National Twitch
Pharmacists and fast food are overdosing our kids on sugar and Ritalin

In the 1940's, the American child started their day with a kiss from Mom, a bowl of oatmeal and a brown-bagged homemade lunch. The day ended with a well-balanced dinner of protein, starch and a vegetable.

Fast forward to 2006. Kids are fed sugar and preservative laden cereals, synthetically dyed soft drinks and meals in a box.

Could this be the reason our children have been diagnosed at more than double the rate for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder since 2001?

RAMPANT MISDIAGNOSIS

Sadly, most children are being misdiagnosed with ADHD because of their eating habits and need for parental attention. The cost of living is forcing parents to make poor choices - working long hours and leaving children in the hands of daycare. This parental absence has major consequences at the dinner table. Take a look around the grocery store and notice that roughly 70% of the aisles are stocked for convenience - boxed meals, prepared meats and side dishes. The problem is that the American public has no idea what's in its food, and doesn't question why these products have unnaturally long shelf lives.

The U.S. is facing an epidemic of felonious proportions by advocating the blatant tranquilizing of its children, much to the profit of the pharmaceutical industry. Since the beginning of the ADD & ADHD diagnoses, there has been a startling change in the way doctors in this country are addressing this issue. Instead of suggesting alternative treatments to medication, financially motivated healthcare providers are pushing drugs on families. According to Medco Health Solutions, over 5 million Americans are on some form of ADHD medication, with 3.3 million under the age of 19.

These drugs aren't cheap either. Sharon Davis, an analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce, has said that pharmaceutical companies markup behavioral medications such as Zoloft by over 11,000 percent. Consumers pay more than 200 dollars for Zoloft, while it costs Pfizer Pharmaceuticals only $1.75 for the active ingredients.

In fact, attention deficit drugs are the most profitable drugs for any pharmaceutical company. The Australian reports that in 2005, prescriptions for Ritalin increased tenfold in Australia, and Adderall now accounts for 47 percent of profits for the U.K. based Shire Pharmaceuticals Group. According to Bloomberg.com, Adderall was temporarily pulled from the market in Canada last year and a black box warning was applied to Eli Lilly's Strattera when it was found that the drug may cause suicidal thoughts in children.

LONG-TERM SIDE EFFECTS

And that's only the beginning. Some claim that these medications are causing strokes, heart attacks, hallucinations and convulsions; with cases reported in children as young as five. Over 400 cases of these side effects have been treated in Australia alone.

In America, we hear nothing of these warnings or side effects. Some attention deficit medications have life-long consequences - especially Ritalin. The Military Personnel Procurement Manual lists Ritalin as a "permanent disqualifier" for joining the Army. According to Australian Parliament, media reports indicate prescriptions for ADHD have risen 700 percent in the U.S. over the last decade.

FIGHTING BACK

One forerunner in the fight against overmedicating children is the Feingold Association of New York. Feingold's mission is to eliminate thousands of artificial colorings and preservatives from American diets by removing all unnatural additives, and then reintroducing them one by one to find the problematic ingredients.

Additives like Blue #1 or Red 40 are both made from petroleum. Aspartame is in hundreds of products, replacing sugar in snacks like Jell-O. According to the Associated Press, a Federal study of aspartame in humans - rather than rats - states that it has no side effects and might actually have health benefits. However, according to a study conducted by Ralph G. Walton, Prof. of Clinical Psychology at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, the government is lying by omission. In independent studies, 83 of 90 found health problems linked directly to the product. But the 74 studies conducted by the aspartame industry claim there is no danger in using their product.

Since the introduction of these products, the sickness and obesity rate in children has grown staggeringly. The FDA and the food industry lobby are lying to the people, making families sick to garnish profits. The doctors who prescribe medications in response - such as Ritalin - are breaking the Hippocratic Oath by intentionally making their patients sicker. Parents must reject the idea that children are supposed to be well-behaved and tranquil at all times. Kids will be kids. Mom and Dad should take an active roll in their children's lives instead of allowing daycare to do all the work. They should monitor what their kids eat because it just might be the culprit of their hyperactivity. With all of the toxic chemicals being fed to them, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why our nation's children are so chronically ill.

Written By J. H. Morley

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