sorry, pat, i just don't consider it prescribing when it is not a prescription
drug. following that line of reasoning, we couldn't give out lanolin samples,
or even advise a mother to rub her breastmilk into her nipples - after all,
breastmilk is a prescription item. and what about all the other things?
lecithin, homeopathic remedies, herbal galactogues, shields, pumps, and so on.
if we recommend these things to our clients, is that prescribing? what's the
difference between handing it over in person or telling someone to go buy it
themselves? i can't see how the liability would be any different.

hey, the only reason i don't hand out APNC is the cost and the one
prescription item in it. i just tell moms to use those ingredients together.
(so far i haven't seen any clear results that were different than using
lanolin alone, pat, but i think it is a better plan). i don't carry around OTC
anti-fungal creams because they are too darn expensive. i am not sure i would
feel good about putting the GV in smaller bottles if they were unlabelled, but
hey, i have bottles of tincture that i had made up for me, clearly labelled,
and i give them out with a handout about the ingredients and the usage. i have
had clients decide not to use any of these items, that's part of their
decision about any treatment plans. and i encourage them to ask their doctors
if they are unsure (knowing full well the doctors usually are completely
ignorant about these things but that's what the doctor's letter is for,
right?).

and i am not the least bit worried about the lurkers on lactnet "coming after
me" - come on, pat, don't be too paranoid. that's why i became an IBCLC. so
people with similar initials couldn't "come after me" for things i post. (i
know this is confusing, i mean when i was a volunteer lay person only, the
organization had members who felt they could "enforce" their personal
viewpoints about what members could and could not say, and did not hesitate to
do so, even when it was in a personally insulting and derogatory manner. i
look upon comments like pat's as being professional discourse and not the
least bit like a flame.)

and what about those in this profession who feel no compunction about handing
a mother a bottle of ABM when they can't fix her problem? that ought to be
prescribing, in my book. just as there are different levels on which some of
us practice, there seem to be different feelings about what our practice
actually entails.

carol brussel IBCLC