Detrimental Effects of Medicating Children and Alternative Ways to Essay

Detrimental Effects of Medicating Children and Alternative Ways to Treat Behavioral Problems - Essay Example Ritalin is the number one prescription drug for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This drug has such tremendous potential for abuse that it is classified as a controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Agency. Ritalin is an amphetamine (in street jargon, "speed") with a lengthy list of side effects, including nervousness, insomnia, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, dizziness, palpitations, headaches, irregular heart rhythms, and psychic dependence - in short, addiction. In fact, Ritalin's appeal to drug users and its potential for abuse are so high that US House Judiciary Chair Henry Hyde (R-IL) recently filed a request with the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct an investigation of Ritalin abuse in public schools. In addition, class action lawsuits have been filed in Texas, California and New Jersey charging Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, maker of Ritalin, with conspiracy to create the psychiatric disorder known as ADHD in order to fuel the market for their product. The latest version of methylphenidate is an extended-released tablet that will be the most expensive prescription drug on the ADHD market. ... Though promoters of the drug say it will help eliminate the embarrassment experienced by children who have to take medication at school, the drug will do nothing to eliminate the dangers of methylphenidate. In clinical studies, side effects of Concerta were virtually identical to those of Ritalin. There are natural alternatives to both Ritalin and Concerta, but you're not likely to hear about them from most conventional doctors. And if the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has its way, you won't be able to find these products in health food stores, either. Protecting Patients or Pharmaceutical Companies Late last year, the FTC charged Natural Organics, a company that markets a natural alternative to Ritalin called Pedi-Active ADD, with making unsubstantiated claims - despite the fact that Natural Organics has submitted some 200 studies, including 18 double-blind studies, in support of its claims. According to Natural Organics CEO Gerald Kessler, the FTC has failed to produce a single study supporting its allegations. Kessler questions the FTC's motives, and I agree - it's not consumers the FTC is trying to protect, it's the profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies and their stockholders. Pedi-Active ADD is used at the Whitaker Wellness Institute and have had great success with this formulation, a combination of naturally occurring compounds that support neural function. Dimethyl-aminoethanol (DMAE), a natural compound found in anchovies and sardines, was actually used for children with ADD in the pre-Ritalin days. DMAE stimulates the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is crucial for learning and memory, and enhances