Raw milk benefits: Wellness miracle or just hype?
Image credits: Getty Images
Milk has recently been in the limelight as more than just a beverage. The natural drink is sworn on by celebrities who claim that raw milk has innumerable benefits for skin, be it as a toner or hydrator.
They suggest using raw milk as a toner with cotton pads, as a moisturiser and as a part of a face pack. But is it really a wellness miracle or another beauty fad that is currently having the time of its life?
Raw Milk: A celeb favourite remedy
Image credits: iStock
Celebrities across the globe have recommended raw milk as the ultimate toner and acne treatment. Celebrities, social media influencers and even America's Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,
are staunch promoters of the use of raw milk for health. In June 2024, Kennedy said he "only drinks raw milk."
Gwyneth Paltrow said on the popular "Skinny Confidential" podcast that she added Raw Farm cream in her coffee every morning. Additionally, influencers such as Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm have also promoted the consumption of raw milk.
While raw milk has its own set of benefits, according to studies and experts, it may cause serious infections and must be used with caution.
Raw Milk: A beauty fad with no future
Image credits: iStock
Surveys from various countries have found the presence of different types of pathogens in raw milk, with prevalence levels as high as 13% for bacteria. If the pathogens contact the skin, they can lead to symptoms such as redness, swelling and pain, as mentioned in a
study
published in the National Library of Medicine.
Since it is unpasteurised, it can contain live bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria, which can cause skin irritation.
Also, its creamy texture could clog pores.
Those who have been consuming raw milk for other health benefits also need to think twice, as it has led to a lot of foodborne illness outbreaks, due to pathogens entering the body, as
mentioned
by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Additionally, an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu led to over 500 California dairy farms being quarantined as they tested positive for the virus. This included the brand Raw Farm (which Paltrow uses) whose distribution of products was halted as bird flu was found in its unpasteurised milk.
According to Dr Meghan Davis, as associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, "Milk is actually the most infectious thing that comes out of an infected cow." "Now I don't even think that farmers who farm dairy cows should be drinking raw milk from their dairy cows," she said to USA Today.
Thus, while using raw milk on the skin may feel hydrating, it has more disadvantages than advantages, and thus one should beware of using it regularly.
One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Arizona officials confirm measles outbreak in Navajo County
Health officials in Arizona say there are four linked measles cases in Navajo County, marking the state's first outbreak this year. The U.S. logged 122 more cases of measles last week — but only four of them in Texas — while the outbreaks in Pennsylvania and Michigan officially ended. There were 1,168 confirmed measles cases in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Health officials in Texas, where the nation's biggest outbreak raged during the late winter and spring, said they'll now post case counts only once a week — yet another sign the outbreak is slowing. There are three other major outbreaks in North America. The longest, in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 2,009 cases from mid-October through June 3. The province logged its first death Thursday in a baby that got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions. Another outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has sickened 761 as of Thursday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 1,940 measles cases and four deaths as of Friday, according to data from the state health ministry. Other U.S. states with active outbreaks — which the CDC defines as three or more related cases — include Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma. In the U.S., two elementary school-aged children in the epicenter in West Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died of measles this year. All were unvaccinated. Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000. There were a total of 744 cases across 35 counties, most of them in West Texas, state health officials said Tuesday. Throughout the outbreak, 96 people have been hospitalized. State health officials estimated less than 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious. Fifty-five percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 411 cases since late January — just under 2% of the county's residents. The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of 'what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.' A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6. New Mexico held steady Tuesday with a total of 81 cases. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque has six cases, Eddy County has three, Doña Ana County has two. Chaves, Curry and San Juan counties have one each. An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care. Oklahoma added one case Tuesday for a total of 16 confirmed and three probable cases. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases. Arizona has four cases in Navajo County. The cases are linked to a single source, the county health department said Monday. All four are unvaccinated and have a history of recent international travel. Colorado has seen a total of 14 measles cases in 2025, which includes one outbreak of eight related cases. The outbreak is linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May, and includes four cases in Arapahoe County, three in El Paso County and one in Denver, plus a person who doesn't live in Colorado. Other counties that have seen measles this year include Archuleta and Pueblo. Illinois health officials confirmed a four-case outbreak on May 5 in the far southern part of the state, and it's grown to eight cases as of June 6, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state's other two cases so far this year were in Cook County, and are unrelated to the southern Illinois outbreak. Kansas has a total of 71 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but two of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County. Montana had 17 measles cases as of Thursday. Ten were in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed up — Montana's first in 35 years. Flathead and Yellowstone counties had two cases each, and Hill County had three case. There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, was up to 34 cases as of Friday. Two of the people have been hospitalized, and all of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated. There were 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state on the Minnesota border, there were 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, had one case. Ohio remained steady for a third week at 34 measles cases and one hospitalization, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That count includes only Ohio residents. The state has two outbreaks: Ashtabula County near Cleveland has 16 cases, and Knox County in east-central Ohio has 20 — 14 among Ohio residents and the rest among visitors. Allen, Cuyahoga, Holmes and Defiance counties have one case each. Tennessee has had six measles cases since early May, but no change since. Tennessee's outbreak appears to be over, as health officials say there have not been any new cases in six weeks. Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania were declared over by health officials after six weeks of no new cases. Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year, and most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from 'killed' virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don't need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have 'presumptive immunity." Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to 'herd immunity.' But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The is solely responsible for all content.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Kennedy's firing of independent CDC advisers undermines vaccine confidence, experts say
Chicago: U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s dismissal of an independent panel of experts citing the goal of restoring trust in vaccines could undermine confidence in those available now, putting Americans at risk of preventable infectious diseases, public health experts and others said on Monday. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said in a commentary published in the Wall Street Journal that he was firing all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science." The committee reviews vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and makes recommendations to the CDC on their use. "I fear that there will be human lives lost here because of this," said Dr. Sean O'Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Infectious Diseases. "It is a special kind of irony that he is saying he is doing this to restore trust, given that he is, as an individual, more responsible for sowing distrust in vaccines than almost anyone I can name," O'Leary said. O'Leary said pediatricians have already been fielding calls from parents who are confused about conflicting announcements earlier this month narrowing the use of COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women. "This is only going to add to that," he said. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said the agency is prioritizing public health, evidence-based medicine, and restoring public confidence in vaccine science. The firing of the entire vaccine advisory committee comes just weeks before a scheduled public meeting in which advisers were expected to weigh in and vote on a number of decisions, including the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine boosters . The health agency said the committee will meet as scheduled on June 25-27, but it is unclear who would serve on that panel or how they have been vetted for conflicts of interest. The agency said it would replace them with new members currently under consideration. Fired ACIP member Noel Brewer, a professor of public health at the University of North Carolina, said it took about 18 months from the time he applied until he was serving as an ACIP member. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer decried the changes. "Wiping out an entire panel of vaccine experts doesn't build trust - it shatters it, and worse, it sends a chilling message: that ideology matters more than evidence, and politics more than public health," he said in a statement. Former CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden called out Kennedy's "false claims" in the Wall Street Journal piece, saying the panel was rife with conflicts of interest. Most of the panel was appointed last year, the CDC website shows. "Make no mistake: Politicizing the ACIP as Secretary Kennedy is doing will undermine public trust under the guise of improving it."
Economic Times
11 hours ago
- Economic Times
AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GSK, Sanofi, Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer share prices: Why are vaccine stocks down?
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs Shares of global vaccine makers were muted on Tuesday as investors and analysts took a "wait and watch" approach after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all members of an expert vaccine panel late on Monday. Shares of AstraZeneca and BioNTech were marginally up, while those of GSK and Sanofi declined 1 per cent and 0.2 per cent, respectively. U.S. vaccine maker Moderna fell slightly in premarket trading, while Novavax and Pfizer traded marginally higher, as per a said that while the unprecedented dismissals of all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) represented a risk for vaccine manufacturers, investors would wait to see any impact on the companies, Reuters he was appointed as U.S. health secretary, Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has made several changes to reshape the regulation of vaccines, food and medicine. However, firing members of the ACIP remains his most far-reaching move analysts expressed concerns that the new committee members, who have not been named, might be more sympathetic to Kennedy's views on vaccines, an idea shared by scientific experts and the makeup of a reconstituted ACIP is to be determined, "new members will likely be sympathetic to at least some of RFK's beliefs regarding alleged dangers of vaccines", Leerink analyst Daina Graybosch said in a said that the move could negatively impact approved vaccine recommendations and increase the burden of evidence and costs for future vaccine decision came less than three weeks before the next panel meeting set for June 25 to June 27 and is slated to discuss recommendations for who should receive vaccines for diseases like respiratory syncytial is unclear when Kennedy will announce the new members, who the agency said are under consideration, or whether the agenda will follow the meeting description posted on the Federal Register on Monday.A1. Shares of AstraZeneca and BioNTech were marginally up, while those of GSK and Sanofi declined 1 per cent and 0.2 per cent, respectively. U.S. vaccine maker Moderna fell slightly in premarket trading, while Novavax and Pfizer traded marginally higher, as per a report.A2. US Health Secretary is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
