Well, it may not be good to ingest, but perhaps there are some other
beneficial uses for milk.  This article appeared in a recent NEWSpot issue
and I thought it might be of interest to the No-Milk group.

George Kontos


NEWSpot
July 30, 1997
Updated 4:00 a.m. EDT

http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=4178286-1e1
11:10 AM ET 07/29/97

Australian scientists see healing power of milk

    SYDNEY, Australia (Reuter) - A special powder extracted from
cows' milk could heal wounds and smooth wrinkles, a discovery
potentially worth up to $15 billion worldwide, Australian
researchers said Tuesday.
    Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
(CSIRO) project leader David Belford said laboratory testing of
the extract of whey, a waste product in cheese making, had
almost doubled the healing rate of wounds in rats.
    ``If we can reproduce even a fraction of (that) kind of
activity ... in the human population, we would be very
pleased,'' Belford told Reuters.
    Positive clinical tests on humans could result in the unique
extract's use as a healing agent in dressings for minor wounds
and as an application for leg and diabetic ulcers, pressure
sores and even as a wrinkle remover in cosmetics, he said.
    There was also veterinary potential in healing wounds in
race horses and domestic pets, he said.
    Belford, from the government-backed CSIRO human nutrition
division, said the extract was unlikely to be available
commercially before the turn of the century.
    ``All the dressings at the moment really just provide an
environment which facilitates optimal wound repair,'' he said.
    ``If you can actually produce a product that stimulates
wound repair, that would attract a fair percentage of market
share.''
    Belford said the extract was a mixture of different ``growth
factors,'' proteins that promote cell growth and division as
well as the production of supporting structures like collagen.
    The extraction process has already been patented and
manufacturing rights has been awarded, while marketing
negotiations were underway with a number of major international
cosmetics and wound care companies, he said.
    Belford said the first clinical trials, expected to be held
next year, would be conducted on people with chronic peripheral
ulcers caused by circulatory problems.
    A pilot plant capable of processing 440 gallons of whey a
day -- which would yield about two ounces of the powder -- had
been commissioned, Belford said.