The Bottle the Breast and the State. The politics of infant feeding in the United States. By Maureen Rand Oakley. (Lexington Books 2015) I like this book, which should be read by those in mother support, breastfeeding advocacy and feminist academia with the time to do so. I support Oakley’s approach, as I welcome any book which urges feminists to work for … 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
Hard to swallow: a book review
Swallow This: serving up the food industry’s darkest secrets by Joanna Blythman (Fourth Estate London 2015) There are many interesting books on food. There are few fascinating detailed readable ones on food processing. This one is a must read for those feeling brave or curious. It is not a reassuring one for those who believe that regulators guard our food supply, … Read More
Overselling infant formula: Lactivism
Definitely Overselling Infant Formula: Lactivism by Courtney Jung An overdue review Professor Courtney Jung’s Lactivism is sensationally subtitled: how feminists and fundamentalists, hippies and yuppies, and physicians and politicians made breastfeeding … Read More
Breast intentions: a quick review
Well, I’ve now read every page of Allison Dixley’s Breast Intentions: how women sabotage breastfeeding for themselves and others, highlighter and pen in hand. And then I read all the reviews I found online, both by people who understood what she was saying, and other people who clearly misrepresented what I heard her saying in those … Read More