Podcast Summary: The Dr. Josh Axe Show

Episode: He Tried the 1930s ‘Milk Diet’ for 7 Days. Here's What Happened | Guest: Will Witt
Date: September 15, 2025
Host: Dr. Josh Axe

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the ancestral health movement, focusing on the raw milk revival and holistic living practices. Host Dr. Josh Axe interviews Will Witt—former conservative commentator-turned-farmer—about his transformation through traditional foods, particularly after reversing chronic gout with a seven-day raw milk fast inspired by 1930s practices. Together, they critique modern food processing and personal care, explore biohacking vs. ancestral wisdom, and discuss practical ways to reclaim health by reconnecting with nature.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Will Witt’s Health Journey: From Chronic Disease to Farming

• Diagnosis & Frustration: Will was diagnosed with gout at only 24 years old. Standard medical advice (cutting out red meat) failed to improve his condition.
  • "It felt like I had rocks in my feet every time I was walking...So I went to the doctor and they basically just say no more red meat. And that was it. There was no lifestyle changes, nothing." – Will Witt [04:29]
• Turning Point: Inspired by the Weston A. Price Foundation, Will increased his intake of red meat, saturated fat, and raw dairy—contradicting standard medical beliefs—and experienced a life-changing reversal of gout.
• Holistic Lifestyle Shifts: In addition to dietary changes, Will focused on grounding, sunlight exposure, less alcohol, improved sleep, and stress reduction for compounded health benefits.

2. The 1930s "Milk Diet" Raw Milk Fast Experiment

• The Protocol: Will followed a regimen from the 1930s book Milk Diet as a Cure for Chronic Illness—drinking 6 oz of raw milk every 30 minutes for 12 hours per day, no water or other food, supplemented by warm baths and rest.
  • "It was 6 ounces of raw milk every 30 minutes for about 12 hours a day...I wasn't having any other food. I wasn't having any water. It was only the raw milk. And afterwards, I mean, I felt great. I felt absolutely, astronomically good after that." – Will Witt [07:49]
• Outcome: Seven days on the strict raw milk fast was "life changing" for Will, who reported a profound sense of wellbeing and energy.

3. Raw Milk vs. Modern Dairy: What Changed?

• Processing Issues:
  • Pasteurization & Homogenization:
    • "All of the good enzymes, all of the good bacteria are completely destroyed. These are the things that are so good." – Will Witt [10:45]
    • Key nutrients like vitamin K2, A, B12 become less bioavailable or are destroyed.
  • Industrial Feed & Cow Genetics:
    • Today's cows (A1 vs. A2) are bred for volume, altering milk protein structures and thus digestibility/inflammatory potential.
    • "A lot of people have sensitivities, and they think, oh, I'm allergic to dairy. No, you're allergic to this one type of dairy." – Dr. Axe [13:10]
  • Feeding Practices:
    • Cows are often fed on "absolute garbage" such as candy and glyphosate-sprayed grains.
• Raw Milk Safety: Raw milk, when raised cleanly and regeneratively, is safer and more nutrient-dense than modern ultra-processed alternatives.
  • "The way that you have to do raw milk is a thousand times cleaner than how you do pasteurized milk." – Will Witt [16:50]

4. Milk as an Ancestral Superfood

• Historical Examples: Tribes like the Maasai thrived on raw and even fermented milk, demonstrating robust health, resilience, and dental integrity.
• Modern Rejection: Public perceptions have soured against raw milk due to food safety scares of the industrial era—often without considering differences in farming standards.
  • "People have been completely brainwashed when it comes to this. That many of these health kind of things just by the media..." – Will Witt [16:36]
• Conventional Milk Issues:
  • Allergies and gut issues are more common with pasteurized, homogenized milk.
  • "When somebody drinks raw milk, they pretty much never get sick. Maybe there's one out of every 100,000..." – Dr. Axe [25:36]

5. Ancestral Living Principles: Teeth, Hair, and Skin

• Brushing Teeth & Oral Microbiome: Will abstains from toothpaste, believing a healthy diet supports oral health naturally and that standard toothpastes disrupt beneficial mouth bacteria.
  • "For my entire life I struggled with canker sores...[now] stopping the toothpaste has made it so that I really haven't gotten canker sores at all." – Will Witt [21:12]
• Shampoo & Deodorant: Will has not shampooed his hair in over a year, or used deodorant in four years, favoring natural regulation and detoxification.
  • "Your hair has natural oils that it uses to protect itself. Like your body was designed to have all of these different things..." – Will Witt [28:23]
  • "When you use deodorant, you’re not able to detox all these things out of your body." – Will Witt [30:10]

6. COVID, Freedom, and the Shift Toward Natural Living

• Pandemic Experience: Will reflects on how COVID lockdowns and mandates galvanized him and like-minded “truth-seekers” to question the status quo and embrace radical self-reliance.
  • "The COVID and the masks and the vaccines, none of it was scientifically accurate...All of it was a psyop and a destruction of cohesiveness in America." – Will Witt [32:51]
• Home Farming & Self-Sufficiency: Both Will and Dr. Axe highlight the rise in home gardening, raw milk consumption, homeschooling, and natural childbirth as signs of a cultural shift.

7. Practical Steps for Listeners

• How to Find Raw Milk: Local farmers markets, herdshares, or raw cheeses (unpasteurized sheep/goat) at grocery stores are recommended avenues.
• Start Small & Swap: Begin with easy switches—olive oil for canola, einkorn for modern wheat, wool/cotton clothes for synthetics, etc.
• Have an Open Mind: Counter mainstream dogma and government guidelines by experimenting with ancestral practices.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Milk Processing:
  • "It's this dead milk that really doesn't have any sort of nutritional value...It's why so many people have health problems." – Will Witt [10:45]
• On Changing Habits:
  • "People say there’s no way that can work...Well, why can’t it work? Because you’ve been told that these things are disgusting or you’re just not supposed to do it and you’re gonna die, or because you’re unwilling to try." – Will Witt [53:21]
• On Natural Self-Care:
  • "I haven't used toothpaste in quite a long time. I find it to be completely unnecessary...My teeth have been, they feel great. Even just went to the dentist...they said my teeth were great." – Will Witt [21:12]
• On Community Wisdom:
  • "Have an open mind…maybe there’s something else out there for me that is a little bit off the beaten path." – Will Witt [53:21]
• On Ancestors:
  • "For me, I'm like, it's very simple, like what our ancestors used to do. That's really what I'm going to try and do." – Will Witt [27:03]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:07–06:00: Will's health journey and the turning point with raw milk
• 07:49–09:42: Details and outcomes of the 7-day raw milk fast
• 10:45–13:10: Why modern milk is inferior to ancestral milk (processing, genetics, etc.)
• 16:31–18:11: Raw milk safety, public perception, and ancestral logic
• 21:10–22:40: Thoughts on oral hygiene (toothpaste, microbiome, dental health)
• 27:03–30:10: Why Will stopped using shampoo and deodorant
• 32:30–34:00: COVID reflections, independent thinking, and cultural shifts
• 41:52–44:13: Will’s personal homesteading (fruit trees, gardening, farming experiences)
• 45:05–47:18: Will's “Pure Basics Collective”—clean e-commerce for vetted health products
• 51:10–53:21: Actionable advice—start small, open mind, swap products, reconnect with ancestral living

Actionable Takeaways

• Try Raw Dairy: Seek out reputable raw milk sources or raw cheeses if safe and legal in your area.
• Reconnect with Ancestral Practices: Replace synthetic personal care and clothing with natural alternatives. Prioritize grounding, sunlight, stress reduction, and homemade food.
• Build Self-Reliance: Start with a herb garden, gradually moving to more complex home farming or homesteading if possible.
• Question Mainstream Guidelines: Not all established health advice stands up to scrutiny. Experiment and pay attention to personal results.
• Focus on Gradual Swaps: Change small things over time for sustainable improvement—oil, grains, dairy, personal care, clothing.

Closing Reminder

Embrace curiosity, self-experimentation, and openness to ancestral wisdom. Consider swapping modern conveniences for practices more in tune with nature, and watch as small changes accumulate real health benefits.

Connect with Will Witt’s Pure Basics Collective:
PureBasicsCollective.com

Let Dr. Axe know your episode takeaway on YouTube, and share this episode to spread ancestral health wisdom!