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Doctors Bribed to Hook Your Kids on Drugs?

Dr. Mercola

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Americans must start to question the legitimacy of the exploitative pharmaceutical-industrial complex, and the predatory people that run it.

The pharmaceutical-industrial complex has virtually annexed the mental health profession. Take, as one example, Harvard psychiatrist Joseph Biederman, the high-profile doctor most responsible for the explosion of kids on psychiatric drugs. Biederman took $1.6 million from drug makers from 2000 to 2007, and failed to report most of it to his university.

On March 20, 2009, the New York Times reported that Biederman told Johnson & Johnson that he planned for his proposed research studies on its antipsychotic drug Risperdal to turn out favorably. Biederman delivered the goods.

The Times also reported that in 2005 Biederman proposed a study on adolescents using the ADHD-drug Concerta, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, and he assured the company that his study would "extend to adolescents positive findings with Concerta."

And in 2006, Biederman was co-author of a study showing that children given Concerta for a prolonged period did not have reduced growth, allaying a significant concern about the medicine -- but in contradiction to what has now been established.

The CDC has estimated that 9 percent of boys and 4 percent of girls in the U.S. are taking ADHD stimulant medications. ADHD drug prescriptions rose by almost 12 percent a year between 2000 and 2005.

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Dr. Mercola''s Comments Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Shortly I will be posting my specific mission video, which goes into great detail how we are seeking to change the health care system in the US. We are getting more specific, and going to target reduced consumption of three major drug categories:

  • Statin drugs

  • Diabetic drugs

  • Children's psychiatric drugs

This article clearly identifies why we have targeted drugs to control children's behavior. In large part they have been popularized by manipulating the medical system to control the influencers.

Makes perfect business sense; for a relatively modest investment they can convince tens of thousands -- and in some cases hundreds of thousands -- to prescribe and heartily endorse these drugs like they are the ultimate answer, because they have been “scientifically” proven by the best.

Well nothing can be further from the truth.

Dr. Joseph Biederman of Harvard Medical School is a world-renowned child psychiatrist. Unfortunately, he is using his reputation to help fuel an explosion in the use of powerful antipsychotic medicines in children.

In addition to receiving awards of excellence from both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Biederman is also on the editorial board of multiple journals, a reviewer for most of the psychiatric journals, and has served as a grant reviewer in the Child Psychopathology and Treatment Review Committee of the NIMH.

This gives you an idea just how wide his sphere of influence extends.

Dr. Biederman has also earned at least $1.6 million in consulting fees from drug makers from 2000 to 2007. However, he did not report much of this income to university officials -- a major conflict of interest.

It turns out that in exchange for these hefty consulting fees, Biederman was virtually guaranteeing favorable results from his drug studies. As reported by The New York Times:

  • Biederman told Johnson & Johnson that he planned for his proposed research studies on its antipsychotic drug Risperdal to turn out favorably -- and they did.

  • In 2005 Biederman proposed a study on adolescents using the ADHD-drug Concerta, also manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, and he said the study would "extend to adolescents positive findings with Concerta." In 2006, his study on Concerta once again delivered positive results for the drug.

Does Dr. Biederman have some very powerful psychic abilities? Did his connection to the industry coincidentally result in favorable results from clinical studies?

What Does This Tainted Research Mean for Your Children?

While Dr. Biederman and other physicians like him have cashed in on the benefits of drug-company payouts, ADHD-drug prescriptions have risen by almost 12 percent a year between 2000 and 2005.

Meanwhile, many psychiatrists prescribing these drugs seem to be turning a blind eye toward the recent studies showing these powerful stimulants may alter the structure and function of children’s brains in ways that may depress mood, cause anxiety and lead to cognitive deficits later in life.

The drugs have also been linked to cancer, Parkinson’s disease and stunted growth -- serious side effects for a disorder that is typically remedied by natural treatments I’ll describe shortly.

But ADHD drugs only represent one portion of the massive psychiatric drug market for children.

In 2007 alone, half a million children and teenagers were given at least one prescription for an antipsychotic, including 20,500 under the age of 6. American children are also about three times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medication than children in Europe.

Sadly, those who are consistently getting the short end of the stick are kids in foster care. Children in the foster care system, some as young as 3 years old, are being screened for mental illnesses and started on psychiatric drugs for disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Among children in foster care:

  • 60 percent in Texas take psychiatric drugs

  • Two-thirds in Massachusetts take them

  • 55 percent in Florida take the drugs

Further, in the past decade Dr. Biederman and his colleagues have promoted the aggressive diagnosis and drug treatment of childhood bipolar disorder, maintaining that it was underdiagnosed in children and is treatable with drugs.

Based on their influence, pediatric bipolar diagnoses and antipsychotic drug use in children have soared.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), about 7 percent of all children seen at psychiatric facilities fit the bipolar disorder criteria, using research standards -- much of which originated from Dr. Biederman and company at Harvard.

If Your Child Has Behavioral Problems, Please Try This Instead of Drugs

Behavioral problems in children are very frequently related to improper diet, emotional upset and exposure to toxins. Yet, if you take your child to a typical child psychiatrist, you will likely leave with one or more potentially dangerous drug prescriptions in hand.

Please realize that these prescriptions have the potential to harm your child in serious and possibly permanent ways, and they will in no way address the underlying sources of the problem.

I have treated many hundreds of children with varying levels of behavioral problems and disorders and have consistently seen them improve once the underlying toxicities and food changes were addressed. So parents, let me assure you that there is hope!

You can view my interview with the late pediatric expert Dr. Lendon Smith and my recent article on ADHD for more important information on this topic, but ideally you may want to seek the help of a knowledgeable natural health practitioner who can help guide you.

Most cases of behavioral challenges will resolve naturally when you follow the recommendations below. So ,rather than relying on a dangerous drug-based quick-fix like Ritalin, teach your child that they can excel in life, and overcome their symptoms, by taking control of their health.

  1. Give your child plenty of high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats like krill oil.

  2. Balance your child’s intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fats (from vegetables oils), by limiting their intake of vegetable oils.

  3. Avoid giving your child ANY processed foods, especially those containing artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.

  4. Replace soft drinks, fruit juices, and pasteurized milk in your child’s diet with pure water. This is HUGE since high fructose corn syrup is the NUMBER ONE source of calories in children -- remember this includes fruit juices!

  5. Reduce or eliminate grains and sugars from your child’s diet -- yes even healthy organic whole grains can cause problems. Try eliminating them first for 1-2 weeks and see if you don’t notice a radical and amazing improvement in your child’s behavior.

  6. Make sure your child gets plenty of exercise and outdoor playtime in the sunshine.

  7. Give your child a way to deal with his or her emotions. Even children can benefit from the Meridian Tapping Technique (MTT), which you or an MTT practitioner can teach them how to use.

Related Links:

articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/11/Doctors-Bribed-to-Hook-Your-Kids-on-Drugs.aspx