we're not showing any signs of slowing down on the population growth and a whole lot of those people live in some pretty squalid and challenging conditions.
It's not something I worry about too much.
Turn off the tv, go outside and play in your garden (dirt) for awhile.
It'll do you a world of good.

I grew up in a small town but both my parents were from the farming life. My grandparents lived in the country and drank raw milk straight from the cow, no boiling or anything. We ate the eggs their chickens laid, ate the vegetables out of their garden that had been fertilized with manure and drank the well water. No one ever had a problem. I don't think your chance of getting a parasite from country living is any higher than anywhere else. We also went swimming in the lake all the time. Don't worry and quit watching those shows!