DOES DRINKING GOAT MILK PROMOTE BETTER HEALING?
Several years prior to my husband, George’s, recent operation, he spoke with a goat farmer who had cut his hand, which healed very well according to his nurses. The farmer attributed his recovery to drinking a glass of goat milk every day. Remembering this, George decided to have a daily glass of goat milk leading up to his operation. Like the farmer, George’s incision healed extremely well. Around the same time, I was caring for an elderly long-term care resident, who had a pressure injury on his ankle. Despite many interventions, the wound remained open for four years. The resident loved milk and drank many glasses per day. Why not try goat milk, I thought? The injury healed within six months of this diet alteration. Although now retired, at the time I was working with another registered dietitian, Kelsey Russell, who suggested that we do a study to investigate whether the consumption of goat products is beneficial for promoting healing among residents in long-term care.
STUDY CONDUCTED
We chose subjects with pressure injuries that had been open for more than four months. Each of the 17 participants was provided 250 millilitres of goat dairy products daily. Wounds were then monitored, a total of 24 pressure injuries in all. Seventeen of the wounds closed during the six-month monitoring period, which is a very acceptable closing rate of 71 percent. Plus, the treatment is minimally invasive and cost effective. It was so rewarding to see how much joy it added to the residents’ daily lives, when pain was reduced and some restrictions lifted. This was a case series study, which means it’s only the first step to see if there is a trend. More in-depth research is required to determine what it is in goat milk that promotes healing. Providing goat milk as a supplement, however, is simply promoting the intake of a dairy product. If you know someone who suffers from a stubborn open wound, it might be worth mentioning to them. —Pat Jones, Thorndale, Ont.
The study was published in the Journal of Wound Management in October 2021 and is accessible for general reference at https://viewer ipaper.io/jowm/1035279_jowm202110/?page=38