Dear Lactnet,
I am a board certified family physician.  I am communicating with the AAFP
re: Julie Moy's post about Bristol-Myers Squibb supporting their web
homepage.  When will we learn that drug companies do not do this out of the
goodness of their corporate heart.  It affects their bottom line or they
wouldn't do it.

But on to a related topic . . .

I'd like to hear your wish list about what you wish family docs in
particular (but pediatricians, CNMs, FNPs, PNPs, PAs as well--basically
anyone who is likely to see newborns) KNEW, DID, COMMUNICATED, EDUCATED,
REFERRED, etc.
How can we better support the goal of breast feeding?  What are we
currently doing that gets in the way?  Are there things that we do well?
(pats on back greatly appreciated as well.)

I'd appreciate your thoughts. I train family medicine residents, work
collaboratively with several CNMs and LCs and work on our hospital's breast
feeding group and am currently doing a study of intrapartum procedures
(epidurals in particular) and breast feeding discontinuation--and I'd like
to be able to give the folks I work with some clues about how to be better
medical supporters of breast feeding.  The kind of thing I'm thinking of
would be along the lines of the following, but I'd be happy to hear all of
your comments.

"I wish that the local family doctors would realize that yeast is real and
that the optimal treatment is X . . . I need them to respect my
professional expertise and prescribe the appropriate treatment when I ask
them to do so."

Thanks in advance for your help.

Valerie King

Valerie J. King, M.D.
Clinical Scholars Program
CB# 7105
Chapel Hill, NC  27599-7105
919-966-3717
Fax: 919-966-2274