I have to agree...we have hit new low with the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee's announcement that infants as young as two years old need to be screened for high cholesterol, and children as young as eight years old should be put on prescription statin drugs. This absurd advice is being offered even though statin drugs have never been tested on young children. Even so, the FDA has granted approval of statins in children as young as 8.
If these children do indeed have elevated cholesterol, we need to look at the underlying issue...nutrition and diet in America. The advice to "drug" them in no way corrects the problem, not to mention will most likely cause more. The list of side effects for statin drugs cautions me from prescribing them to an adult much less a child:
Memory Loss/ Mental Confustion
Muscle Breakdown /rhabdomyolysis
Nausea
Irritability / hostility
Homicidal impulses
Kidney failure
Diarrhea
Tingling or cramping in the legs
Problems sleeping
Constipation
Impaired muscle formation
Erectile dysfunction
Hormone imbalance
Temperature regulation problems
Nerve damage /neuropathy
Liver damage and abnormalities
Destruction of CoQ10, a vital nutrient for health
So why the recommendation of statins for children...why else... selling more pharmaceuticals equals more money$$$$ and there is your definition of MARKET EXPANSION.
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I have to agree...we have hit new low with the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee's announcement that infants as young as two years old need to be screened for high cholesterol, and children as young as eight years old should be put on prescription statin drugs. This absurd advice is being offered even though statin drugs have never been tested on young children. Even so, the FDA has granted approval of statins in children as young as 8.
If these children do indeed have elevated cholesterol, we need to look at the underlying issue...nutrition and diet in America. The advice to "drug" them in no way corrects the problem, not to mention will most likely cause more. The list of side effects for statin drugs cautions me from prescribing them to an adult much less a child:
Memory Loss/ Mental Confustion
Muscle Breakdown /rhabdomyolysis
Nausea
Irritability / hostility
Homicidal impulses
Kidney failure
Diarrhea
Tingling or cramping in the legs
Problems sleeping
Constipation
Impaired muscle formation
Erectile dysfunction
Hormone imbalance
Temperature regulation problems
Nerve damage /neuropathy
Liver damage and abnormalities
Destruction of CoQ10, a vital nutrient for health
So why the recommendation of statins for children...why else... selling more pharmaceuticals equals more money$$$$ and there is your definition of MARKET EXPANSION.
Dr.Susan
July 17, 2008 - 3:53pmhttp://www.lakeshorewellnesscenter.com
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