Leila says,

<< I thought that the effectivness of the cabbage leaves hadn't been
 scientifically proven, (La Leche League's, The Breastfeeding Handbook).
  >>
Yes, you are quite right.  However, if you look at ALL the studies that have
been done on cabbage, none of them have replicated the procedure described in
the case report study by Wendy Rosier in BF Review, November, 1987.  As soon
as someone replicates her study in other than a case study approach, maybe we
will find out that cabbage is effective, other than in anecdotal reports.

As you may recall, if you have read the salient articles, you will know that
Rosier put the cabbage leaves on for 2 hours, off for 2 hours, on for 2 hours,
and so on.  Nicoderm, in the Birth article in 1990 (?) used cabbage for 20
minutes 4 times a day, and concluded there was no difference between those who
used cabbage and those who didn't.  So, I would hardly use that "study" as
refuting the Rosier "study."

If someone would like to do a study on cabbage, I would suggest that since
there are no time frames established for it's use in "The Glory of Woman"
(1882), you at least use Rosier's parameters in the research project.

BTW, didn't Andrew mention something about cabbage being used for arthritic
joints?  Was that article based on research or case studies?

Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC
Queen of Cabbage