Margaret,

In a fair and just world where breastfeeding got fair treatment in the media,
where the governments "actually" supported breastfeeding not only by words
but by putting money into breastfeeding services, and where the infant
formula and drug industry was not this monster-- trillion dollars monopoly;
I would wholeheartily agree with what you are saying.

The reason behind breastfeeding advocates immediately becoming defensive has
everything to do with "our" history.  A history where the infant formula
industry has used their power to manipulate and destroy breastfeeding.  And I
will add that they continue to do so.

I already posted about Mead Johnson using one of the largest PR companies in
the world to stop the US press from writing anything bad about US infant
formula companies (because of the US's refusal to sign the WHO Code).  They
succeeded in receiving no bad press from any of the major newspapers in the
US!!  Now let's think about all the good press breastfeeding has just gotten.
 In the past month, we have had the study on breastfeeding and breast cancer
showing a 50% reduction in breast cancer for mothers who breastfeed for a
certain length of time and then the hypertension study that shows that infant
formula is a risk. Suddenly we have this study on asthma.  Sorry I don't
believe for one minute that this isn't a PR job brought to you by which ever
infant formula company (they all have agreements with one another, we might
as well consider these companies hydra-like (chop one tentacle off and
another one appears).

And besides..yes, yes, another patent (about 21 patents on asthma and human
milk).  Since the only one I read is patent #6111081 called "Lactoferrin
variants and uses thereof," with Baylor College of Medicine being the
assignee.  I will only say that companies will be using human lactoferrin to
treat and prevent asthma.  Does it work?  I don't know. But taking out a
patent costs quite a bit of money--thousands of dollars (of course legal fees
being rather hefty).  So while the media convinces the public that
breastfeeding is not very protective, companies will be making money selling
genetically engineered human lactoferrin to treat and prevent asthma.

Do you know that it is the patents themselves--often written by infant
formula companies that have convinced me of the wonders of breastmilk?   The
infant formula companies are more impressed with human milk than we are.
Ironic isn't it?

Should we be patient?  Should we believe that eventually the medical
community will figure it all out?  In the meantime the health and lives of
infants and mothers in developed and developing countries are jeopardized by
health care dictums that have nothing to do with the truth but everything to
do with financial gain.
Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

The following references were in the above patent, I thought they might be of
interest.

Broxmeyer, "Potential Therapeutic Usefulness of Lactoferrin in Leukemia,"
Nestle Research News 1984/1985 p.93.

comment:  Note Nestle Research News and the date--we are just now hearing
about this--Now had anyone heard about this in the 80's?  Bet not.

Ward, et al.  "A System for Production of Commercial Quantitites of Human
Lactoferrin:  A Broad Spectrum natural Antibiotic,"
Biotechnology--13:498-503(1995).

comment:  Human Lactoferrin is considered a broad spectrum antibiotic!!!

Zagulski, et al., "Lactoferrin Can Protect Mice Against a Lethal Dose of
Escherichia Coli in Experimental Infection in Vivo,"  Br. J Exp.
Pathol.--70:697-704(1989)

comment:  Just interesting and amazing...

             ***********************************************
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