This is an article by Helen Thomas
Breastmilk Protects Children In the Same Way as Vaccinations
New research has shown something that most new mothers have known for generations: the healing and restorative power of breastmilk. According to Ameae Walker, Professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, and lead researcher of the study, breastmilk contributes to the development and strength of a new baby's own immune system by a process the team calls "maternal educational immunity." Effectively this means that if you have a strong immune system and you choose to breastfeed your baby, he will learn to mimic your own immune system, using the cells that are transferred through breastfeeding, and develop a strong immune system of his own.
Built-In Protection
It has long been understood, and supported by extensive research, that break milk provides immune protection against some infectious illnesses and diseases through the transfer of antibodies as soon as the baby is born. However, this new research takes that process one step further, suggesting that breast milk provides considerably more support than was previously suggested, and for a considerably longer period of time.
This has the potential to mean that mothers who choose to breastfeed their babies can also choose not to give them their pre-12 month vaccinations, as they are already receiving all of the antibodies and protection that they need from their mothers. In fact, the outcome of the study was that immunity against TB is far more effective for babies if it is acquired through the milk than if acquired through the direct vaccination of that baby . Generally, babies have very bad responses to vaccination for TB and the vaccine does not have very high efficacy rates in young children. Yet exposing them to something natural and essential, such as their mother’s milk, is much more efficient at ensuring they receive the TB-prohibiting antibodies that they need. This research is in its infancy, and whilst the original study was conducted on nursing mice, it has not yet been transferred to and tested on human infants.
Nature Delayed to Promote Vaccinations
It is widely acknowledged that ‘breast is best’ and that breastfeeding is the best thing a mother can do to give their baby a healthy start. And yet in news from the CDC this week, nursing mothers are being asked to delay nursing their babies after they have been given the live oral rotavirus vaccine. This is because the immune-boosting effects of breastmilk inhibit the efficacy of the vaccination, which can only lead us to question (if breastmilk has similar properties and can limit the effect of the vaccination), why the vaccination is administered in the first place. The implications of this news announcement, whilst not outlined directly, are clear: In demonstrating that breastmilk counters the live vaccine contained in the vaccination, they’ve shown that breastmilk counters the virus they are trying to protect from in the first place. Therefore, that breastmilk could be used in lieu of the virus. This is groundbreaking news for nursing mothers that pharmaceutical companies simply don’t want us to hear.
Make Your Own Choices
For parents who feel their children would benefit from certain vaccinations, but want to protect and monitor the process, and understand how they react to each of the drugs they are given, it is possible to ask your pediatrician to give your child separate vaccinations for each childhood illness, rather than the combined vaccinations that are promoted by the CDC. Some health insurance companies will cover this cost, whilst others will not: this is something to consider when choosing the right insurance package for your child. Regardless, it is a service that most pediatricians can and do offer, but not one that many are happy to talk about. It’s also important to note that the planned immunisation schedule set out by the CDC is a guide, and that parents that do choose to offer certain vaccinations to their children don’t have to do so according to the timeline that they lay out. If you breastfeed your baby, you can choose not to administer vaccinations to them. If you don’t breastfeed your baby, you can choose not to administer vaccinations to them. Parents have choices.
What this new study from the University of California shows is that it is important for mother’s to choose to nurse their own babies, wherever possible (whilst understanding and respecting that this is not a choice that all mothers can make) and that the protection received by this milk can be used to override the supposed ‘protection’ of vaccinations. And that choosing to vaccinate their babies is, and always will be, a decision that can only be made by its parents.
Resources
“Did you know? Mother's milk protects newborns just like vaccinations”, Economic Times, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/did-you-know-mothers-milk-protects-newborns-just-like-vaccinations/articleshow/54764884.cms
“The benefits of mother’s milk”, University of California, http://universityofcalifornia.edu/news/benefits-mothers-milk
“Breast milk may work as good as vaccination against certain diseases like tuberculosis (TB)”, The Health Site, http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/breast-milk-may-work-as-good-as-vaccination-against-certain-diseases-like-tuberculosis-tb-ag1016/
“0-18 Years Vaccination Schedule”, Center for Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/child/0-18yrs-schedule.pdf
“Health cover", http://www.quotezone.co.uk/health-insurance.htm
“CDC advises delayed breastfeeding to boost vaccine efficacy”, Food Renegade, http://www.foodrenegade.com/cdc-advises-delayed-breastfeeding-boost-vaccine-efficacy/
Breastmilk Protects Children In the Same Way as Vaccinations
New research has shown something that most new mothers have known for generations: the healing and restorative power of breastmilk. According to Ameae Walker, Professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, and lead researcher of the study, breastmilk contributes to the development and strength of a new baby's own immune system by a process the team calls "maternal educational immunity." Effectively this means that if you have a strong immune system and you choose to breastfeed your baby, he will learn to mimic your own immune system, using the cells that are transferred through breastfeeding, and develop a strong immune system of his own.
Built-In Protection
It has long been understood, and supported by extensive research, that break milk provides immune protection against some infectious illnesses and diseases through the transfer of antibodies as soon as the baby is born. However, this new research takes that process one step further, suggesting that breast milk provides considerably more support than was previously suggested, and for a considerably longer period of time.
This has the potential to mean that mothers who choose to breastfeed their babies can also choose not to give them their pre-12 month vaccinations, as they are already receiving all of the antibodies and protection that they need from their mothers. In fact, the outcome of the study was that immunity against TB is far more effective for babies if it is acquired through the milk than if acquired through the direct vaccination of that baby . Generally, babies have very bad responses to vaccination for TB and the vaccine does not have very high efficacy rates in young children. Yet exposing them to something natural and essential, such as their mother’s milk, is much more efficient at ensuring they receive the TB-prohibiting antibodies that they need. This research is in its infancy, and whilst the original study was conducted on nursing mice, it has not yet been transferred to and tested on human infants.
Nature Delayed to Promote Vaccinations
It is widely acknowledged that ‘breast is best’ and that breastfeeding is the best thing a mother can do to give their baby a healthy start. And yet in news from the CDC this week, nursing mothers are being asked to delay nursing their babies after they have been given the live oral rotavirus vaccine. This is because the immune-boosting effects of breastmilk inhibit the efficacy of the vaccination, which can only lead us to question (if breastmilk has similar properties and can limit the effect of the vaccination), why the vaccination is administered in the first place. The implications of this news announcement, whilst not outlined directly, are clear: In demonstrating that breastmilk counters the live vaccine contained in the vaccination, they’ve shown that breastmilk counters the virus they are trying to protect from in the first place. Therefore, that breastmilk could be used in lieu of the virus. This is groundbreaking news for nursing mothers that pharmaceutical companies simply don’t want us to hear.
Make Your Own Choices
For parents who feel their children would benefit from certain vaccinations, but want to protect and monitor the process, and understand how they react to each of the drugs they are given, it is possible to ask your pediatrician to give your child separate vaccinations for each childhood illness, rather than the combined vaccinations that are promoted by the CDC. Some health insurance companies will cover this cost, whilst others will not: this is something to consider when choosing the right insurance package for your child. Regardless, it is a service that most pediatricians can and do offer, but not one that many are happy to talk about. It’s also important to note that the planned immunisation schedule set out by the CDC is a guide, and that parents that do choose to offer certain vaccinations to their children don’t have to do so according to the timeline that they lay out. If you breastfeed your baby, you can choose not to administer vaccinations to them. If you don’t breastfeed your baby, you can choose not to administer vaccinations to them. Parents have choices.
What this new study from the University of California shows is that it is important for mother’s to choose to nurse their own babies, wherever possible (whilst understanding and respecting that this is not a choice that all mothers can make) and that the protection received by this milk can be used to override the supposed ‘protection’ of vaccinations. And that choosing to vaccinate their babies is, and always will be, a decision that can only be made by its parents.
Resources
“Did you know? Mother's milk protects newborns just like vaccinations”, Economic Times, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/did-you-know-mothers-milk-protects-newborns-just-like-vaccinations/articleshow/54764884.cms
“The benefits of mother’s milk”, University of California, http://universityofcalifornia.edu/news/benefits-mothers-milk
“Breast milk may work as good as vaccination against certain diseases like tuberculosis (TB)”, The Health Site, http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/breast-milk-may-work-as-good-as-vaccination-against-certain-diseases-like-tuberculosis-tb-ag1016/
“0-18 Years Vaccination Schedule”, Center for Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/child/0-18yrs-schedule.pdf
“Health cover", http://www.quotezone.co.uk/health-insurance.htm
“CDC advises delayed breastfeeding to boost vaccine efficacy”, Food Renegade, http://www.foodrenegade.com/cdc-advises-delayed-breastfeeding-boost-vaccine-efficacy/
