Human breast milk ice cream - XMRV risk?

[slayadragon]

To my understanding, the main problem with breast feeding (meaning infants rather than ice cream) is that it dumps an inordinate amount of toxins from the mother's body into the infant's.

This happens in the womb too. But breast feeding appears to play just as much of a role. Here's a book that deals with this topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Our-Stolen-Fu...4141/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298995586&sr=8-1

Apart from the toxins, breast feeding is an important contributor to children's health. I wouldn't doubt that I was more susceptible to ME/CFS as a result of not having been much breast fed.

But insofar as people's bodies become more toxic (and in this world, there's no good way to avoid it), there's a downside to it too.

It's a scary world we live in.

Best, Lisa

 

[pictureofhealth]

Agree with Justy and Justin - we are quite happy to drink cow's milk.

But, would we consider testing cows' milk for XMRV or any other potentially harmful retroviruses (not just other infections like TB and other known contaminants)? Does pasteurisation kill XMRV or other MLV's that might be present?

Perhaps this is the source of the problem, after all, herds of cows in 'sheds' or fields overnight could easily come into contact with mice, fleas, tics, mosqitoes etc, carrying any number of infection risks - same as us, if not more so.

As Silverblade suggests, its just perception that makes a woman's breast milk seem unpalatable, but I guess it shouldn't be, provided the mother is healthy and the milk is sterilised, pasteurised, or whatever (tho that might take away the good benefits too).

 

[justy]

To my understanding, the main problem with breast feeding (meaning infants rather than ice cream) is that it dumps an inordinate amount of toxins from the mother's body into the infant's.

This happens in the womb too. But breast feeding appears to play just as much of a role. Here's a book that deals with this topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Our-Stolen-Fu...4141/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298995586&sr=8-1

Apart from the toxins, breast feeding is an important contributor to children's health. I wouldn't doubt that I was more susceptible to ME/CFS as a result of not having been much breast fed.

But insofar as people's bodies become more toxic (and in this world, there's no good way to avoid it), there's a downside to it too.

It's a scary world we live in.

Best, Lisa

Hi Lisa, it is true that toxins have been found in Breatmilk, but they are also available to babaies through formula milk in very large amounts. Formula milk is based on cows milk and cows live on fertiliser sprayed grass as well as recieving large doses of antibiotics for mastitis, the formula is then treated has supplements added and is kept in Tins. Many, many times formula has had to be recalled or has been dumped on the third world market due to contamination issues. Many toxins are found in baby formula. It is really a fallacy that human breat milk contains more toxins and in fact the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh the risks of toxins in breatsmilk which have been greatly exagerated, even in the western worls where the risks of formula feeding are not given enough credence.

information on this subject here: http://www.babymilkaction.org/press/press16july99.html

and here: http://www.ibfan.org/art/BB 30.pdf

There are many things that a mother can do to reduce her babies exposure. As most toxins have been stored in the mothers fat cells for many years then the most obvious way to protect the baby would be to not eat into those old stored fat cells whilst breastfeeding. This is not hard to do if the woman puts on a decent amount of weigfht in pregnancy and reduces her toxin exposure during this time. Then when she is breastfeeding she can nake sure she doesnt lose too much weight too quickly. Unless you go on an extreme diet most of us are unlikely to release the toxins that where stored in our fat as children and young adults.

We have been fed many lies about breastfeeding and the amazing things that a womans body is capable of. For a really insightful read about the whole politics of the issue i would highly reccomend http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...ds=gabrielle+palmer+politics+of+breastfeeding

 

[slayadragon]

Hi Lisa, it is true that toxins have been found in Breatmilk, but they are also available to babaies through formula milk in very large amounts. Formula milk is based on cows milk and cows live on fertiliser sprayed grass as well as recieving large doses of antibiotics for mastitis, the formula is then treated has supplements added and is kept in Tins. Many, many times formula has had to be recalled or has been dumped on the third world market due to contamination issues. Many toxins are found in baby formula. It is really a fallacy that human breat milk contains more toxins and in fact the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh the risks of toxins in breatsmilk which have been greatly exagerated, even in the western worls where the risks of formula feeding are not given enough credence.

information on this subject here: http://www.babymilkaction.org/press/press16july99.html

and here: http://www.ibfan.org/art/BB 30.pdf

There are many things that a mother can do to reduce her babies exposure. As most toxins have been stored in the mothers fat cells for many years then the most obvious way to protect the baby would be to not eat into those old stored fat cells whilst breastfeeding. This is not hard to do if the woman puts on a decent amount of weigfht in pregnancy and reduces her toxin exposure during this time. Then when she is breastfeeding she can nake sure she doesnt lose too much weight too quickly. Unless you go on an extreme diet most of us are unlikely to release the toxins that where stored in our fat as children and young adults.

We have been fed many lies about breastfeeding and the amazing things that a womans body is capable of. For a really insightful read about the whole politics of the issue i would highly reccomend http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...ds=gabrielle+palmer+politics+of+breastfeeding

Those are really interesting thoughts about the importance of putting on weight during pregnancy and thus not eating into old fat stores. I'd never heard it put that way. That makes sense.

For whatever reason (exposures or difficulties with detox), my own body is loaded with toxins. Once I got them to start coming out, it was quite dramatic. So I would be really hesitant to share those toxins with a baby.

Most ME/CFS women have a very hard time getting pregnant and having children. Maybe this toxicity problem (which increasingly seems to be core to the illness) is part of the problem.

What do you think of soy formula? Or are there any milk formulas that are made from organic milk?

Breast feeding isn't my area at all, but I am interested in learning more about it in terms of the general toxicity angle. Thanks for your help.

Best, Lisa

 

[justy]

Lisa - soy formula has been largely discredited as a sole food for infants. Many showed failure to thrive and its often from GM soya. You can get organic cow based formulas but really there is no proper substitute for breatsfeeding, it really is an amazing fluid. In sub saharan africa breastfeeding is so important to infants that HIV positive mothers are still encouraged to breastfeed, and interestingly research has strted to show that even though HIV is transmissable through breastmilk, babies that are exclusively breastfed for 6 months have much lower transmission rates. This is a really interesting article about this study, which shows just how well the immune system can be boosted by breastfeeding http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6507309.stm

Im sure that i have had many more problems from not being breastfed at all. It would be interesting to find out more from others with M.E/CFS and MCS about wether or not they where breatfed and if so for how long and wether exclusively. Breastfeeding plays a very major role in the development of the immune system through the gut which remains completely "virgin" until solid food (or formula or other substances) are introduced.

 

[pictureofhealth]

According to BBC the breast milk has now been seized and products sent for safety testing due to the possibility of viruses etc - even tho it had been pasteurised!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12615353

QUOTE: "Selling foodstuffs made from another person's bodily fluids can lead to viruses being passed on and, in this case, potentially hepatitis".

 

[Sasha]

According to BBC the breast milk has now been seized and products sent for safety testing due to the possibility of viruses etc - even tho it had been pasteurised!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12615353

QUOTE: "Selling foodstuffs made from another person's bodily fluids can lead to viruses being passed on and, in this case, potentially hepatitis".

What a relief! I had been wondering lately why bother screening the milk for viruses if pasteurisation was completely effective. And if it isn't completely effective then viruses that they're not screening for (including XMRV, potentially) could be a risk, if (big if) XMRV is transmissable via breastmilk.

 

[*GG*]

as poster notes the damn formula crap has cost many MANY lives in Africa, where the scumbag corporations sold it as being "better than mother's milk!"...so mothers used the filthy water in their locales (no deep clean water pumps) to mix their baby formula and what happened? the babies DIED in droves
Another reason I despise the corporations, grrr.
QUOTE]

What is your alternative to corporations?

 

[justy]

as poster notes the damn formula crap has cost many MANY lives in Africa, where the scumbag corporations sold it as being "better than mother's milk!"...so mothers used the filthy water in their locales (no deep clean water pumps) to mix their baby formula and what happened? the babies DIED in droves
Another reason I despise the corporations, grrr.
QUOTE]

What is your alternative to corporations?

Well in this case the answer is obviously a womans own breasts are the alternative to corporations.

 

[pictureofhealth]

Co operatives, where the employees and customers benefit as much as the CEO (much like shareholders) - but we are now off topic.

(Sorry Justy, didn't see your comment - replying to ggingues.)

 

[justy]

According to BBC the breast milk has now been seized and products sent for safety testing due to the possibility of viruses etc - even tho it had been pasteurised!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12615353

QUOTE: "Selling foodstuffs made from another person's bodily fluids can lead to viruses being passed on and, in this case, potentially hepatitis".

I'M sorry but this is just the sort of "spin" that many members of this forum are usually so hot on. Do you remember the british medias reporting of M.E? Breastfeeding is a political issue in the western world and the" its filthy we must stop it brigade" have a large area of influence to whip up a frenzy against what is possibly the most health giving fluid on the planet, much as the psych lobby have managed to whip up anti M.E feeling in the U.K and elsewhere. This milk HAD been screened and HAD been pasteurised. This is considered safe by all the hospitals in the U.K who have milk donation banks for the most vulnerable members of our society - premature babies and yet is not considered safe for adults who choose to eat it?

I find myself in a strange and unique position of being an advocate for both M.E sufferers and breastfeeding mothers and their babies, yet see little "joined up thinking" between the two.

 

[justy]

Just to add the BBC are renowned for over-reporting any anti breastmilk/breastfeeding story just as much as their under-reporting of biomedical research into CFS/M.E