Green Options » WHO http://greenoptions.com/tag/who Posts tagged 'WHO' Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:33:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Mother’s Milk: A “Human Vaccine” Against Infection http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/08/mother%e2%80%99s-milk-a-%e2%80%9chuman-vaccine%e2%80%9d-against-infection/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/08/mother%e2%80%99s-milk-a-%e2%80%9chuman-vaccine%e2%80%9d-against-infection/#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:33:33 +0000 Amy Jussel http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/08/mother%e2%80%99s-milk-a-%e2%80%9chuman-vaccine%e2%80%9d-against-infection/ I interviewed a friend of mine who works in public health about breastfeeding being baby’s first natural immunization, in the hopes of sorting out perceptions and realities when it comes to germs, diseases, and vaccines from a ‘green’ perspective…

AJ: We’ve all heard doctors explain how breast milk protects newborns via antibodies, proteins and immune cells, but rather than deep dive into the science of secretory IgA molecules, I’m going to ask a simple ‘Earth mom’ question…Is breastfeeding enough of a ‘human vaccine?’

R: ‘Breast is best’ to boost immunity from infections, reduce respiratory illnesses…But breastfeeding ONLY offers limited protection from serious diseases like measles, pneumonia, and whooping cough.

Breastfeeding works synergistically with immunizations, boosting the levels of protection against disease to actually increase the protection your baby gets. ALL ingredients in vaccines serve a purpose, whether it’s triggering a child’s immune response, or keeping them germ free. Even though we’ve eradicated some diseases in this country before, our mobile society makes it easy to have them come right back over on a plane…‘Herd protection’ only goes so far.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/08/08/mother%e2%80%99s-milk-a-%e2%80%9chuman-vaccine%e2%80%9d-against-infection/feed/ 77% of New Mothers in the US Breastfeed http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/05/05/77-of-new-mothers-in-the-us-breastfeed/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/05/05/77-of-new-mothers-in-the-us-breastfeed/#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 12:06:54 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/05/05/77-of-new-mothers-in-the-us-breastfeed/ Breastfeeding motherUS Statistics on Breastfeeding

Astonishingly, 77 percent of mothers in the US breastfeed their newborn babies. I would have suspected the number was far lower, due to the intolerance of public breastfeeding that still exists in some parts of the country, and I am partially correct. 77 percent of mothers breastfed their babies in the first month of life, according to a survey results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). This is up from 60 percent in 1994. “The report shows that the initiation of breast-feeding is at an all-time high,” said Karen Hunter of the CDC.

Breastfeeding rates remain unchanged for children six months of age. According to the New York Times:

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that mothers breast-feed exclusively for the first six months of their child’s life and continue breast-feeding with baby food as a supplement until at least the child’s first birthday.

The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Family Physicians also recommend six months of exclusive breast-feeding but suggest supplemented breast-feeding until the child is at least 2.

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