FDR, NPR, BPA and Plastics

I think it's time to bring back FDR's philosophy.  Through some of the worst times in US history he kept us even-keeled.  The country again needs to start approaching news events calmly.

NPR Morning Report did a story March 4 titled "Plastics New Frontier:  No Scary Chemicals".  It was an even-handed report on the risks of estrogen activity in plastics and that the actual risks for humans are not clear.  It explained that many plastics, even those that are BPA free, can still have high levels of estrogen activity.  The NPR report further did an excellent analysis of a new scientific paper on the subject.  In summary, the article states that a complex product like a baby bottle can have multiple different types of plastics and 30-100 chemicals.  Even if the bottle's materials did not have estrogen-like activity to start with, during normal use the chemicals can change, develop estrogen-like activity and leach out.  But there is a company that feels it has an affordable  solution to fix this problem (1) .
 If you do a search on the Internet for others reporting on the scientific paper you will find headlines like "Plastic Panic" and "More bad health news on the Plastics front" sensationalizing an important scientific issue.
What FDR said many years ago is true today:   "All we have to fear is fear itself".  When I read those other stories about how plastics have all these estrogens that can cause cancer I have two reactions:  my immediate one is the panic many people have which is what the screaming headlines are trying to elicit.  The fear is irrational which just proves that those articles are effective.  And then there is the rational doctor/scientist reaction that analyzes the data and puts it in perspective.
How can you, a person who deals with plastic every day, begin to even deal with the information?  First take the FDR and the NPR approach.  Don't give into fear but approach the information in a rational way.  Thanks to small business grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation (your tax dollars at work) there are reasonable cost-effective methods that big business can take advantage of.  While you and I are waiting for business to incorporate those solutions into their manufacturing procedures to make safer bottles, plastic baggies and containers that we use every day, what can we do?
1.  Don't panic and look at the big picture as FDR did (with some help from Eleanor, his amazing wife).  The biggest risk to your health today is getting in a car accident.  So if you really want to increase your life expectancy, keep  away  from cars!
2.  Meanwhile, there are small changes we can make in our lives to limit our exposures to plastics:
  a.  Wrap our leftovers in foil before putting them in plastic containers.
  b.  Heat food in glass in the microwave or glass or metal in the oven.  Those new plastic containers that can be put in the oven are convenient but at what cost?
  c.  Plastic bags are being banned in many neighborhood grocery stores.  If yours still can use them, it doesn't mean you should.  Get in the habit of bringing reusable cloth bags.
  d.  Use metal water bottles
  e.  Don't let your baby use a bottle for a pacifier.  Your baby does not need a bottle in the car.  Decrease  their exposure to the amount of time there is a plastic nipple in their mouths.  Get them in the habit of drinking sitting down and then going back to their other activities.
  f.  Use ceramic or glass plates and metal utensils.
  g.  My husband takes leftovers off the table and puts plastic wrap over the top, just like his mother does.  That used to bother me, but it looks like that is probably healthier than my way of transferring the food from the glass bowl and putting it into a plastic container.

These are just a few of my suggestions.  What are yours?  Please share.


1.  I  did my homework and I read the article.  Here is the citation if you want to read it also:  Yang CZ, Yaniger SI, Jordan VC, Klein DJ, Bittner GD 2011. Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem That Can Be Solved. Environ Health Perspect :-. doi:10.1289/ehp.1003220)  

Breast Pumps, Breast Milk and the IRS

We pediatricians have been labeling breast milk incorrectly. All these years we've been calling it "the perfect food". The end result has been that the IRS has agreed with us: It is just food. They have refused to realize that it is SO much more and that breast pumps are medical devices that should be deductible. Had we doctors labeled it for what it really is, a biologically active molecular solution, we could have gotten our patients' mothers what they needed decades ago. I would like to provide you with information on some of the "chemicals" your breast milk contains in case you have trouble with the IRS when you file your taxes and deduct your pump. Because besides all the nutrients that you normally think of like fats, vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc, there is some pretty amazing stuff in breast milk.

When born, babies have little immunity from disease. Their ability to survive those first few weeks relies primarily with the active substances found in breast milk. Immunoglobulins (antibodies) are highest in colostrum and will bind to pathogens that get into the babies' digestive system and will minimize intestinal diseases. They may also help reduce allergies. Certain proteins in the milk not only have nutritional value but act in ways to fight infection. And some of the non digestible sugars in breast milk bind bacteria and keep them from causing disease. There is new research on CD14, a lipopolysaccharide (in English - a fat/sugar molecule) that seems to be responsible for decreasing diseases like celiac disease and atopic dermatitis.

Breast milk also has stuff like growth factors and cytokines. These do all sorts of things that are just being sorted out. But some of those biologically active processes include getting the intestinal system of the newborn to mature, improving the intestine barrier to dangerous foreign substances at the same time maintaining a tolerance towards food. Pretty cool balance if you ask me.

Breast milk also contains antioxidant properties that work much better than the anti-oxidants that are added to formula. This means that breast milk stabilizes and suppresses DNA damage better because of the natural substances found in it.

There are many more chemical advantages, but I will stop here, because I am afraid that if I continue then the FDA may want to regulate it!

You are Smarter Than Your Newborn

My daughter’s friend, a PhD graduate student in physics (!) just had her first baby, a girl. Congratulations to her and all of you who just entered the world of parenting. Obviously, anyone who is getting a PhD in physics has got to be pretty smart. But it makes me think about how many smart new parents I have known who have been TOTALLY overwhelmed and felt so inadequate facing a 7 and 1/2 pound newborn. So I’m here to tell you, “You ARE Smarter Than A Newborn”, just too tired to know it.

First of all, babies are a lot tougher than they look. If you think about it, babies have survived their parents for millennia. You survived your parents, and your baby will survive you. So don’t be paralyzed by the idea that you might make a mistake and ruin your child for life.

Secondly, trust your instincts. After taking your baby home from the hospital, you will have spent 48-72 hours with that cute little bundle. Your baby is an individual right from the start. Although you have read all the latest child raising books, gotten plenty of free advice from friends (with and without children), and heard from the grandparents that their way is best, none of them know your baby as well as you do. So, ultimately, you get to decide what’s best.

And lastly, make sure that you enjoy your baby. You cannot love or hold your newborn baby too much!