« How Low Calorie Diets Fail | Home | Death By Breakfast Cereals »
Should Kids be on Drugs?
By Linda | July 10, 2008
Should 8-year old kids be on cholesterol-lowering drugs?
We need cholesterol; it is the building block for all our hormones and for vitamin D.
Statin drugs, used to lower cholesterol levels, may be harmful and ineffective at prolonging life for adults, say many health experts. Research shows drugs may lower cholesterol levels but do not prolong life and some even increase artery plaque. Despite the studies, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending statin drugs as an aggressive new heart disease strategy in kids.
Is this a good for children? Let’s look at the research. There is no long-term evidence to show safety or effectiveness in kids. Could there by long-term side effects, possibly additional health problems that lead to heavier reliance on drugs?
Properly prescribed drugs are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Over 100,000 deaths are caused by drugs, according to American Medical Association publications. Baycol (a statin) was pulled from the market because it leads to too many deaths.
In 2003 Researchers at Beth Israel Medical Center found statins lower cholesterol levels but allow plaque to continue building in arteries. Artery plaque is considered the enemy in heart disease.
Researchers in Denmark looked at 500,000 residents found those who took statins were more likely to develop weakness, and tingling and pain in hands and feet. Some ended up with permanent nerve damage.
Cardiologist Peter Langsjoen studied 20 patients with normal heart function. After six months on Lipitor (a statin), two-thirds developed abnormalities in the heart’s filling capability.
A study published in the American Journal of Medicine showed patients treated with statins for six months performed poorly in solving complex mazes, in psychomotor skills and memory tests.
The 2002 ALLHAT trial, the largest North American cholesterol-lowering trial ever and largest trial in the world using Lipitor showed although cholesterol levels are reduced by statins, mortality remains the same with or without the drug.
In the ASCOT-LLA trial Lipitor versus a placebo was tested in patients with high blood pressure and three cardiovascular risk factors. Lipitor did not reduce death rates.
The PROVE-IT study in 2004 compared low dose statins with high dose. The high dose statin group enjoyed a 30% reduction in heart disease mortality, but no difference in all-cause mortality.
Fifteen percent of statin patients develop cognitive side effects including amnesia and complete memory loss according to Duane Graveline in his book Lipitor: Thief of Memory.
Is it that hard to feed kids real food and nudge them into physical activity?
Topics: Drugs |
July 10th, 2008 at 11:16 am
The answer is clearly NO! The drug companies are disgusting and this development is disturbing. Let’s face it, the welfare of children is not their primary focus. Making profits for their shareholders is. It’s all about the bottom line.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
THis is one of the most disturbing medical recommendations I’ve seen in a long time. As a pharmacist and nutritionist, I know how dangerous these drugs can be FOR ADULTS, let alone for children. I am not surprised that big pharma is pushing for such recommendations, as they are fully responsible for the current over use of this class of drugs, in adults, all over the world. I cannot believe any parent would follow this recommendation for their child. If a child has abnormally high cholesterol (as with any adult), there are proven nutritional and lifestyle approaches to bring the body back into balance. I have written 2 newsletters about this topic recently. Here are the links to the articles:
http://www.coachforwholehealth.com/newsletter_archive/newsletter_2008_05.php
http://www.coachforwholehealth.com/newsletter_archive/newsletter_2006_03.php
I totally agree with Linda. Cholesterol is a good thing. It’s necessary for making hormones and for a healthy immune system. It’s only when it gets out of balance that we need to address it. And, in my opinion, drugs are a last resort, considering there are effective and safe approaches for bring it back into balance.
July 11th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
No, of course not. I am even somewhat opposed to the behavior controlling drugs. When my son was in 2nd grade, it was hinted that he might need these. Instead, I started homeschooling him and continued until he reached high school. Best decision made in that regard. He turned out great!
Wills last blog post..Water Will Be The Next Oil
July 15th, 2008 at 9:09 am
I believe that our society is very accustomed to ‘quick fixes’. It is much easier for a physician to prescribe these drugs than to sit down and discuss other options with the parents, such as dietary changes, amount of physical activity the child is involved in, etc. Even if drugs are needed, why aren’t most physicians prescribing non-drug methods FIRST to see if those make a difference? I don’t understand this. I do find it VERY disturbing that children of this young of age would be prescribed these powerful medications. Having two young children of my own, I have to be their advocate and feel the need more than ever to research different treatment options than those traditionally prescribed.
As a former elementary school teacher, I was always saddened of how many children were on Ritalin for ADD or ADHD. Many, not all, of these children would be so ‘doped’ up on these meds that they would appear lifeless. So sad.