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Autoimmune disorders and Breast feeding

Posted , 5 users are following.

Danrower
Danrower

Dear Brain Trust,

I heard a National Public Radio discussion (Morning Edition, USA) about researchers finding correlation between breast feeding and asthma in children under 3. No breast feeding resulted in higher incidence of asthma.

I was not breast fed. I've had autoimmine disorders entire life: exczema, vitilego, some allergies, PMR. Older brother was breast fed, with NO autoimmune disorders.

There was inuendo in the article that the developement of our autoimmune systems may be affected by mothers milk, enzymes, microbes..... 

Google:

Missing Microbes Provide Clues about Asthma Risk

Morning Edition, National Public Radio

1 October 2015

a 3 minute discussion for listening.

Your comments and insight is valued and appreciated.

Thanks

Dan

 

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • gillian_25383
    gillian_25383 Danrower

    Posted

    Interesting,my man was unable to breastfeed and I have asthma hayfever and PMR. I did breastfeed and neither of my sons have allergies.Mind both my mam and her mam had RA but could not say how they were fed
  • EileenH
    EileenH Danrower

    Posted

    I wasn't breastfed, the first sign of any autoimmune problem I had was PMR. Never had even hayfever, never mind asthma.

    I breastfed both my daughters for over 11 months. Natalie had nothing but breast milk for the first 6 months despite being in the NNU after being born 8 weeks early - but Dundee at the time was way ahead of the rest of the world. No mixed feeding and the first solids she had were apricots straight off the tree. Francesca was breast fed for 14 months although she must have had some formula in the NNU in Germany - they were way behind the rest of the world - and was always hungry so I'm sure she had some rice cereal at about 5 months. 

    Both of them have asthma, quite bad as children, it disappeared but returned as adults. Francesca's is quite bad in response to infections (and poor medical management but after a blue light rush to hospital last winter that has improved).

    Natalie breast fed both children for months, Naomi has severe brittle asthma which has resulted in her being in resus several time, really circling the drain on a few occasions, and she was the one Nat did it all right for.

    And all of them were challenged with a normally dirty/messy home - Lucas, Nat's younger one, has no problems and was the one where she got the religion "hygiene" after he was born. All of them showed evidence of allergy and asthma in their first 3 years.

    For both Naomi and Francesca, sorting out their medication has - mercifully - made a massive difference. But, I might add, both of them own their lives to pred.

     

    • Danrower
      Danrower EileenH

      Posted

      Thanks, Eileen

      Sorry that your family has those asthma struggles.

      I have no known PMR history in my family. I've seen on here some people reveal that a relative who hadPMR, and that familiarity aided in the diagnosis.

      Do you have any known family history of PMR like symptoms?

    • EileenH
      EileenH Danrower

      Posted

      Oh yes - my maternal grandfather almost certainly had PMR and so did an aunt on my maternal grandmother's side. But that was in the 1950s/60s when even if it had been recognised as anything more than "rheumaticks" nothing would have been done - far too early days of pred.

      I bet if you think back, ask older members of the family if there are any, you will identify someone who had "rheumaticks". Which was almost certainly PMR. In the early days of pred they gave high doses of pred to people with arthritis who were in wheelchairs - they got up and walked. I'd put money on them having had PMR.

  • paula63201
    paula63201 Danrower

    Posted

    I was breastfed. Born of parents, who had both been released from Nazi POW camp a year earlier. I have PMR and occasionally seasonal allergies (an epidemic here in the DC area)

    My Mother had RA. My Dad died at 49: the diagnosis was not clear, but possibly Hep C, which he contracted when receiving B-12 injections.

    I breastfed my first daughter for a short time, only: 2 weeks. She has seasonal allergies.

    I breastfed my second daughter for 6 months. She has no allergies.

    I breastfed my son exclusively for 1 year and then added other foods. He has excema and is allergic to cats.

    Eileen, sympathies to you and your girls and other allergy and asthma sufferers.

    Paula

     

  • judy20492
    judy20492 Danrower

    Posted

    Danrower, I was breast fed for 6 months and have PMR.
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