Here's another example of american medicine's toxicity to children. http://health.yahoo.com/news/37116 says: Kidshealth.org >... >If you feed your baby with a commercially prepared formula, be >assured that your baby's nutritional needs will be met. And you'll >still bond with your baby just fine. After all, whether with breast >milk or formula, feeding is an important time of connection between >mother and baby. Anyone who has investigated these issues knows this is sheer speculation at best, and that historically medicine has a terrible track record of claiming knowledge of things it knows little about, and in some cases seemingly couldn't care less about. Interestingly, it then goes into some detail as to some of the *known* downsides of formula, by presenting the converse as "benefits of breastfeeding," but a casual reader may well come away with the impression that those "benefits" are icing on the cake rather than indicative of the inadequacy of formula. And many readers may stop at the above paragraph, thinking it's an accurate summary of the situation. Why is it necessary for medicine to "fix" things that aren't broken? It would be better if they said nothing at all than mislead women into thinking breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding is nothing more than a lifestyle choice, like they've long said about circumcision. It's my understanding that they actually used to administer "dry-up" drugs to postnatal women without even asking their permission, because medicine had so mislead american women that formula feeding was virtually 100%. Millions of babies, and the adults they became, were robbed of the immunological, hormonal and trace elements (known and unknown) which can only be found in breast milk. Not to mention the toxic phthalates commonly found in pacifiers and baby bottle nipples, which are endocrine disrupters and toxic to the liver and kidneys. Meanwhile we have an epidemic of autoimmune and allergic diseases in this country. And then there's the psychological and bonding deprivation suffered by both mother and child. There's a reason breasts are erogenous zones for women. These things matter, these things affect people their entire lives. And here's medicine's big secret, how they've convinced women that birthing is difficult: They have them give birth in a reclining position, which is nearly as bad as hanging them upside down. Watch how a dog or a monkey gives birth. Women in "primitive" societies give birth in a partial squatting or on-all-fours position. This enlists the aid of gravity and positions the vagina, bones and muscle to facilitate birth. Here's another secret no one is supposed to know: a good, natural, empowered, non-drugged, non-patholgized birth is an intensely sexual experience for the mother. Some women have said it was the peak experience of their lives (see the "resex.txt" link I posted earlier in this thread). This is nature's way of reinforcing the mother's love for the baby. Medicalized childbirth, with vaginal cutting (episiotomy, see: http://www.changesurfer.com/Hlth/episiotomy.html), drugging, not using gravity etc is a grotesque constipated extraction procedure. That instant emotional intensity isn't as strong, which is why doctors are able to then take male babies to another room (usually soundproofed), close the door and amputate their foreskins without anesthesia. It's cruel, and it's creating a society of cruel people. It has to stop, medicine has got to get off its pedestal, and people have to start questioning medical authority.