To Your Health
May, 2011 (Vol. 05, Issue 05) |
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A Safer Path
The best way to ensure that your child doesn't become part of the pediatric prescription craze is to ask your doctor about drug-free treatment options whenever they reach for their prescribing pad.
It's also essential to inquire about the safety record and research supporting the drug's use for
children specifically. If you don't get the answers you deserve to hear, get more information before filling that prescription.
Your chiropractor's primary goal when caring for you and your children is to allow the body to heal itself naturally. That means using conservative treatment options first, rather than turning to medication. In many cases, particularly regarding some of the pediatric conditions treated heavily with drugs these days (diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep problems, asthma, etc.), lifestyle modifications including exercise, nutrition, weight loss and stress reduction can go a long way - without drugs - to improve your child's health. Talk to your chiropractor for more information.
Drugging Our Children?
Many of the prescriptions or refills dispensed to children and teens in 2009 were for conditions not normally associated with children. Take a look at these staggering statistics (from most to least dispensed):
Asthma drugs: 45.388 million
- children 0-9 years 28.252 million
- children 10-19 years 17.136 million
ADHD drugs: 24.357 million
- children 0-9 years 7.018 million
- children 10-19 years 17.339 million
Antidepressants: 9.614 million
- children 0-9 years 1.026 million
- children 10-19 years 8.588 million
Antipsychotics: 6.546 million
- children 0-9 years 1.396 million
- children 10-19 years 5.150 million
Antihypertensives (treatment for high blood pressure): 5.224 million
- children 0-9 years 1.819 million
- children 10-19 years 3.405 million
Sleep aids: 307,000
- children 0-9 years 14,000
- children 10-19 years 293,000
Non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes: 424,000
- children 0-9 years 30,000
- children 10-19 years 394,000
Statins (treatment for high cholesterol): 94,000
- children 0-9 years 11,000
- children 10-19 years 83,000
Source: The Wall Street Journal, reporting on 2009 data compiled by Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
Claudia Anrig, DC, practices in Fresno, Calif., and is on the board of directors of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, an organization that can answer your questions regarding the value of chiropractic care during and after pregnancy.
