Camel Milk Has Gained Interest and Sales in the US—A World Camel’s Day History and Update

The series of World Camel’s Day, these updates are sent by Christina Adam from the USA. She is well known for her initiatives ‘using camel milk for autistic patients’.

Christina Adams MFA, USA, Contact: cadams@xiqllc.com, Twitter@camelmilkinfo,

https://www.facebook.com/christinaadamsauthorautismadvocate

Camel in Texas at Baum family farm

Camel milk for human consumption has enjoyed a recent sharp spike in the US. Trends in autism and health-related awareness led the young domestic industry from almost zero consumers to thousands in four years. Camel milk is an exciting new product, yet the lack of domestic camel history in the US means camel milk causes ‘upturned noses.’ People are afraid it will taste ‘weird.’ That’s why the sick-person market is the main target of domestic producers. Only the ill or adventurous will try it, and the per-bottle cost of $12-25 USD is a deterrent to healthy people. But autism and food allergies/intolerance in pediatric patients are insufficiently treated with mainstream medicine, so parents like these are willing to use alternative and supplemental products like camel milk– not only to alleviate these problems but for well-tolerated dairy products for baking, drinking and travel use.

Camel milk for human consumption has enjoyed a recent sharp spike in the US. Trends in autism and health-related awareness led the young domestic industry from almost zero consumers to thousands in four years. Camel milk is an exciting new product, yet the lack of domestic camel history in the US means camel milk causes ‘upturned noses.’ People are afraid it will taste ‘weird.’ That’s why the sick-person market is the main target of domestic producers. Only the ill or adventurous will try it, and the per-bottle cost of $12-25 USD is a deterrent to healthy people. But autism and food allergies/intolerance in pediatric patients are insufficiently treated with mainstream medicine, so parents like these are willing to use alternative and supplemental products like camel milk– not only to alleviate these problems but for well-tolerated dairy products for baking, drinking and travel use.

Bottles of frozen US camel milk

My son was perhaps “patient zero” in the use of camel milk for autism in the US. When he developed autism, and was later diagnosed at age 2.9 years, I learned diet was a key part of managing symptoms for many kids. When I removed cow dairy products from his diet, his language improved and his red cheeks faded within weeks. Later, it became clear that cow dairy products worsened his autism symptoms. When he was around 5, eating pizza with the cheese removed caused him to walk in circles and hand-flap (classic autism symptoms) and he stated “it feels like there’s dirt in my brain.” Back then, only time and sometimes digestive enzymes would lessen the symptoms. (His recovery process is told in A Real Boy: A True Story of Autism, Early Intervention and Recovery, https://www.amazon.com/Real-Boy-Autism- Intervention-Recovery/dp/0425202437?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_pr_product_top).

American women learn to groom camels at Oasis Camel Dairy

When he was seven, I met a man with a camel and his comment that camel milk was used in hospitals in the Middle East for premature infants due to being perceived as non-allergenic made me seek it out. After finding camel milk allergy and autism articles from Dr. Reuven Yagil, at great expense I imported raw frozen camel milk from Bedouins in the Middle East. After drinking 4 ounces of milk, my son experienced an incredible overnight improvement in his autism symptoms (outlined in my GAHM Journal article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3865381/). It also became effective as a treatment for his negative food responses to dairy, sugar and caffeine, such as hyperactivity, insomnia, oppositional and giddy behavior, often working within 15 minutes.

 I told many people about camel milk and increased my research, so when I learned that American Amish farmers were milking camels in 2011, I went public with our experience in 2012. International articles, speaking and radio shows help me spread the word about this natural healing substance. I feel very positive about camel milk, because even when it doesn’t cause a large improvement in a given child’s autism symptoms, it offers a widely tolerated source of calcium and nutrients for children and adults ona dairy-free diet.

Word spread widely also due to a Facebook group called Healing with Camel Milk, which was started by two mothers of health-impaired kids. Online sources like these, including my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/christinaadamsauthorautismadvocate and Twitter@camelmilkinfo, have helped parents learn about the milk and find safe sources. While I’ve helped families with autistic kids since 2000, now the daily messages are due to camel milk and autism. These come from the US and people around the globe.

Camels have been a force for good, unifying sick people and those who can help them, with camel milk historically being given to the sick in other countries. I’ve been pleased to discover that camel farmers in the US and professionals camel dairies in other countries have been very sympathetic to their customers, giving discounts to the most needy and using clean production methods. In the US, there are currently around 10 camel dairies, from those milking a single camel to one producing over a thousand bottles per week. Raw is the dominant form of milk, with pasteurized a distant second. Camel milk kefir and colostrum are also sold. New technology like flash-pasteurizing and sales of imported powered milk and chocolates add to the dairy farmers’ sales. Imported camel milk will appear in additional products soon. Yet the primary fluid milk market remains autism.Camel! A One in All Creatures

The tiny US industry will certainly grow once more people become aware of the potential benefits. Due to a lack of camel history and educational centers familiar with the animals, such US awareness will take time. In the meantime, I don’t have to go to the airport and wait for midnight flights from the desert anymore. I have delicious cold milk delivered straight to our doorstep. It may be less exciting, but nothing feels as good as opening a big insulated cooler with 40 bottles of frozen camel milk, and stacking them neatly inside my freezer. It is a feeling of richness and peace, one the camel cultures of the world know well—except they don’t need a freezer. They have camels.

Unfortunately, some quarters blaming camels for spreading MERS disease which is all lie and void of scientific support. Blaming Dromedary Camel For MERS