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Show Volume III, Issue XI THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 7 April 1, 2001 Drugging Our Children Dr. Lewis D. Harper What is the cause of our child’s ailments? Is it a lack of Tylenol? Is it a lack of Antibiotics? Is it a lack of Ritalin or Prozac? Is it a weakened immune system? These should be some of the questions we ask ourselves before we give our children any type of medication whether it be over the counter (OTC) or prescription. Most children born into this world have perfectly healthy bodies. These bodies innately know how to maintain the highest level of health possible and have the ability to fight off any ailment presented to their systems. They have the right chemicals, in the right amounts, to function properly in this world. When we introduce medication into our children, their little bodies not only have to adapt to its environment, it now has to adapt to the foreign chemicals that have been put into it. The desired result expected from the medication is to improve the function of the body, but it actually impairs the normal function. Around the United States today the use of medications to treat childhood ailments is common, yet childhood health problems are soaring. Chronic ear infections, asthma, and childhood diabetes are at epidemic proportions and getting worse. The use of medications to treat these conditions hasn’t helped as expected, yet parents are reluctant to reject the use of medications and allow their child’s own immune system detect and correct the problem. By letting the child’s body fight the ailment naturally, it improves the immune system and can create a type of immunity and prevent the ailment from returning in the future. Drugs that are used to treat the symptoms in adults are not always safe for children. Lacy Keele was just five-years old when she died of a drug overdose. She wasn’t one of those lost children we read about barely out of the cradle and already addicted to heroin or cocaine. She merely had a cold and her mother thought it was safe to treat the symptoms with Tylenol. IT WASN’T. Lacy’s liver shut down and she died. She became another statistic on the list of many children who are inadvertently poisoned each year with common over the counter remedies and prescription medications. The three main areas that one should be concerned with include common cold medications, antibiotics and behavior modification drugs like Ritalin and Prozac. In this issue we will discuss the use of common cold medications with children. Most of the survey’s conducted in the U.S. today show evidence that at least half of all children routinely receive either OTC or prescription drugs for colds and/or flu. In a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that more that 50% of all mothers surveyed had given their 3-yearolds an OTC medication, primarily Tylenol or cough or cold medications in the previous 30 days. The researchers questioned the wisdom of this action because “the use of cough and cold medicines are being called into question due to the striking absence of efficacy data on cough and cold medicines in children.” In a congressional hearing on this concern the chairman commented: “The sad fact is, much of the billion-dollar cold medication industry may be based more on hype than on health care. Viewed from this perspective, the high use rate of these medications may be a tremendous waste of money and may unnecessarily expose our children to toxicity. The FDA has also voiced their concern over this matter. Paula Botstein, M.D., pediatrician and acting director of the FDA’s Office of Drug Evaluation III stated, “Before parents dole out OTC drugs, they should consider whether they’re truly necessary. Americans love to medicate—perhaps too much.” A consumer report by the FDA also noted, “Not every cold needs medicine. Common viruses run their course in 7-10 days with or without medication. While some OTC medications may make the child more comfortable, they may trigger allergic reactions or make the symptoms worse. Antibiotics, available by prescription, don’t work on all cold viruses.” Dr. Botstein added, “There is not a medicine to cure everything or to make every symptom go away. Just because your child is miserable and your heart aches to see her that way, doesn’t mean she needs drugs. The JAMA researchers echoed her sentiments and said, “Although they may be annoying or worrisome to the parents, the signs of upper respiratory tract infection, particularly a cough, may not be distressing to the child, in which case it is truly the parent administering the OTC medication who is being ‘treated.’” So ask yourself, “Is my child’s ailment caused by a lack of cough medicine in the body?” “If I give my child medication will it help their immune system get stronger or prevent it from working correctly?” “Am I treating my child’s problem or is my treatment really treating my desire to help?” Think before you medicate. Allow your child to build their immune system by fighting their illness naturally without medication and the side effects that accompany it. St. Florence Catholic Community MASSES: Saturday: 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 8:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m. WEEKDAY MASS: Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. followed by The Rosary Phone: 745-LORD Huntsville, Utah PASTORAL ADMINISTRATOR: Fr. Charles Cummins 399-9531 RECONCILIATION: 30 minutes before Mass Come celebrate with us God’s good news. Intersection of Highway 39 & Snowbasin Road Learning with Blocks Blocks are open-ended materials that stimulate young imaginations, provide choices for discovery and invention, and promote the development of problemsolving skills. One day a block may be an airplane. The next day that same block in the hands of the same child can be a sofa for the house he is building. Building with blocks helps develop young children’s eye-hand coordination, visual perception, and large and small motor skills. It builds self-confidence and provides opportunities for creativity and dramatic play. These things occur naturally when children play with blocks. We also find that working with blocks often deepens children’s engagement with literature and literacy. A child may be inspired, say, to construct the three bears’ beds and chairs, a pirate boat, or an enchanted castle. We sometimes take photographs of children’s block creations and invite the children to caption the photos. We also encourage girls and boys to make their own signs for their creations. In these activities, children are exposed to print in meaningful ways. Inviting children to reconstruct buildings and other things they have seen on field trips is one way we encourage their thinking in relation to social studies. They work with the concepts behind maps and models, and as they build block cities, farms, and factories, they work out their own understanding of these complex sites and communities. Children also develop mathematical and scientific concepts, such as balance and gravity, as they work with blocks. Blocks are engrossing and fun for young children, of course. They are also invaluable tools for promoting children’s development on many fronts. This information provided courtesy of the Old Firehouse Child Care. Source: Stanley Friendly Communications form Early Childhood Program, NAEYC. EDEN PARK’S 2ND ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT Saturday, April 14, 2001 11:00 A.M. EDEN PARK For ALL children of the Valley, ages up to 11. |