Here is some of my letter to Life, thanks to Dr. Newman and whoever posted
about the Peds article.
Laurie Wheeler, Rnc, mn, ibclc

I am writing in response to the cover story for LIFE May 1997 entitled "An
epidemic of sneezing
and wheezing" by Dowling and Hollister (p. 76 in the Discovery section).  The
article is about
asthma and allergies and mostly discusses the impact it has on children.
 Have your researchers
looked into the association between artificial (formula) feeding and
allergies/asthma?

Your article states that "scientists have learned that both asthma and
allergies are caused by
hyperactive immune systems that in turn cause inflammation (p. 82)".  Did you
know that many
researchers and physicians consider breastfeeding as part of the human immune
system in
children under 4 or 5 years of age?  One could describe the artificially fed
infant as being
immune deficient, since he is not getting breastmilk.  A recent PEDIATRICS IN
REVIEW article
(April 97) entitled "Breastfeeding Update 1: Immunology, Nutrition, and
Advocacy" by Wendelin
Slusser and Nancy Powers discusses in depth the human immune system and the
differences in
human milk and bovine milk.  Notably, bovine or soy milks are foreign
proteins and antimicrobial
factors, anti-inflammatory agents, and immunomodulating factors are only
present in human milk.
Babies prematurely weaned from human milk to other milks (some after just a
few weeks or
months) are being sensitized by artificial feeding.

Your article also states that "after genetic predisposition, the strongest
predictor of asthma is
poverty.  Crowding, indoor and outdoor pollution, and inadequate healthcare
are likely factors
(p. 89)".  You point out that the rate of asthma is 22% higher in African
Americans than whites.  If
you check breastfeeding rates and statistics, you will find that lower
breastfeeding rates correlate
with lower socioeconomic status and education.

Laurie Wheeler, RNC, MN, IBCLC
Louisiana Breastfeeding MediaWatch Campaign