I had another thought about this study and so many like it--it follows from my earlier post. Ths study states that this was an intervention group with a higher incidence of exclusivity at 3 months and higher incidence of any breastfeeding up to 12 mos. The premise of so many of these studies is that some amount of human milk can act like a vaccine and protect babies from all of the unhealthy things they otherwise encounter. It's the same problem with applying western "scientific method" to any holistic treatment or practice. You cannot separate the part from the whole and have the same effect. Exclusivity for 3 mos and "some" or "any" breastfeeding at 12 mos is far from the norm and means that most of these kids either had AIM in significant amounts (at all makes the difference) or solid foods too early and most likley the wrong foods as well. 

We see this all the time when studies "prove" that homeopathy doesn't work or herbs are tested for only their "active ingredients" or mind-body medicine is evaluated based upon some methodology that makes no effort to understand its process and context. Feeding in a physiologically normal way at breast is a holistic practice, not an intervention that can be controlled in bits and pieces, based upon a certain quantitiy or component.  

I want to see what happens when we compare the miniscule number of babies born normally to heathy women (the avg American woman is not healthy in many ways---for example, we know that poor gut health has a huge impact on infant risk of allergies/sensitivities) and fed normally (both at breast and then fed REAL FOOD--not the SAD) with the avg American kid whose mother is not healthy during pregnancy, was never fed human milk exclusviely, if at all, was born in a highly interventive birth and fed the Standard American Diet from an ealry age. 

I just don't get what we thinik human milk can accomplish it light of what it is expected to overcome. It's like thinkiing we will reverse global warming while still consuming resources at the current rate if we just remember to recycle our plastic and aluminum. IMO, we are doing the wrong kind of reseacrh, but it isnl't surprising, since the quesitons scientists think to ask will reflect their own paradigm and the way they think about infant feeding is absolutely backwards.


 


Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting Network LLC

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