Pat Thomas
[2009] Behind the Label:
Calpol by Pat Thomas
Researchers who analysed data on more than 200,000 children found strong links
between their exposure to paracetamol as infants and the development of asthma,
eczema and other allergies at age 6-7.
Fever often develops during an
infection. Although we generally think of fever as a bad thing, fever enhances
the inflammatory response of the body, and certain components of the immune
system work optimally at increased body temperature. Also fever helps to limit
the growth of some germs that cannot grow well at higher temperatures.
Suppressing fever with medicines
like Calpol interferes with this essential mechanism.
For children, fever can serve
another important function. Our children are not born with mature immune systems
and fever is one way of activating and 'educating' the immune system to respond
when needed. Because of this, temperatures up to 39 C (102 F) don't usually
provide sufficient grounds for action unless your child is prone to convulsions.
[2007 Monsanto] Burying The Truth by Jon Hughes & Pat Thomas
[2006] Suck
On This by Pat Thomas
Compared to breastfed babies, bottlefed babies are twice as likely to die
from any cause in the first six weeks of life. In particular, bottlefeeding
raises the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) by two to five times.
Bottlefed babies are also at a significantly higher risk of ending up in
hospital with a range of infections. They are, for instance, five times more
likely to be admitted to hospital suffering from gastroenteritis.
Even in developed countries,
bottlefed babies have rates of diarrhoea twice as high as breastfed ones. They
are twice as likely (20 per cent vs 10 per cent) to suffer from otitis media
(inner-ear infection), twice as likely to develop eczema or a wheeze if there is
a family history of atopic disease, and five times more likely to develop
urinary tract infections.
In the first six months of life,
bottlefed babies are six to 10 times more likely to develop necrotising
enterocolitis – a serious infection of the intestine, with intestinal tissue
death – a figure that increases to 30 times the risk after that time.
Even more serious diseases are also
linked with bottlefeeding. Compared with infants who
are fully breastfed even for only three to four months, a baby drinking
artificial milk is twice as likely to develop juvenile-onset insulin-dependent
(type 1) diabetes. There is also a fi ve- to eightfold risk of developing
lymphomas in children under 15 who were formulafed, or breastfed for less than
six months.
In later life, studies have shown
that bottlefed babies have a greater tendency towards developing conditions such
as childhood inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, dental
malocclusion, coronary heart disease, diabetes, hyperactivity, autoimmune
thyroid disease and coeliac disease.
External
Behind the Label: Diet Coke