Breast is Best!

Nestle and others are doing their best to persuade Third World mothers that the modern, sophisticated way to feed their babies is with bottles and expensive powdered milk. Of course, we should congratulate the manufacturers on their efforts to make baby formula as much like the real thing as possible, but no matter how good they get, bottle feeding is always second best.

The modern, sophisticated, trendy, fulfilling way to feed a baby is the good old-fashioned mother's breast - and the mothers in this film will tell you why they chose to breast feed.

And a word to the men: some men claim to be repelled by the sight of a woman breast feeding. If that is so - and I find it hard to believe that a real man would feel like that about something so natural - then just close your eyes, chaps. Don't you want your baby to be healthier and more intelligent than the opposition?

Unfortunately breasts are liable to cancer and in this film we find out about a new method of detecting breast (and other) cancers, one that offers a higher detection rate, fewer false results and far less danger than mammography (x-rays of the breast). And men, don't get too smug: breast cancer among men is a little-known but very real danger.

Fortunately, if and when cancer strikes, there are organisations such as the Breast Cancer Haven (formerly the Haven Trust) to help sufferers cope. In this film Sarah Davenport, founder of Breast Cancer Haven, talks about its aims and the service it provides.

The "More info" option takes you to a book about the experience of breast cancer but there is also an interesting book about the possible relationship between diet and breast cancer. You should be aware, however, that nothing in life is simple: there are also genes which predispose you to breast cancer and possible questions about pollution in the environment. This link will take you to a list of books on the subject of breast feeding.