Push Back. Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting by Amy Tuteur. (HarperCollins NY 2016) INTRODUCTION I find it extraordinary for any medical doctor to have written a book containing such sweeping generalisations, allegations of vile motives by other health professionals, and minimally researched, provably untrue, and defamatory, assertions. Sadly, it is no longer rare for global publishers to print … Read More
Evidence streams in infant feeding: ex-debate
Breastfeeding has become the centrepiece of public health programmes, endorsed by the health industry and the infant formula industry and philanthropic groups and national governments alike. How did the world arrive at that global consensus about the importance of breastfeeding? It developed from three related, but independent, streams of evidence. 1. The first stream flows from the results of some … Read More
Tuteur debate: Minchin 3
TUTEUR MINCHIN DEBATE MINCHIN 3: A REPLY TO TUTEUR 2 Thanks to an onlooker, I received a copy of Amy Tuteur MD’s latest reply, which I discovered online at 12.30pm today June 21. It is not a reply addressed to me, but to her supporters. It is they who matter. And to them I say that in my opinion, AT has … Read More
Tuteur debate: Minchin 2
Tuteur debate: Minchin 2 is a two part reply for the historical record. It is in two parts. The first annotates what Amy Tuteur posted online on her Facebook page. The second part is a critique of her reply (Tuteur 1) to Minchin 1. Get a cuppa or a glass of wine and read on. See if you agree … Read More
Why am I (still) debating Amy Tuteur?
As you wait for my reply to her question, to be posted tonight at midnight, here’s an answer to a question I am being asked. Why would anyone persist through so many unilateral changes ot procedure and topic as Amy has tried to create, though so much rudeness and scorn from her? Well may you ask. I certainly didn’t intend … Read More
Tuteur/Minchin debate procedure
Debate procedure Maureen Minchin will follow This process has been independently designed after consulting tech experts to maximise accountability, minimise pointless emotive conflict, clearly delineate what is included and what is not, and create an independent record of all contributions. I am satisfied that the time spent on specialist consultation should achieve the end result of a complete archived conversation presenting both … Read More
what happens in pregnancy pre-disposes to food allergy…
By birth, babies that will be diagnosed as food allergic are already different in immune function. Click on the link to read abstract, and then read my commentary below… https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/8/321/321ra8 “Now, Zhang et al. report that infants who later developed food allergy had altered immunity at birth. Cord blood from these infants had more monocytes compared with CD4+ T cells … Read More
MILK: THE BIOLOGY OF LACTATION
MILK: THE BIOLOGY OF LACTATION by Michael L Power and Jay Schulkin (Johns Hopkins Press, 2016) This relatively small book aims to inform, stimulate and even challenge thought about milk and lactation, its evolution, and its importance to modern life. It achieves those aims. The structure is clear, the authors adhere to it, and summarise succinctly at the end of … Read More
What 3-4 months means…
There should be no recommendation for change to the age of introduction of other foods to breastfed infants. For formula fed infants, there may be a case for widening the diet from 3-4 months onwards, as total dependence on a single dehydrated industrial powder is inherently risky; moderation and variety are the keys to dietary safety. Infant body stores are … Read More
Why are we getting so fat? a letter to Prof Giles Yeo
Dear Prof Yeo, I enjoyed the SBS-screened documentary, Why are we getting so fat? It was great to see an academic getting out to where people are, and listening. I would really like to make a time to chat by skype or meet when in the UK on a lecture tour. You just might listen to what I have to … Read More
ELF Feeds: a fairy story analysed: part 1
EARLY LIMITED FORMULA FEEDS: A FAIRY STORY ANALYSED (from Milk Matters, p.113-6) [Another post will comment on this group’s newest published research asap.] … a tiny study of just forty mothers336 may have persuaded some (who didn’t read it carefully) that infant formula is harmless, even beneficial, because it supports maternal breastfeeding…. The study authors’ conclusion: giving early limited formula … Read More
Intolerant Bodies: a history of immune research
Intolerant bodies: a history of auto immunity. Anderson W, Mackay IR. (Johns Hopkins Press 2014) A focussed partial review and commentary.. This readable and illuminating text by an historian and an immunologist outlines the historical process of uncovering the workings of the immune system. Finding this book was for me finding a missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that is … Read More
Formulas for obesity and altered development: an excerpt about cows and soy formulas
An excerpt about formulas and obesity, from pages 37-49 of Milk Matters: infant feeding and immune disorder. Also e-book Infant formula and modern epidemics: the Milk Hypothesis Author note: The previous section of this first part of the 800+ page book discussed the ways that breastmilk directs and supports normal infant development. The subsequent pages after this extract discuss other … Read More
Research shows what parents have known for decades
OK, here’s what’s been in the news. https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/8/321/321ra8 “Now, Zhang et al. report that infants who later developed food allergy had altered immunity at birth. Cord blood from these infants had more monocytes compared with CD4+ T cells and decreased numbers of regulatory T cells. Moreover, the monocytes from food-allergic infants secreted more inflammatory cytokines than those from healthy infants. These … Read More