The Breast Feeding Advantage

breastfeeding

Ever since, I really love to see a mother breast feeding her child. Few days ago while me and my friend, who is a Pediatrician, is watching a television, her phone rung.  Her mom-client is asking if the claim of a certain brand of baby formula milk is really true. That, it can increase child’s IQ up to +7. My friend smiled and I lessen the volume of the television to give way to the mom, on her inquiry.

Breastfeeding is universally endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Medical Association (AMA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) as the best way of feeding infants, that breast milk is the best milk for babies.

Breast feeding is the most ideal way of providing young infants of the nutrients their young body needs for healthy growth and development.  Literally, all mothers has the capacity to breastfeed. They just need accurate information, and support of their family and the health care providers. Colostrum is the yellowish, sticky breast milk produced at the end of pregnancy. It is recommended by WHO as the perfect food for the newborn babies because colustrum does not just contain all the nutrients the baby need but antibodies that can protect their young and fragile body from acute and chronic diseases as well. It is encouraged that feeding should be initiated within the first hour after birth. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age.

Breast feeding is usually advised because breastmilk provides the most suitable food for babies.  Breast milk generally provides the only nourishment needed by an infant for the first six months of life.  Human milk is perfectly designed to help your baby’s body and brain grow and develop. No baby formula milk can be made exactly the same as human milk because no one knows all the ingredients of human milk until now.

Commercial baby formula milks  is doing a good job of trying to duplicate the ingredients in breast milk but have not yet matched their exact combination and composition because some of breast milk’s more complex substances are too difficult to manufacture and some have not yet been identified.

Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition for infants. It has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, digestive proteins, minerals, vitamins, and hormones that is needed for a baby’s growth and development. And, most babies find it easier to digest breastmilk than baby formula milk.

Baby formula milk is higher in protein content compared to breastmilk, but the protein found in breast milk has a higher digestibility and assimilation, and therefore less is required. Aside from that, breastmilk has a higher carbohydrate content compared to baby formula milk.

Moms, why waste your money buying the best baby formula milk for your precious child while the the excellent milk is free and easily available – your breast milk. Breastfeeding does not just nourish your child physically but the emotional bond between you and your child develops too.

Poisons in Tobacco Smoke

Poisons in Tobacco Smoke

Poisonous? Consider tobacco smoke  as one. It contain lots of toxic substances that is threatening not just to the smokers but to your family health as well. Did you know that tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals including 200 poisonous and 40 carcinogenic compounds? It causes more than 40 diseases. No wonder, World Health Organization statistics showed that nearly 1 0f every 5 death nowadays are related to smoking. One in every seven seconds die from tobacco-related illness. It is due to either mainstream tobacco smoking or through passive (involuntary) smoking.

Here are some of the carcinogenic compounds you can find on tobacco smoke:

4-Aminobiphenyl
-It is confirmed to cause cancer in humans. Bladder, lung, colon, and breast cancers have been associated with 4-ABP.

-The worst thing about 4-ABP is it can cross the placenta & render child susceptible to bladder cancer.

Arsenic
-Inorganic arsenic is present in tobacco smoke and has been linked to lung, skin, bladder, liver, kidney and prostate cancers.

Benzene
-Study showed that high levels of benzene may cause low birth weights, delayed bone formation and bone marrow damage in animals.

-Benzene is highly toxic. Inhalation of extremely high levels of benzene may cause rapid heart rate, confusion, tremors, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, unconsciousness or even death.

-All three blood cell lines may be unfavorably affected by long term exposure to benzene. Low white blood cells or leucopenia, low red blood cells or anemia and low platelet count or thrombocytopenia may exist in varying degree. In case where there is a reduction in all three blood cell lines it is already called pancytopenia, this may happen due toxicity from long term exposure to benzene from tobacco smoking.

-Chronic exposure to benzene through tobacco smoke may also lead to increase risk of acquiring leukemia and, in many cases, is preceded by aplastic anemia.

Cadmium
-Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal pollutant that can be found in tobacco smoke. Tobacco smoke is an important source of air cadmium because tobacco leaves naturally accumulate and concentrate quite high levels of cadmium.

- An average cigarette contains approximately 1.05 micrograms/g of cadmium in cigarette with filter tip and approximately 1.61 micrograms/g in regular cigarette. And, about 10% of the cadmium content in cigarette is inhaled when it is smoked.

-Exposure to high levels of cadmium may lead to high blood pressure, anemia and renal failure, lung and, or liver damage.

-It is also considered as possible carcinogen.

Chromium
-As you inhale air containing chromium, like in tobacco smoke, chromium enters your body. Did you know that some forms of chromium can remain in the lungs for several years or longer?

-When you breathe air containing chromium, some of the chromium will enter your body through your lungs. Some forms of chromium can remain in the lungs for several years or longer.

-The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that chromium (VI) compounds are carcinogenic to humans. The National Toxicology Program 11th Report on Carcinogens classifies chromium (VI) compounds as known to be human carcinogens. Inhalation of chromium has been shown to cause lung cancer.

-It can cause respiratory problems, depressed immune system- resulting to a lower ability to fight disease, birth defects and other developmental problem, infertility and tumor formation.

2-Naphthylamine
-It can cause bladder cancer.

N-Nitrosodiethylamine
-It can induce benign and malignant tumors in respiratory, upper digestive tracts, liver and kidneys.

N-Nitrosopyrrolidine
-It can produce hepatocellular carcinomas, one of the top in leading liver cancer death type worldwide.

N-Nitrosodiethanolamine
-It is connected to esophageal cancer.

Nickel
-The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that some nickel compounds are carcinogenic to humans.

-More nickel is absorbed from the lungs into the body when nickel particles readily dissolve in water. If it does not easily dissolved in water, like chromium, nickel particles may remain in the lungs for a long time, and can only be excreted from lungs through coughing out or swallowing the mucus.

-Unborn child can be exposed to nickel through maternal blood supply to fetus.

-Babies are exposed to nickels through breastmilk of mother who is exposed to nickel and through passive tobacco smoking.

-It causes reduced lung function, chronic bronchitis, and cancer of the lung and nasal sinus

Lead-210 and Polonium-210 (Radon)
-Did you know that tobacco leaves used in making cigarettes contain radioactive materials? Yes, lead-210 and polonium-210 are radioactive materials.

- Lead-210 and polonium-210 are toxic radioactive heavy metals. They build up over time in delicate lung tissue and are a key risk factor for lung cancer. How? Tar from tobacco smoke builds up in the bronchioles; accumulated tar traps lead-210 and polonium-210 against the tissues of the bronchioles. Most of what is deposited in the bronchioles is lead-210 which has a half life of 22.3 years; eventually it decays and become dominant radionuclide. On the other hand, polonium-210 has only half life of 138 days but it quickly increases in concentration, thus, over the time, as its concentration rises, an intense localized radiation doses may occur in the bronchioles.

-Researchers believe that lead-210 and polonium-210 in tobacco smoke are significant factors for lung cancer in smokers.

Vinyl Chloride
-Inhalation of high levels of vinyl chloride may cause dizziness, drowsiness or even death.

-Chronic exposure to vinyl chloride may cause severe nerve damage and immune reactions.

-The World Health Organization has determined that vinyl chloride is a human carcinogen.

-Vinyl chloride, has also been shown to have an effect on human reproductive system.