Ellen and Toby,

       It seems to me that that Prof. Levanthal would have been more accurate
if he stated that formula lays heavier in the gut, thereby making more
difficult to produce reflux.  The scary part is this guy might actually been
a professor in medicine!

                                                             Debbie Albert,
Ph.D., IBCLC

P.S.  -- I may not write a lot, but I am always reading!

Date:    Wed, 30 May 2001 21:22:09 +0200
From:    ellen <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Q & A in the Israeli English press

Toby Gish sent me this tidbid from the newspaper today:

Q: My 4 month old son spits his food up regularly . I breastfeed him =
most the time, but he gets bottles of formula when I am at work.. His =
pediatrician says he 's healthy but has given him a special rice formula =
that he says will work to relieve the reflux.  How does this work? Will =
the condition go away as he grows older?=20

P.M. Arad

Prof. Emanuel Levinthal, a pediatrician and expert in child nutrition at =
the Hadassah University Hospital on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem replies:

A: "There are many babies who spit up their food - not because of a =
disease, but because their development
is not ripe enough to control the sphincter between the stomach and the =
small intestine, so it backs up.
Reflux is more common in premature babies, but it also occurs frequently =
in full-term infants. It can happen in babies on formula or those who =
are breastfed and usually passes by itself between ages of six months =
and a year.
    There are various treatments. One can give formula that helps the =
stomach to empty out into the small intestine faster so it doesn't sit =
in the stomach and is not regurgitated.  Special rice formula makes the =
digested food thicker so it is less likely to rise into the esophagus.  =
There are drugs that open the pylorus valve and relax it so it allows =
the digested food to flow into the small intestine.
    Serious reflux - judged by volume and frequency - should be treated, =
because reflux may cause lung infections. In addition, food with stomach =
acid rises into the esophagus and may, in rare cases, change the cells =
in the food tube.
    We sometimes also give an anti-acid drug to reduce acidity. In =
adults, constant reflux can cause serious problems to the esophagus, but =
in infants it is rare."

Anybody ever hear about formula aiding the stomach emptying =
faster????????
Thanks from us Holy Landers.
Ellen Shein, IBCLC , Tel Aviv

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html