Tonight in the U.S. on NBC, the movie, Lorenzo's Oil will be rebroadcast.  It is
taken from the experiences of the Odone family whose son, Lorenzo, was born with
a genetic disease referred to as ALD.  It caused his body to produce long chain
fatty acids that destroyed his brain tissue.  Through personal research, father
found an oil (I think it was like canola oil or similar to it) for the child to
take medicinally to provide essential medium chain fatty acids to stop the
destruction & protect what was left.  I wish I could remember what ALD stands
for, but it is one of the 'dystrophy' diseases.  I remember watching that move
and wanting to yell at the TV, "It's in the milk!  Why don't you breastfeed!
How about relactating?"  Not having medical training, I don't know the terms,
but the dramatized situation left me believing that if only the world KNEW about
the properties of human milk, it would be bought & sold at prices twice that of
gold as a medicine for the prevention, control, or  treatment for dystrophic (&
sclerotic?) diseases.
By the way, there are tear-jerking times in this film, but for the most part, it
is positive & hopeful for the future.  They just missed one major point -
BREASTFEEDING!
Do any of our doctor or nurse friends out there know anything about the
incidence of ALD - or ANY dystrophic disease - & its relationship to feeding
method?
TIA
Phyllis Adamson, BA, IBCLC
Phoenix, AZ
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