A disturbing newscast

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Fri Nov 11, 2011 5:45 pm

I was just watching Diane Sawyer on ABC news and they were reporting that checking the cholesterol levels of kids 9-11 years olds was being recommended by some doctors and if they were too high (and some were) they were putting them on statins. Unbelievable! Diane and the doctor she was talking to were pretty wary of using drugs, thankfully.

Post by **tex** » Fri Nov 11, 2011 6:15 pm

Shame on me - I must have a twisted mind, because when I read your post, I immediately suspected that Big Pharma must be behind that project.

Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:47 pm

OMG, Tex, this must be a new MC symptom - 'cuz I had the same suspicion!

xox/S

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Sat Nov 12, 2011 7:00 am

Ugh. Well, here is one pediatrician who is appalled. I agree, it must be big pharma, because the appropriate solution includes diet, including improved school lunches, more physical activity, nutrition education, etc. But it is true that increasing numbers of youngsters are suffering from elevated cholesterol ( not to mention diabetes, obesity, and hypertension) So sad.

This reminds me of the efforts of big pharm to market nutritional supplements like Pediasure (kid's version of Ensure) as something every normal kid should include as part of a daily diet. Disgusting!

Hugs,

Polly, who is stepping down from her soapbox now

Robin · Post by **Robin** » Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:16 am

Without a shadow of doubt the Pharma companies are behind it!!!!!

What bothers me a new parent would think that it would be ok for there child to be on a statin because they know know better.

Health and Happiness
Robin

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Sat Nov 12, 2011 6:21 pm

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... nav%7Chead

Several doctors on the guidelines panel have received consulting fees or have had other financial ties to makers of cholesterol medicines, and the new advice raises concerns about overtreating children with powerful drugs without long-term evidence about potential effects from decades of use.

The guidelines say that cholesterol drugs likely would be recommended for fewer than 1 percent of kids tested. Most children found to have high cholesterol would be advised to control it with diet and physical activity.

Post by **tex** » Sat Nov 12, 2011 7:33 pm

The biggest problem with virtually all of the medical advisory panels in the world, is that the drug industry has enough of the most influential members on those panels, in their pocket, in order to guarantee recommendations biased toward drug use, in virtually every case. Influence is power, and so influence is worth a lot of money, unfortunately. That kind of foolishness should be illegal, but they continue to get away with it, at the expense of the health of the gullible public.

“None of us wants to put everyone in the United States on a statin drug,” she said. “We don’t want to give them out willy-nilly unless people really need them.”

I don't know who she is claiming to be speaking for, but she certainly isn't speaking for every doctor in the world, because some of them were recommending putting statins in drinking water, and she most certainly is not speaking for anyone in the pharmaceutical industry.

Tex

MaggieRedwings · Post by **MaggieRedwings** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 6:17 am

This horrifies me! Too many drugs and too big pharma companies = everyone on some type of drug. They are way too young to be medicated all the time when their parents should be paying attention to their diet.

Maggie