More Bad Science Hurting Kids!

       Apparently not satisfied with putting other peoples kids at risk by their refusal to vaccinate their own against measles, there is a new "anti-science" wave sweeping the nation - refusal to allow newborns to have the routine Vitamin K shot. ( I will use V. K for brevity) This procedure has all but eliminated the once too common newborn bleeds which happened because newborns are by nature low in V. K, a necessary clotting agent. 

      It is believed that experientially, this period of a number of days of low Vitamin K is why the Hebrews eventually settled on waiting eight days post partum to circumcise boy babies. The same loonies who used not just bad, but almost criminally bad science, (as in the researcher whose fudged findings fueled the firestorm was "de-licensed" by the British government) now are refusing the V. K shot. There has never been one scintilla of reason for doing so, as this is considered the safest thing we can do for a newborn, and there has never been an adverse reaction to it. 

     In parts of the world where this isn't routinely done, infant deaths due to V. K deficiency bleeds are about 5 times more frequent than nations where V. K is given by injection at birth. I find it interesting that in several studies done in the US of newborns babies with delayed V. K related bleeds, all were breast fed! The rationale of those moms who decide their child will get no formula is that it's healthier, and in many areas they'd be right. Unfortunately, this "natures way" mentality also extends in a portion (not all, so spare me the e-mails) of these moms to "no vaccines, no Vitamin K." Interesting fact: No (or very few) delayed Vitamin K deficient bleeds occur in formula fed babies. It might have something to do with the fact that babies fed formula receive about 100 times as much vitamin K daily as those exclusively breastfed. Contrary to what the nature girls believe, while colostrum and mother's milk are rich in many newborn necessities, V. K ain't one of them, formula usually having about 100 times as much per unit volume.

     The sad part of this is that, just like the totally bullshit "no vaccines": scare, debunked for years, but perpetuated by imbeciles like Jenny McCarthy, bad science has caused a scare of leukemia from Vitamin K injection, based on one cherry picked study. "Cherry picked" means that the data was manipulated to "prove " something that it actually doesn't (you know, like Creationism, "no Global Warming", etc.) Real studies using far more cases show no link whatsoever between neonatal V. K and childhood leukemia, in fact the best one done actually shows a very slightly lower incidence among those receiving V.K at birth. 

     I know, Mike , why do you care about this? I guess it's because I like kids, and the loss of even one to sheer dumbass stupidity is offensive. It is even more egregious when that loss happens because some ignoramus spreads rumor and innuendo with zero regard for the harm done. Again Jenny McCarthy comes to mind. she has two sons who have Autism spectrum disorders, and she needs to blame someone, so she blames vaccines. No one can tell these "true believers" differently, regardless of how many studies show it to be a load of crap. See the study link below  for more:  

      

http://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-for-the-vitamin-k-shot-in-newborns/        

I am linking to this blogger's page, which I never do, simply because she so eloquently bashes all the mythology with the best weapon ever - the truth!    That is all for now, go on with your days!