Channel surfing on a Saturday morning– land on Discovery Health.
Ah, the thrills and nausea derived from it when I was pregnant– back when my mind wasn’t tainted/enlightened with how sucky most of the birth experiences in “Birth Day” are, for instance. Or the nausea and thrills from “Mystery Diagnosis”– certainly, that show is more nausea than thrills.
Actually…. most Discovery Health shows come with a great deal of nausea. They all manage to highlight less the miracle part of their tagline (Real Life. Medicine. Miracles.) and really concentrate on hyperreality. Oh, and pushing formula.
________
I don’t normally spring up to blog as if on meth on a Saturday morning, but I was watching a show called Kids Healthworks. The show –in addition to needing an apostrophe in there somewhere– also smacks of PBS-ish, grainy video format, and the show’s hostess seems to have shellacked her smile and is stuck some 20 years in the past.
Although I’d never seen the show even when I was a hardcore DiscoveryChannellette, I am told by their site (and by their list of sponsors) that it’s produced in part by the American Academy of Pediatrics. But in the “special thanks” section, our friend Enfamil is listed as lead sponsor.
I suppose that would certainly explain why in today’s episode featurette about colic there is more than one veiled reference to colic being caused by baby’s allergic reaction to his mother’s milk. Oh, it’s subtle but it’s there. As a matter of fact, here is the transcript of the segment. You can go there by clicking here.
Excuse me? EXCUSE ME???????
You can go here, here, here, here and here to read about colic, its possible causes, and how breastmilk DOES NOT CAUSE COLIC. Seriously, you’d think that a program that is sponsored by the AAP would watch its wording a little more closely. Thank you, Discovery Health, for giving biased information and pushing formula. I guess you know on which side your bread is buttered.
Incidentally, if you have arrived here looking for advice on infant formula/artificial baby milk to get rid of colic, please try to change your diet if need be, keep breastfeeding and stop looking. Colic is believed to be caused by an immature digestive system. If it cannot take foreign agents (such as dairy and other proteins from mom’s diet) in mother’s milk and digest them effectively –even though mother’s milk HAS digestive enzymes– do you really think that artificial cow’s milk with chemicals added is somehow going to be gentler? (<a href="“click here for that news brief)
Dood. DOOOOOOOD! Artificial baby milk has no amylase. It has no white blood cells. It has COW’S milk — thing you’re only supposed to technically give beings who are expected to grow to 400 lbs. and grow horns on their forehead and hooves on their hands. And no, babies are not supposed to have cow’s milk until they are over a year of age; so how is formula going to solve your problems? (soy formula is not that much different either– it is not a panacea). Get educated, please, and remember that babies are needy and they cry. And sometimes they cry a lot and you can’t possibly know exactly what’s wrong.
But my, how fast they grow.
A Daily Dose of Zen Sarcasm! 
I hate TV – but I can’t stop watching it.
I think it’s good to just watch it with a critical eye. They had a very good series of PSA’s up here encouraging children to think about what they hear on television. The PSA would be dressed up as a very professional info spot about the HouseHippo and you’d see a wee hippo running around someone’s house like a mouse.
Then the announcer would say, ‘You didn’t believe that did you?’ and then encourage kids to use some common sense to television viewing.
I like the term ‘hyperreality’.
Disgusting. It is littered with inconsistency & is just downright wrong. My son suffered from colic too & the thought that he was allergic to something in MY DIET that passed to my breastmilk was definately up there on my list. But stop breastefeeding altogether?? You’ve got to be kidding me. It is sad that there are so many ignorant & misinformed people out there. Even sadder the sheep that are misled to believe irresponsible reports like this!