On Fri, 26 Jan 2001, Jean Edwards wrote:
> Well one of the many reasons I love teaching is learning from
> my students. Today I learned that placing cold cabbage leaves
> in the cups of lactating moms' bras suppresses milk
> production. Can anyone tell me why this works? I've searched
> reliable websites (webmd, for example), saw the
> recommendation but no explanation as to how or why this
> works. Some of my students also mentioned that the shots that
> were once given are no longer given due to heightened risks
> of heart attack. Is this accurate information?
>
You're looking in the wrong place, Jean. Try PubMed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/
J Hum Lact 1998 Sep;14(3):231-6
Effects of cabbage leaf extract on breast engorgement.
Roberts KL, Reiter M, Schuster D
Northern Territory University in Darwin, Australia.
The effectiveness of cabbage leaf extract was compared with that
of a placebo in treating breast engorgement in lactating women.
In a double-blind experiment with a pretest/posttest design, 21
participants received a cream containing cabbage leaf extract,
while 18 received placebo cream. The placebo group received equal
relief to the treated group, with the two groups showing no
difference on all outcome measures. However, mothers perceived
both creams to be effective in relieving discomfort. Feeding had
a greater effect than the application of cream on relieving
discomfort and decreasing tissue hardness. It is therefore
recommended that lactation consultants encourage mothers to
breastfeed if possible to relieve the discomfort of breast
engorgement.
As for "shots" no longer being given because of heart attacks, I
wonder if this refers to the current controversy concerning MMR
(measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination and the risk of developing
early infantile autism. Parental lobby groups and a few maverick
scientists say yes; the medical establishment says no. There's a
piece on this in today's British Medical Journal as well:
BMJ 2001;322:183-184 ( 27 January )
Editorials
MMR vaccine: the continuing saga
Current concerns are idiosyncratic: most reviews have confirmed
the vaccine's safety
at: http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/322/7280/183
-Stephen
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC
J1M 1Z7
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
