Oh Valerie really!!!!!  If we say that breastfeeding protects against heart
disease and some mothers don't want to do it then they'll feel guilty - but
everyone can take a pill!!!  Now we don't want to make mothers feel guilty
do we?  (tongue firmly in cheek)

It does seem to me that there are two sets of rules.  We're not to even
hint that formula feeding may cause morbidity or mortality ... a) by saying
that breastfeeding is better, not that formula causes it, and b) by having
absolutely incontrovertible proof in every situation before it can be said
- and then only on page 25 of some obscure journal and never in the newspaper.
But formula and pharmaceutical companies can make the most outrageous
claims and only if someone can afford to sue them to withdraw the statement
will they desist - and then the apology is somewhere on page 25.

I wonder if we are doing breastfeeding a disservice by going softly, softly
until we have 25 researchers in 15 countries all come to agreement before
we can say that breastfeeding is good for xyz health.  I think we should
just go for it and say that breastfeeding protects against every disease
ever known to man, and even some that aren't, and make the formula
companies prove beyond shadow of doubt that we are wrong... which will be
hard to do (and expensive!).

Denise

At 09:24 AM 5/10/2004 -0400, Valerie wrote:
>It is fascinating that as breastfeeding advocates, we cannot make certain
>health claims about breastfeeding because the data is limited, etc.  At
>the same
>time,  our industries genetically engineer the human milk component, make a
>claim,  patent it,  and market it for a profit.  It's an interesting situation
>and seems to be weighted in favor of the infant formula, dairy,
>supplement, and
>drug industries who have benefited from human milk research.

***************************************
Denise Fisher
Health e-Learning
http://www.health-e-learning.com

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