Some quick thoughts and info - quick, as I'm not reading LactNet mail right now and I have a work-related deadline to meet this afternoon. As noted, there is almost no research but there is a lot of evidence of the benefits of human milk for infants that can be transferred to adult patients. You could mine Lawrence for references to human milk supporting gut integrity, gut healing, nutritional absorption, etc. Have you contacted a milk bank for info/support? FYI, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians has a position paper on the use of donor human milk containing the following. (DHM = donor human milk) "In the United Kingdom, milk from human milk banks is used almost entirely for infants in special care nurseries or those with special needs in infancy. In the USA, only 30% of DHM is used in special care nurseries. Other conditions managed with DHM include malabsorption, short-gut syndrome, intractable diarrhoea, nephrotic syndrome, some congenital anomalies, formula intolerance, failure to thrive and immune deficiencies (27) ." <snip> 27 Asquith MT, Pedrodoti PW, Stevenson DK, et al. Clinical uses, collection and banking of human milk. Clin Perinatol 1987; 4:173-85. See this article in Leaven for a list of possible clinical uses: http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVAprMay00p19.html It contains this quote: "Use of donor milk has shifted in the last 10 years from being used nearly exclusively for premature infants to currently being used for older infants and children with major nutritional or immunological problems, as well as for the occasional adult. I believe Lois Arnold authored an article a few years ago that discussed potential uses in adults, but I can't lay my hands on the reference at the moment. Also, Naomi Bar-Yam noted: > > 4. Is she hospitalized? That would make it more difficult to give her > breast milk if the doctor doesn't approve, but at home you can try > anything you want. Although I found it necessary to get a doctor to provide written orders to allow my husband to receive breast milk when he was hospitalized for his second craniotomy and shunt operation, most of the doctors we encountered supported his intake of human milk, saying, "it can't hurt." -- Jodine Chase Who promises someday soon to take the bits and pieces of info she's collected on human milk use for adults and put them up on a web site... *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html