This bothers me - the idea that breastfeeding is "alternative medicine". 
Gee whiz.  Like eating real food is an alternative diet whereas having a can 
of ensure and a handful of vitamins is the real deal.  This is really 
getting to me.  Where are all the dietician/nutritionists, etc. out there? 
There are definitely "alternative" nutritionists who push herbal supplements 
over real food here in the USA and say that real food is just not good 
enough because -- fill in the blank (you don't eat the right kinds of food 
so your milk isn't any good).  Is anyone else out there as incensed by this 
ridiculous notion?  I can understand if you have a physical problem that 
prevents digestion so you have to eat unusually to accommodate it (or you 
might die).  Where is the common sense?  It makes sense to change things 
when death is the alternative, but. To me, any other reason is ridiculous 
and just a product of easy times.


------Mmmmm, Jane, I think you are jumping to conclusions here. Medical 
practice is not the same everywhere around the world. The discussion is not 
about the product (breastfeeding) IBCLC's work with. The discussion is about 
the rules, guidelines, regulations etc. *in my country*.
To be an official medical profession in my country, you need to have a 
certain education, which is validated by Dutch medical standards. The 
IBCLC's don't have that. You need a diploma that is internationally 
recognized, the IBCLC's don't have that. Yes - it's recognized by the ILCA, 
but not by external medical standards in the Netherlands. And you need to 
have a job-profile and the making and registration of that costs lots of 
money.
As long as you don't have these things, you are seen as "alternative" and to 
the IBCLC's that is not something they are very worried about (I think). Lot 
of insurances pay LC-consultation anyhow. To patients the risk is larger: 
they have no possibility to complain if things don't work out well.

Lydia, LLL, Netherlands
~~~ The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures 
the disease. - Voltaire~~

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