Have any of you read the 3 articles in this week's Newsweek about Breast
Cancer?
Here's my reply:
Newsweek:  Letters to the editor

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Bravo to Newsweek for featuring Breast Cancer as a cover story, but shame
on you for giving so little coverage to the critical issue of prevention of
breast cancer.   Cowley's article "Beyond the Mammogrm" devoted a pathetic
two sentences (however, more than the other articles) to one of the most
significant forms of breast cancer prevention; that is life-time years of
experience lactating.  If all women with children lactated for a total of
two years the incidence of breast cancer in the US would be reduced by 25%
(Newcomb, 1994).  Researchers Romieu et al. (1996) demonstrated that  women
who had ever lactated had less than half the risk of breast cancer, with a
direct  decreasing relationship as the duration of breastfeeding increased
and number of children increased.  This finding applies also to
postmenopausal women who breastfed their second child as well.

Instead of devoting precious dollars to have "modern medicine devise a
pharmaceutical equivalent" to fool the body into thinking it is pregnant or
lactating--WHY NOT WORK ON HELPING THE NEARLY 50% OF WOMEN WHO DO NOT
BREASTFEED, so that they can successfully breastfeed?  It seems to me that
pharmaceutical companies, many aligned with formula companies, stand to
benefit dramatically from such a drug, yet they are unable to capture the
profits of women breastfeeding.  Mothers produce the perfect, most suitable
source of nutrition at a significant cost savings ($1000/year) over
formula, all while possibly saving their own lives and improving their
babies' health, IQ, and even preventing SIDS (references available upon
request).

Please don't perpetuate conglomerate corporations' profit seeking at the
expense of women's and children's health.

Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, Certified Health Education Specialist, Int.
Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
1807 NW Beca Ave.
Corvallis Oregon 97330
541-753-7340

References (more available upon request)
Newcomb, P.  "Lactation and a reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer."
N Eng J. of Medicine 1994; 330(2):81-87

Romieu, I. et al.  "Breast cancer and lactation history in Mexican Women."
Am. J. of Epid. 1996; 143(6)543-52.

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: )Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC  email: [log in to unmask]  : )
: )HSR & Health Educational Consultant        voice/fax: 541 753 7340   : )
: )             **CHANGE THE WORLD, NURTURE A CHILD!**
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