If you have a child or know someone who does (that should be all of us, right?), you need to read this article. It has some really sobering facts about children and medication. Make sure you read the top article from Yahoo News and Journal of Pediatrics, and then go down to read Mercola's additional information.
Some of the stand-out quotes for me were:
In 2004 and 2005, adverse drug events were the third leading cause of nonfatal injuries among infants treated in hospital emergency departments.
Another study, published in 2002, found that medications given to children and mothers during pregnancy, labor or while breast-feeding, played a role in 769 deaths and close to 6,000 side effects in children under 2 years of age between 1997 and 2000 in the U.S.
Perhaps even worse, the greatest disparity between supported and unsupported off-label uses is found among prescriptions for psychiatric uses, where only 4 percent of drugs have strong support, versus 96 percent having very limited or no support whatsoever from medical studies! Considering the fact that the use of psychiatric drugs in children as young as two has skyrocketed in the past decade, it’s nothing short of an uncontrolled mass-experiment.
- One-fifth of drugs that work in adults are ineffective in children
- One-fifth of the drugs were being prescribed at the wrong dosage
- One-third of the drugs caused unexpected side effects, some of which were potentially fatal
Two out of three babies receive antibiotics by their first birthday.
Treat fevers the right way -- A fever is actually a good thing. High fevers are especially good as they are far better than any immunization at building an authentic, life-long immune response. When you suppress these fevers with Tylenol or another medication, you can cause far more harm than good. (I advise avoiding most all of the anti-fever medications unless your child is absolutely miserable or the fever is over 104 degrees F.) A tepid bath can be a soothing and effective alternative.
READ THIS ARTICLE. It is not "granola" news. This is NATIONAL NEWS! Click here to read the information on Yahoo News.
People, we need to WAKE UP and stop giving our kids drugs every time they have the slightest sniffle. I know it may make you feel better to think you're helping them; however, in most cases you are impeding the process of them getting well or even worse, making them sicker...ALL IN THE NAME OF LOVE!
4 comments:
Preach it, sister!!!
I'm glad you included the note about fever being a good thing. Last time Gabe ran a really high fever, I was so tempted to give him Tylenol, but resisted. We just kept a very close eye on him and kept a cool rag handy. He broke the fever in ONE day! Praise God!
But...when I told a friend about it, she immediately asked, "What are you giving him?" When I told her "nothing", she freaked!! She has a son who is prone to fever-induced seizures. So, the minute a fever strikes her kids, she is alternating Motrin and Tylenol every 2-4 hrs. Her doctor told her to alternate them and that you could take them close together b/c they are two different medicines. I tried to defend my case and explain that fever is the body's way of fighting off diseases, but she said...'all it takes is one seizure and you will never let a fever burn again!'
I was at a loss for words. I didn't want to offend her, especially b/c I know how scary seizures are.
Anyway, what is your opinion?? How high is TOO high??? (I read the thing about 104....is that the magic number for intervening?)
You raise a great point. Until I had Tristan, I had never heard of fever-induced seizures. Then I had Tristan, and my mom told me ALLLLL about them. Because of what Channing learned in chiropractic school about fevers (and relayed to me), I didn't worry too much about that happening. I knew that a fever is a sign of an immune system at work. However, since I had not heard much about these types of seizures, I did some investigation. One of the best sources I have come across is "How to Raise a Healthy Child...In Spite of Your Doctor" written by Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D.
According to Dr. Mendelsohn, "Unless there are additional symptoms such as extreme listlesness, abnormal behavior, respiratory difficulty, and others that could indicate the presence of serious diseases such as diptheriaand meningitis, your doctor should tell you there is nothing to worry about...".
He has a section of this book where he specifically discusses seizures and fever. He says he "empathizes" with parents who have witnessed this in their kids because it is a very scary thing to see. However, he goes on to say,"It is also relatively uncommon; it is estimated that only 4 percent of children with high fever experience fever-related convulsions. There is no evidence that those who do have them suffer any serious aftereffects as a result....Medication and sponging are a useless exercise because, by the time you become aware that your child has a temperature, the probability is that any resulting convulsion would already have occurred. That's because the convulsion is not related to the height of your child's temperature but to how rapidly the temperature rose to whatever level it reached. By the time your become aware of the child's temperature, the probability is that this rapid rise has already occurred, and unless the child has already convulsed, the danger period has passed. The possibility of febrile convulsions is limited primarily to children under five years of age, and even those children who experience them prior to that age rarely have them after the age of five." He does say that "In advising against the treatment of fever, per se, I make an exception in newborn babies." He explains that newborns may suffer from a number of infections "related to obstetrical intervention during the delivery process, prenateal or hereditary conditions, or events that occur shortly after birth....Prudence demands that you take your newborn baby to the doctor if he runs a fever of any level during the first few months of life....If your child is less than two months of age, and his temp. exceeds 100 degrees, call your doctor."
Dr. Mendelsohn's book is SO great, and he so much great advice about what to do and expect when your child has a fever. I wish I could just put it all on here. I encourage everyone who has a child to get this book! Some of it is kind of outdated, but a lot of it still applies to today.
Some more quick tips from Dr. M about fevers:
"Call your doctor, regardless of the temperature level, if your child is experiencing difficulty in breathing, is vomiting repeatedly, or has a fever that is accompanied by twitching or other strange movements, or you are concernedc about any other alarming element of the child's behavior or appearance.
If your child experiences chills along with his fever, don't try to counteract it by piling on more blankets. This will simply cause the temperature to increase more rapidly, and the chills are not to be feared, because they are a normal bodily response.
Encourage your feverish child to rest, but don't make too big a production of it. There is no medical need to confine him to bed or even to keep him indoors if the weather is reasonably decent....You should try to discourage him from engaging in intense competitive sports, however.
If you have reason to believe that the fever is the result of a cause other than infection, such as heatstroke or poisioning, take your child to a hospital emergency room at once.
Make sure he drinks plenty of fluids."
I hope this helps. I know fevers can be scary, but we just have to remember that God set up our bodies as amazing healing machines. It's not always easy to allow the process to work, especially in today's world.
Keep on keeping on, Lindsey! You're doing great things for Gabe and the baby to come!
Thanks so much for the encouragement, Annie! I really need to get that book! I am realizing more and more that I have a wonderful pediatrician! When I called about Gabe's fever, the phone nurse told me exactly what that book said. She said to watch for other signs like him being lethargic or unresponsive. She said b/c the office was so germy and contagious, NOT to bring him in unless there was some sign of infection that could be treated. She said otherwise, not to worry. That was so comforting to hear. I was just glad to know that they discouraged me from coming in b/c that was the last thing I wanted to do. She said it would be worse for him to expose him to what was floating around in their office! He has also been VERY supportive of us choosing not to vaccinate Gabe. This might change as he gets older, but for now, it's not even something that he brings up anymore. He knows we'll talk about it more when we're ready! We're so blessed to have him! Thanks again for all the info, Annie! I'm definitely gonna get that book!
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