I am the one who posted the other day about my battle with bipolar
depression, and how my change in dietary habits was a turning point in my
ability to get off prescription medications. I cannot let this thread pass by
without another personal experience here. I breastfed my first son heavily
for 17 months (until I was pregnant again) and kept him on a fairly "clean"
diet because he had allergies to milk and corn syrup (therefore, no processed
foods or junk foods at all) until he was nearly a teenager. He was also
carried in a front carrier and then a backpack, practically every moment
until he was, well, just too big! Indeed, he has teeth that could win a
toothpaste commercial competition, but he nevertheless inherited my (and his
father's) genetic propensity towards emotional problems. He has displayed
some traits of autism from early infancy, and still requires medication for
depression and other psychological problems. My second son was breastfed
exclusively (no solid food, due to extensive projectile vomiting) until
nearly a year old, and not weaned until age 2. He, too, has perfect teeth.
And he, too, though very different in personality and temperament from my
other son, has some degree of obsessive/complusive disorder as well as ADHD.
There is no one who would argue more strongly than I in favor of lengthy
breastfeeding, physical bonding, and emotional closeness, however, people
must realize the role that genetics plays in how our children turn out. My
own personal theory as to why we have so much mental illness now, is that
100,00 years ago, someone as sick as I was would not have survived long
enough to pass on such defective genes. Both my boys, now 18 and 21, are
doing very well, having most of their problems under control. We are
fortunate in this day and age to have the means to treat these conditions
biologically through medications and/or natural treatments, as well as with
different kinds of therapeutic support. Let's just not lose site of other
factors that can influence a person's well-being.

Maddy Stratton