« Placebo – Obecalp – A New Way to Treat Patients | Home | Boulderfest 2008 Presentation »
Cholesterol Drugs for Children? You Must Be Kidding!
By Mark Schauss | July 9, 2008
When I first read the article at MSNBC, I checked my calendar to see if somehow it was April Fools Day and some one was playing a very bad joke on me. If there was ever a sign that personal responsibilty, parental control, and medical idiocy all joined forces at the same time, this is it. To advocate the use of stain drugs whose efficacy is already under suspicion in adults, for children, is the highest level of malpractice I have seen to date.
In an earlier series of posts on this blog site, I attack the whole notion of cholesterol and heart disease. Here, the American Academy of Pediatrics in their concern about obesity, decide that instead of pounding on people to stop feeding their kids like pigs on the slop line and to cut back of high-fructose corn syrup, they should give the precious snowflakes a drug instead. This is horrible theory. Aside from the obvious issues of side-effects, long-term issues, this solves nothing. What they should be screaming about is how people who are the parents of waddling kids shop at Costco and Wall-Mart, stuffing their shopping carts with donuts, huge boxes of sugar laden cereals, cases of sodas and all sorts of junk food. This is what they should be focusing on but I guess there is no money in it for them.
Without lifestyle changes, these children will not be any healthier in the future, they will be at a greater risk to need more drugs to counteract the effects of the statins and they will be told the message that drugs, not personal choice is the way to deal with life’s issues.
Does anyone ever wonder any more that illicit drug use is so high in this country? The pharmaceutical industry has made it a mantra that drug intake is the way to a happier and healthier life, not eating right and exercising.
This nonsense is about pediatricians removing themselves from the difficult task of telling the parents to take control of their kids diets and making it clear that being obese is their fault. It’s a cop-out. The American Academy of Pediatrics should be ashamed of themselves especially since Dr. Stephen Davis of the Academy has worked as a consultant to Abbott Laboratories and Merck & Co., but not on matters involving their cholesterol drugs but so what, they are the biggest drug pushers in the world.
Topics: Drugs, Food, Health, Healthcare, Life, Opinion, pharmaceuticals, Research | 1 Comment »
July 9th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
[…] Original post here […]